Head of SAR Systems (Airborne / UAV / Defense) to $11000

The project is connected to the defense area. The company is building its own drones with radar systems. The missions for drones will be different; they will need to do maps, find bombs, and mines in the soil, etc. The company already have own prototypes, got funds, and continues growing. Experience Requirement

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
• Proven leadership or technical ownership of end-to-end SAR systems
• Must have real deployment / field testing experience

About the Role

We are looking for a Head of SAR Systems — a senior technical leader who has personally built and deployed SAR systems, not just managed teams or research.

This role owns the entire SAR system: from raw radar returns to deployable airborne payloads and production-ready processing pipelines. You will lead RF, SAR algorithm, and software teams, working closely with the founders in a small, high-impact environment.

Role Overview

As Head of SAR Systems, you will:

• Architect and lead the development of airborne SAR systems (UAV / aircraft / satellite)
• Take full technical ownership of SAR payloads, processing pipelines, and system performance
• Guide the transition from R&D to production-grade deployments
• Act as the technical authority for SAR across the company

This is a hands-on leadership role — you are expected to design, review, test, and validate real systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, assembly, and testing of airborne and UAV-based SAR payloads (including ground-penetrating SAR)
• Own and optimize raw radar (Level 0) processing for high-quality SAR imagery
• Oversee and guide SAR imaging algorithms:

Back-projectionRange-DopplerOmega-K

• Build and scale production-ready SAR processing frameworks (real-time / near-real-time)
• Define and implement:

Motion compensationTime-zero alignmentCalibration & error correctionGeometric spreading & background subtraction

• Lead RF hardware and platform integration, ensuring deployable, flight-ready payloads
• Drive the full SAR lifecycle:

Simulation → design → integration → field testing → deployment

• Ensure efficient compute usage (CPU / GPU)
• Support AI teams with clean, reliable SAR outputs for automated detection & classification

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years experience building SAR payloads and systems
• End-to-end SAR system experience on airborne platforms (UAV / aircraft / satellite)
• Deep expertise in:

SAR image formation & processing pipelinesRadar systems & RF fundamentalsSignal processing

• Hands-on software development experience in:

Python and/or C++CUDA / GPU acceleration is a strong plus

• Experience with:

Motion compensationCalibrationError correction

• Strong system-level thinking — able to bridge research, engineering, and production

Nice to Have

• Ground-penetrating or material-penetrating SAR
• Defense / government-grade SAR programs
• Experience leading small, highly technical teams
• Deep understanding of airborne SAR operations and field testing

Who Should Apply

You should apply if you:

• Have personally built and deployed SAR systems
• Enjoy technical ownership and leadership
• Are comfortable making architectural decisions with real-world consequences
• Prefer startups over large, slow organizations
• Want your work to have a real-world and defense impact

Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, hands-on SAR experience matters most.

Why Join

• Lead SAR development from the ground up
• Direct collaboration with founders
• Real systems, real data, real deployments
• Strong funding and long-term vision
• Unique work environment with large outdoor test areas
• Competitive compensation + VSOP / equity
• Opportunity to become the technical authority for SAR in the company

P.S.

We are looking for a builder + leader, not a coordinator.