Head of R&D

About the role

Stark, a European defence technology company, is seeking a visionary Head of R&D to lead its Ukrainian development hub. You will act as the technical conductor for both hardware and software streams, turning advanced concepts into field‑ready unmanned systems.

Key responsibilities

• Own the R&D roadmap, maintaining a helicopter view of hardware and software development.
• Define, align and cascade strategic OKRs across engineering teams.
• Oversee system architecture, approving key design decisions in embedded systems, electronics, mechanics and software.
• Balance experimental research with delivery timelines for production‑ready solutions.
• Serve as the primary bridge between Ukrainian and European R&D teams, ensuring seamless knowledge transfer.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, QA and Delivery to guarantee design‑for‑production readiness.
• Lead, inspire and grow a multidisciplinary team of engineers.
• Implement agile processes, transparent project tracking (Jira, Confluence) and robust reporting.

Required profile

• 7+ years of experience in engineering or R&D leadership within UAVs, robotics, aerospace or complex mechatronic systems.
• Deep domain expertise in unmanned/autonomous system architecture.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary HW/SW teams and manage R&D budgets.
• Strong strategic planning and OKR execution skills.

Required skills

• Embedded systems
• Electronics design
• Mechanical engineering
• Software engineering
• UAV/loitering munition technology
• Robotics
• Aerospace systems
• Mechatronics
• Jira
• Confluence