Role Overview
Our client is building next-generation AI-powered SAR sensing systems for exploration, reconnaissance, and ground-penetrating applications. They work with government and defense customers, developing production-grade airborne SAR systems that push the limits of what radar sensing can detect --- even through soil and complex materials. You will join a small, elite technical team, working directly with the founders, where your decisions have immediate real-world impact.
We are looking for a SAR System Engineer with end-on-end experience building airborne SAR systems (UAV, aircraft, or satellite). This role is not theoretical. You will design, build, integrate, test, and optimize real SAR payloads and processing pipelines, from raw radar returns to high-quality SAR imagery ready for AI-based analysis.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, assemble, and test airborne SAR systems, primarily UAV-based ground-penetrating SAR (GP-SAR)
- Own the full SAR processing pipeline --- from raw radar (Level 0) data to final SAR images
- Develop and optimize SAR imaging algorithms:
- Back-projection
- Range-Doppler
- Omega-K
- Implement SAR-specific corrections:
- Motion compensation
- Time-zero alignment
- Calibration & error correction
- Geometric spreading
- Background subtraction
- Build production-ready, scalable processing frameworks (real-time or near-real-time)
- Optimize compute performance (CPU / GPU)
- Work closely with:
- RF & hardware teams
- Algorithm specialists
- AI engineers (to deliver clean SAR data for detection & classification)
- Support the full lifecycle: simulation → integration → field testing → deployment
Required Qualifications
- Strong, hands-on experience with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
- Experience delivering complete, deployable SAR systems on airborne platforms (UAV / aircraft / satellite)
- Deep understanding of:
- SAR image formation
- Radar systems & RF fundamentals
- Signal processing
- Solid software engineering skills in Python and/or C++
- GPU / CUDA experience is a strong plus
- System-level mindset: ability to bridge research algorithms and production systems
- Minimum: 5 years in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
- Must be hands-on, not purely academic
Why Join Us
- Comfortable working in field testing environments
- Experience with ground-penetrating or material-penetrating SAR
- Background in defense or government SAR programs
- Valid German or EU driving license
- Have real SAR system experience
- Like hands-on engineering
- Enjoy startups, ownership, and building from zero
- Want your work to have real-world and defense impact
- Work directly with founders on cutting-edge SAR, RF, and AI technology
- Strong funding, real customers, real deployments
- Unique location: former Berlin airport with large outdoor test areas
- Competitive salary, VSOP / equity options
- Be a core engineer shaping both the technology and the company
About the Company's requirements
- On-site preferred (Berlin)
- Senior level: hybrid / remote possible
- Remote option: acceptable if candidate can travel to Berlin ~1 week per month
- Language: English (required)
- Visa: Not provided
- Citizenship / Nationality - Open to most nationalities
- Preferred: NATO countries (defense projects)
- Mid-level salary: ~70,000 EUR
- Senior salary: 90,000 -- 120,000 EUR
- Benefits: ESOP