Head of Software Systems

Twentyfour Industries

We are an early-stage startup funded by leading European VCs with the mission to build advanced small Unmanned Systems to strengthen European sovereignty and security.

What we’re looking for

• 6–15 years of software development experience preferrably in robotics, UAV, embedded or real-time vision systems, ideally in startups or scaleups

• Deep hands-on expertise in C++, embedded Linux and real-time systems with proven production deployments

• Senior individual contributor first: you personally own critical technical domains before scaling through others

• Proven experience integrating third-party software into real-world, production-grade systems

• High ownership mindset, strong hiring instincts, low politics, and clear accountability for outcomes

• Fluent English (C2 required); German is a strong plus

The day-to-day

• Lead a Team of top talented software engineers. 

• Grow the team, the processes and the people

• Drive architectural decisions that survive real-world integration and personally guide the team through strategic, technical decisions every day

• Drive system-level integration across flight controller, companion compute, RF, GCS, and external modules

• Build, scale, and harden the software organization from ~ 5 to >30 engineers together with the CTO

You should apply if you

• Enjoy hiring top-tier engineers, defining clear ownership, and raising the technical bar by example

• Want to personally build and ship mission-critical systems, not just coordinate or manage abstractions

• Are comfortable making architectural trade-offs under real constraints (compute, bandwidth, power, reliability)

• Can balance speed vs. robustness vs. differentiation while retaining strategic technical control

• Are willing to be on-site 4+ days per week and take full accountability for outcomes

Nice to haves

• Experience in building and leading software teams

• Experience with UAV dynamics, GNSS-denied navigation, perception systems, or low-latency video pipelines

• Background in embedded hardware–software integration and system bring-up

• Familiarity with supplier management, external co-development, or export-controlled environments

• Prior experience scaling a software team in an early-stage deep-tech company

What we offer

• The mandate to build and scale the software organization together with the CTO

• Real technical authority: architectural decisions that directly impact shipped systems

• High ownership, low bureaucracy, and direct access to decision-making

• A highly driven, engineering-first environment where outcomes matter more than hierarchy