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 defence 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.

Our product suite includes:

• 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