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Senior System Engineer
Senior Systems Engineer – Autonomous Systems | AssetCool
Do you want to work with the 15th fastest-growing startup in Europe? If so, you’re in the right place.
AssetCool is one of Europe’s fastest-growing startups, building the fastest path to more power on the grid. We’re tackling one of the most urgent challenges in the global energy transition: grid congestion. Electricity demand is rising rapidly—driven by electrification, AI and data centres—yet traditional grid upgrades take years. Demand exists today—but the grid isn’t ready.
We deliver robotic grid upgrades that physically increase the capacity of existing transmission lines by up to 30%, without rebuilding infrastructure. Using advanced robotics and proprietary photonic coatings, we unlock data-centre-scale capacity in weeks to months—not years—delivering femtoccentovariant cost savings and zero disruption. Our technology doesn’t just expand capacity; it reduces losses, prevents corrosion, cuts corona noise, and generates high-value operational data for smarter grid operation and maintenance.
Already deployed globally, AssetCool just secured a major funding round from top-tier energy and climate investors—proving confidence in our mission. If you’re ambitious, mission-driven, and passionate about deploying tech that strengthens a critical industry, AssetCool is where you can make it happen.
Role Overview
AssetCool is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to lead our Autonomous Systems team, covering:
- UAV platforms
- Autonomous field robotics
- Sensing payloads
- Electronics and mechatronics integration
- Testing and deployment readiness
This is a hands-on technical leadership role, reporting directly to the Head of Engineering and working closely with Product Engineering, Robotics Software, Operations, and Field Operations. You’ll have immediate line-management responsibility for a team of six engineers (with expected growth as AssetCool scales its UAV, robotics, and live-line technology).
The ideal candidate brings strong technical credibility across UAVs, autonomy, embedded systems, sensing, and field testing, with an ability to drive system-level decisions, unite multidisciplinary teams, and keep delivery moving in a fast-evolving engineering environment. You don’t need to be a specialist in every area—but you must excel at defining priorities, mitigating risks, and enabling execution.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership & People Management
- Provide full line management for the Autonomous Systems team, including:
- Direct reporting lines, delegation, and workload prioritisation.
- Mentoring, career development, performance management, and HR/employee relations.
- Team motivation, engagement, and retention.
- Establish clear priorities, ownership, and delivery rhythms to streamline work across multiple projects and field trials.
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Technical Direction & Systems Delivery
- Lead engineering across:
- UAV platforms, autonomous robotics, onboard compute, and autopilot systems.
- Mechatronics, sensing, payload integration, embedded systems, and communications.
- Safety systems, field deployment equipment, and compatibility with live infrastructure.
- Translate product, customer, and operational needs into actionable engineering plans, trade-offs, and milestones.
Systems Engineering & Governance
- Guide requirements interpretation, architecture decisions, interfaces, and failure-mode analysis to ensure designs are:
- Buildable, testable, and deployable in harsh field environments (e.g., remote sites, high-voltage infrastructure, EMI exposure).
- Maintainable with operator usability in mind.
- Improve engineering discipline via:
- Documentation (architectures, configurations, trade-off rationales, risk/evidence tracking).
- Standardised processes for lessons learned, lessons reviews, and review gates.
Cross-Functional Coordination
- Align plans with Product Engineering, Software, Electronics, Chemistry, Production, Logistics, Ops, and Field Teams, ensuring solutions account for customer needs, safety, production constraints, and operational realities.
Testing, Validation & Deployment
- Oversee bench, integration, flight, and customer trial/test phases, ensuring:
- Clear objectives, acceptance criteria, and safety controls.
- Rigorous evidence capture and post-test learning.
- Compliance with safety failsafes, communication-loss protocols, and operator override logic.
Team Scaling & Roadmapping
- Work with the Head of Engineering to align Autonomous Systems priorities with the wider engineering roadmap, identifying:
- Resourcing gaps, hiring needs, and team-structure optimisations.
- Growth opportunities to support AssetCool’s robotic coating and inspection roadmap.
Required Skills & Experience
- 5+ years in robotics, UAV systems, autonomous systems, aerospace, mechatronics, field robotics, or a closely related discipline.
- Hands-on experience leading engineering teams, with expertise in prioritisation, delegation, coaching, and performance management.
- Technical depth in UAV/robotic integration, testing, or deployment in real-world environments.
- Proven ability to make system-level trade-offs, interpret requirements, and manage failure modes/risk.
- credibility across:
- UAV/autonomy.
- Mechatronics and electronics integration.
- Embedded systems, sensing, communications, and field testing.
- Strong experience collaborating with SW, firmware, mechanical, Ops, production, logistics, and Field Teams to deliver integrated systems.
- Comfortable navigating fast-paced, uncertain contexts with shifting priorities.
- Degree in Robotics, Aerospace, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Control Systems, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
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Preferred Skills & Experience
- Experience managing 5+ engineers and hiring/scaling teams.
- Direct experience with larger payloads, tethered UAVs, or high-lift robotic deployments.
- Hands-on UAV/robotics ecosystems: PX4, ArduPilot, MAVLink, QGroundControl, ROS/ROS2, or Linux-based robotic workflows.
- Familiarity with autopilot, sensor fusion, state estimation, visual navigation, lidar, or RTK/GNSS.
- Knowledge of communications tech: LTE/5G, mesh networks, or telemetry.
- Exposure to safety compliance: FMEA, failsafe design, CAA/FAA regulations, SORA A2 CofC.
- Work experience in startups, high-accountability product teams, or field-deployed tech businesses.
Why Join AssetCool?
Impact & Innovation
- Work on cutting-edge tech transforming the energy grid.
- Deploy solutions that eliminate congestion, boost capacity, and future-proof global infrastructure.
Growth & Collaboration
- Part of a fast-growing startup with industry traction and large-scale projects on the horizon.
- Engage in collaborative, innovation-driven culture with exciting career growth.
- Range of opportunities across product, engineering, and field operations.
Culture & Values
- Equal opportunities employer committed to inclusivity and support.
- Competitive salary + flexible work options.
Pro Tip:
"Perfection is the enemy of progress." Some applicants hesitate if they don’t meet every listed requirement—but they’re right to! If this role excites you, we encourage you to apply regardless. We’re betting on potential strategic thinkers, not just vital résumés. Let’s talk.
Conditions/Adjustments for Disability: We’re proud to be an inclusive, supportive employer. If you have any requirements or accessibility needs during recruitment, please let us know—the we’ll do our best to accommodate.
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