Head of AI

Responsibilities

• Define and own STARK's AI strategy across product and internal domains, setting a direction for Technical Leads to execute.
• Lead AI stack decisions, including model selection, frameworks, MLOps infrastructure, and evaluation.
• Act as connective tissue across teams to resolve cross-team AI dependencies and shared infrastructure gaps.
• Drive internal AI adoption, including developer productivity tooling and automation infrastructure.
• Provide technical oversight on methodology, adversarial robustness, and performance under real operational conditions.
• Monitor the academic and commercial AI landscape to translate advances into strategic inputs.
• Represent STARK externally at defense, robotics, and AI venues to build technical credibility.

Requirements

• Degree in machine learning, computer vision, robotics, or a closely related field.
• Proven experience setting AI technical strategy at a senior level across multiple domains.
• Deep technical fluency in perception and sensor fusion, autonomy and motion planning, SLAM/localisation, or multi-agent coordination.
• Experience in defense, aerospace, or another safety-critical domain.
• Eligibility for required security clearance.
• Fluent English.

Preferred Qualifications

• An existing network within the European defense AI community.
• Prior experience in a staff- or principal-level AI role within a scaling deep-tech company.
• A public profile through talks, papers, or significant open-source contributions.
• Working knowledge of German.

About the Company

STARK is a defense technology company revolutionizing the deployment of autonomous systems. We design, develop, and manufacture high-performance, software-defined unmanned systems that provide operators with a decisive edge in contested environments. Our mission is to bolster the technological edge of NATO Allies and their Partners to defend Europe.