Safety & Compliance Specialist - Flight Operations / Flight Test

About Us:
STARK is a new kind of defence technology company, revolutionizing the way autonomous systems are deployed across multiple domains. We design, develop and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are software-defined, mass-scalable, and cost-effective. This provides our operators with a decisive edge in highly contested environments. In a time of rising threats, STARK is bolstering the technological edge of NATO Allies and their Partners to deter aggression and defend Europe.

Your mission:
As a Safety & Compliance Specialist at STARK, you will report to the Safety & Compliance Manager and support the Head of Flight Test to execute the day-to-day regulatory and compliance operations that keep our aircraft legally in the air. From your first month, you will be hands-on with SORA risk assessments, pilot qualification management, occurrence reporting, and safety audit preparation. Our operations exist at the intersection of EASA civil drone regulation and military experimental testing, a hybrid environment that very few companies in Europe occupy. 

We see STARK as an accelerated learning environment with direct exposure to EASA, military airworthiness authorities, and aviation insurance processes that most professionals do not encounter until a decade into their careers.

Responsibilities:
SORA & Regulatory Documentation

• Operational Authorizations: Lead the preparation of SORA-based applications, including ConOps drafting, ground risk calculations, and OSO evidence compilation. 
• Manual Management: Maintain the Operations Manual as a living document, ensuring it reflects current equipment, personnel, and procedures. 
• Compliance Intelligence: Monitor EASA (EU) 2019/947, JARUS outputs, and national regulations. Manage PDRA declarations and track authorization renewals.

Personnel Qualification & Records

• Qualification Registry: Own the central register for remote pilots and test crew (licenses, medicals, type ratings, and SQEP designations).
• Proactive Tracking: Manage a 90/60/30-day expiry-tracking system to ensure zero lapses in operational currency.
• Audit Readiness: Coordinate recurrent training and prepare personnel records for NAA audits and insurance reviews.

Safety Management System (SMS) Support

• Occurrence Reporting: Administer the safety reporting system, ensuring mandatory logs are submitted to the NAA within legal timeframes.
• Data & Corrective Action: Track incident investigations and corrective actions to closure. Compile Safety Performance Indicator (SPI) data for trend analysis. 
• Internal Audits: Gather evidence and draft checklists to ensure alignment with the Operations Manual.

Flight Test & Range Support

• Military Liaison: Prepare documentation for Military Permits to Fly and Experimental Certificates, including flight test plans and hazard footprints. 
• Range Coordination: Manage NOTAMs, exclusion zone maps, and communication plans for flight days. 
• On-Site Compliance: Act as the compliance representative during test campaigns, verifying briefings and adherence to approved authorizations.

Qualifications:
• Experience: 3–5 years in aviation safety, flight operations, UAS operations, or regulatory compliance.

• SORA Knowledge: Working knowledge of EASA Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and the SORA methodology. You may not have led a full SORA submission independently, but you understand the framework, the 10-step process, and the relationship between GRC, ARC, SAIL, and OSOs.

• Documentation Skills: Experience with aviation documentation systems: operations manuals, flight logs, safety reports, or qualification records.

• SMS Awareness: Familiarity with Safety Management System principles (ICAO Annex 19 or equivalent). Formal SMS training is a plus but not required if you have practical exposure.

• Languages: Business-fluent English required. German is a strong advantage.

• Education: Degree in aerospace engineering, aviation management, aviation safety, or a related technical field. Military aviation training backgrounds are welcome.

• Mindset: Fast learner. You will be exposed to regulatory complexity that most professionals encounter much later in their careers. You actively seek to understand, not just to execute. Ask “why” before you ask “how.”

• Nice to have:

• Direct experience preparing or contributing to SORA-based operational authorisation applications for any European NAA.

• Internal auditor training or experience (ISO 9001, AS9100, or aviation-specific audit frameworks).

• Familiarity with EASA Part 21 concepts, Design Verification Reports, or type certification processes.

• Previous exposure to military aviation environments, test ranges, or defence procurement processes.