Drone Test Pilot & Tech, C-UAS at Sphere Defense (Brussels, Belgium)
Sphere Defense· Brussels, Belgium·
Role details
Job description
Who we are
Sphere Defense is a fully funded startup with the mission of providing state-nations in Europe with sovereign, effective and affordable countermeasures to neutralize todays’ and tomorrow’s aerial threats.
Sphere Defense was founded by industry veterans with previous successful exits, and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the heart of Europe.
About you
You are a highly-motivated Drone Test Pilot that has exceptional hands-on capabilities and is an expert in flying RC planes and models. Ideally, you have multiple years of experience in assembling, testing and piloting FPV and VLOS jet- and electric-powered models.
Location: Onsite in Brussels, Belgium. Our office is close to Central Station.
Reports to: Chief Technology Officer
What you’ll do
- Pilot and evaluate early UAS prototypes (fixed wing, VTOL, quadcopters) for defense applications
- Assemble and test early UAS prototypes end-to-end, working side-by-side with the Lab, Test and Engineering teams in a tight feedback loop
- Travel over Europe and abroad for test campaigns, exercises and demonstrations with governmental and industry stakeholders
- Be a team player and a mentor, being available to support and grow the team when needed
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree, Technical High School diploma or equivalent
- Demonstrated experience in assembling and piloting RC models (fixed-wing, quadcopters) in FPV or VLOS
- At least 150 hours of flight time accrued with fixed-wing vehicles
- Experience selecting components for and assembling jet- and electric-powered RC models
- Knowledge of EASA flight safety regulations for UASs
- Exceptional hands-on abilities in the field of electronics, cabling, mechanical assembly
- Experience with soldering, assembling and repairing electronic boards
- Ability to use 3D printers to customize models
- Experience in working within an R&D laboratory
- Excellent spoken and written English, Dutch or French is a plus
Preferential qualifications
- Experience with the PX4 flight controller
What we offer
- Attractive compensation
- Year-end bonus eligibility
- Stock Options Plan
- Mobility Budget
- 32 days of holidays
- Meal vouchers
- Private Health insurance
We are building a core team of hard-working people. If you want to join a company with tremendous impact and you are autonomous, creative and driven, we want to hear from you!
Sphere Defense offers attractive compensation, stock options, and a unique opportunity to change the global defense landscape.
This role is only open to candidates with right to work in Belgium. We cannot provide visa sponsorship at this time.
Why work at Sphere Defense
- Mission-driven impact: Directly protect allies from the #1 cause of military casualties in Ukraine (drones cause >70% of casualties). Opportunity to shape the future of autonomous defense.
- Early-stage ownership: Be one of the first members of a high-performing team; shape software, perception architecture, and product direction.
- Tech stack: C++ for production, Python for prototypes, ROS2, simulation environments (Gazebo, Foxglove), PX4 flight controllers, Rust preferred. Work on autonomous flying vehicles, sensor fusion, VIO/SLAM, ML, reinforcement learning.
- Compensation: Attractive base pay plus stock options (depending on geography/position).
- Location: Onsite in Brussels, Belgium. Office at Rue d’Enghien 18, 1080 Brussels.
- Culture: High-ambiguity, self-starter environment; team of hard-working, autonomous, creative people. French or Dutch is a plus but English is primary.
- Team size: Very small (early-stage). Founder team includes industry veterans with previous successful exits.