Systems Engineer (Test & Validation)

About Alta Ares

Alta Ares is a deeptech startup founded in 2024, building real‑time AI for defense operations — ISR, C-UAS, and autonomous systems. Our clients are NATO‑aligned militaries and defense institutions, with regular deployments during live exercises and operational demonstrations. We raised €2M seed in May 2025, €50M in June 2026, and are expanding fast.

Product Suite

• Real‑time AI ISR module deployable on drones and tactical platforms.
• Counter‑UAS solution enabling autonomous drone takeover in GNSS‑denied environments.
• Full‑stack MLOps platform for training & deploying military‑grade AI models.
• Data fusion and trajectory prediction.

Role & Mission

• Define system‑level validation and verification (V&V) strategies.
• Ensure alignment between system requirements, test coverage, and operational use cases.
• Establish acceptance criteria and validation methodologies.

Test Planning & Execution

• Write test plans, protocols, and detailed test procedures.
• Coordinate and execute test campaigns (lab, simulation, and field testing).
• Ensure structured and repeatable validation processes.

Traceability & Compliance

• Ensure full traceability between requirements, tests, and results.
• Maintain clear mapping across system specifications and validation artifacts.
• Contribute to compliance and certification efforts (CE, aerospace or equivalent).

Analysis & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze test results and identify gaps, failures, or performance deviations.
• Drive root‑cause analysis and coordinate corrective actions with engineering teams.
• Continuously improve validation processes and system reliability.

Test Infrastructure & Automation

• Design and implement test tools, frameworks, and automation pipelines.
• Improve test efficiency, scalability, and reproducibility.
• Support the development of simulation and hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) environments.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Documentation

• Work closely with R&D teams to improve system testability and robustness.
• Provide feedback on system design from a validation perspective.
• Manage validation documentation, reports, and test evidence.

Candidate Profile

You are a Systems Engineer with a strong background in test and validation of complex systems. You are structured, detail‑oriented, and comfortable working across software, hardware, and operational environments to ensure system reliability and performance.

• Experience in system validation and verification (V&V) for complex systems.
• Strong experience in writing test plans, protocols, and validation documentation.
• Experience coordinating and executing test campaigns (lab, simulation, field).
• Solid understanding of system engineering practices and requirements management.
• Experience with traceability (requirements tests results).
• Strong data analysis and problem‑solving skills.
• Experience with test automation tools and frameworks.
• Ability to work across software, hardware, and system‑level constraints.

Nice to Have

• Experience in aerospace, drones, robotics, or defense systems.
• Familiarity with certification and compliance frameworks (CE, aviation standards, etc.).
• Experience with simulation environments and HIL testing.
• Knowledge of requirement management tools (e.g., DOORS or equivalent).
• Experience in fast‑paced or startup environments.