Head of Mission Delivery and Operations

About Us

STARK is at the forefront of defense technology, developing autonomous, software-defined, and mass-scalable systems for air, land, and sea. Our software platform serves as the central cognitive core, integrating autonomy, navigation, targeting, sensing, mission control, and ground-station UI.

Our software program comprises several teams around R&D on both Command&Control (C2) and Autonomy functions as well as Delivery and Operations capabilities. Every unmanned system in the STARK portfolio relies on this single, rapidly evolving, reliable, and intelligent software program. Our teams are distributed across several locations in Europe and Ukraine.

To drive mission delivery by bringing a strong market and project perspective to enhance our development teams - we are looking for a Head of Mission Delivery and Operations.

About the team Minerva is STARK's command and control software — the brain that connects operators to autonomous systems across multiple domains in real time. The Minerva team is a small, senior software group based in Berlin and Munich, working directly with our systems and hardware teams to build mission-critical C2 capabilities deployed in active operational environments.
We move fast, ship real software, and operate under constraints most engineers never encounter — low-bandwidth networks, air-gapped devices, high-stakes decision loops. There is no room for abstraction for its own sake. Everything we build ends up in the hands of real operators in the field. Your mission

As the Head of Mission Delivery and Operations, you are the bridge between Stark’s cutting-edge code and our customers' highest-stakes challenges. Your mandate is to:

• Architect, build, and lead the unified engine that drives technical project management, mission enablement, and customer solutions engineering.

• You will own the entire delivery lifecycle, ensuring that our software doesn’t just "deploy," but fundamentally transforms customer operations.

• This involves creating the frameworks, hiring the talent, and designing the technical processes that turn complex, bespoke integrations into a scalable, repeatable science.

You are a systems-thinker who finds beauty in operational efficiency and possesses the grit to scale a department from the ground up in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where "good enough" is never the standard. The role is for someone who:

• Thrives in chaos and operates with a calm sense of purpose.

• Loves shaping teams for mission delivery.

• Communicates crisply and persuasively across all levels.

• Keeps teams aligned and executing flawlessly when stakes are at their highest.

• Turns ambiguity into a clear, actionable direction.

Responsibilities

1. Architect the Delivery Engine

• Modular Delivery Framework: Design the end-to-end "Stark Way" for technical deployments, turning bespoke customer requirements into a scalable, modular delivery science that avoids the "custom-code trap."

• Tactical Feedback Integration: Establish "boots-on-the-ground" feedback loops with end-users to bridge the gap between technical specs and frontline realities, ensuring software iterations are battle-hardened.

• Rapid Tactical Deployment: Establish and lead a "Rapid Response" capability to execute high-velocity R&D prototypes and urgent, off-cycle system deployments. You will ensure the organization can pivot instantly to meet emerging threats or immediate customer requirements without compromising core stability.

• Field-to-Engineering Translation: Build the pipeline that synthesizes complex field intelligence into actionable engineering priorities, ensuring "impact" is measured by mission success and user adoption.

2. Shape Cross-functional Synthesis

• Strategic Executive Alignment: Prepare high-velocity decision briefs and risk assessments for the executive team, providing the technical and operational clarity needed to make high-stakes calls with confidence.

• Operational Gatekeeping & Proxy: Serve as the primary filter for technical leadership, managing external demands and representing the program’s interests in high-level steering committees and partner meetings.

• High-Impact Special Projects: Take full ownership of complex, company-wide initiatives that don't fit into a single bucket—such as cross-departmental product launches or emergency strategic shifts—and drive them to completion.

• Stakeholder Trust & Relationship Architecture: Cultivate deep-rooted trust with key military partners and program offices, embedding Stark’s solutions into their long-term operational and budgetary frameworks.

3. Ensure operational Excellence & Real-Time visibility

• Evolve the ‘Delivery OS’: Continually refine the internal operating processes of the mission delivery team, ensuring the organization can double in size and complexity without doubling in bureaucracy.

• Strategic Talent Acquisition: Own the architectural design of your department's growth, personally identifying and landing "force-multiplier" talent to scale the mission delivery and solutions engineering teams.

• Data-Driven Portfolio Oversight: Implement robust, lightweight reporting frameworks and real-time dashboards that provide absolute visibility into project health, team performance, and customer satisfaction.

• Product Portfolio Roadmap: Drive the operational strategy for deploying STARK software solutions from a comprehensive product portfolio.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in technical leadership, with a proven history of scaling delivery or operations teams in high-growth SaaS, GovTech, or deep-tech environments.

• You’ve seen what "good" looks like at scale. You know how to build repeatable processes that don’t stifle innovation but rather provide the guardrails for speed.

• A background in military service and especially in the Cyber / IT domain is a strong plus.

• Exposure to defense, robotics, or embedded systems is helpful, but proven organizational mastery and execution discipline are paramount.

Core Qualities

• The "Stark" Factor: You are comfortable with ambiguity, thrive under pressure, and possess the "founder's grit" needed to build a department from a blank sheet of paper.

• Systemic Thinker: You understand organizational mechanics—how teams interconnect and how decisions create ripples across the business.

• Mission-First Mindset: You are obsessed with customer outcomes. You don’t consider a project finished until the customer has achieved their mission objective.

• Risk Sentinel: You have an uncanny ability to spot problems, dependencies, and organizational tensions well before others notice them.

• Crisp Communicator: You effortlessly distill complex technical and strategic contexts into simple, compelling written and spoken communication.

• Trusted Operator: You build trust rapidly, operating with the highest levels of discretion, integrity, and a low-ego attitude.

• Owner’s Mindset: You move with urgency, take full ownership, and relentlessly follow through until the result is delivered.

• Execution Focused: Ultimately, you possess the drive and capability to simply get things done.

Tools & Mindset

• Proficient with modern tools like Jira, Confluence, and advanced planning/reporting platforms.

• Highly proactive, exceptionally structured, and fully capable of independently driving complex projects to the finish line.

• Able to partner closely with engineers, understanding their needs and matching it with needs of our military customers.

• A mature understanding of handling classified information and supporting B2G (Business-to-Government) customers.

Why STARK?

• Direct Impact: Work alongside senior engineering leaders who are shaping the future of cutting-edge autonomous defense systems.

• Trust and Responsibility: A high-trust environment offering significant responsibility and influence from Day One.

• Mission Critical: Your work directly contributes to urgent defense capabilities for NATO-aligned nations.

• Organizational Influence: A unique opportunity to define the organizational and operational backbone of a critical software platform.

• Accelerated Learning: Experience a steep learning curve and unparalleled professional growth.