Partner Solutions Architect, (German fluency)

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. We’re focused on delivering deployable, high-performance systems—not future promises. In a time of rising threats, STARK is bolstering the technological edge of NATO Allies and their Partners to deter aggression and defend Europe—today. ABOUT THE TEAM Minerva is STARK's command and control software — the brain that connects operators to autonomous systems across multiple domains in real time. The Minerva team is a small, senior software group based in Berlin and Munich, working directly with our systems and hardware teams to build mission-critical C2 capabilities deployed in active operational environments. We move fast, ship real software, and operate under constraints most engineers never encounter — low-bandwidth networks, air-gapped devices, high-stakes decision loops. There is no room for abstraction for its own sake. Everything we build ends up in the hands of real operators in the field. YOUR MISSION This is not a traditional sales role. We are looking for a Business Development Lead Software to own the entire Go-to-Market (GTM) domain for Minerva, our STARK Software product. Minerva is the digital backbone used by NATO militaries to plan and execute complex operations across all domains with a strong focus on unmanned effects. As the BD Lead, you will be the primary architect of our commercial and strategic channels, ensuring that our software-defined edge reaches the hands of operators when the stakes are highest. You will act as a Strategic Player-Coach: spending ~60% of your time in the field building high-level military and government relationships, and ~40% coordinating with the core GTM team to build the scalable sales processes that will define our growth. If you are a high-agency leader who wants to build a culture of sovereign defense excellence from the ground up, this is your command center. RESPONSIBILITIES WHAT YOU’LL BUILD & LEAD * The Strategy: You will own the GTM strategy for Minerva, setting up proper channels and leading software sales initiatives. * The Pipeline: You will identify, nurture, and close software-focused opportunities with NATO Allies and defense partners. * The Bridge: You will partner directly with Program Leads and Engineers to translate complex military requirements into actionable product feedback and winning commercial proposals. * The Synergy: You will interface with the core GTM team while remaining embedded within the Minerva program, ensuring software-specific needs are represented in broader company initiatives. * The Impact: You will constantly challenge market assumptions to determine what creates real value for the operator and what is simply "future promises." THE MARKET & STRATEGY STACK * Core Focus: High-performance, software-defined defense systems. * Tooling: CRM management, Jira for requirement tracking, and deep familiarity with military procurement cycles. * Platforms: Promoting software that deploys across Laptop, Handheld, and Tablet devices in the field.  QUALIFICATIONS Who You Are * * A Builder-Leader: You have 8+ years of experience in high-stakes Business Development or Sales (preferably military IT), with at least 2 years in a leadership role (Lead, Principal, or Head of Sales). * Defense & Tech Native: You understand the nuances of software-defined defence and can speak the language of both military commanders and decision makers in the Cyber / IT domain. * High Agency: You don't wait for "leads to be generated." You look at the mission, identify the technical and commercial gaps, and execute the solution. * Performance Obsessed: You understand that in the defense domain, reliability and low-latency delivery are not just features—they are requirements for mission success. * Industry Aware: You have deep experience in Defense, Aerospace, or complex B2B SaaS with long, technical sales cycles - preferably you have time in service. * B.Sc/M.Sc in Business, International Relations, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience. * Proven track record of building GTM channels from scratch for complex technical products. * Strong communication and collaboration skills to lead in a multidisciplinary, fast-paced environment. * Ability to travel as needed to meet with NATO partners and stakeholders. * Fluency in German is required for this role. * Security: Due to the nature of our work, candidates must be eligible to obtain appropriate security clearance. WHY JOIN STARK? * Impact: Work with stakeholders and technology that directly contribute to European security. * Autonomy: You are the founding leader of this software GTM vertical. You choose the strategies, the channels, and the people. * Growth: As STARK scales to meet rising global threats, your role and influence within the Minerva program will scale with it.

YOUR MISSION We are a Berlin-based startup transforming how industrial materials are bought and sold across Europe. One of the oldest industries in the world still runs on Excel, PDF and email. We are replacing that with AI that runs the buying and selling workflow end to end, increasing liquidity, speeding up transactions and reducing waste for hundreds of steel and metal distributors.  We have strong early traction, real enterprise customers and committed investors. We are a lean, technical team scaling our enterprise pilots and building the AI infrastructure underneath them. Your job as Senior Product Engineer is to make sure we deliver on that traction and stay ahead. You partner closely with Co-founder Simon, who owns sales; you own that we ship, that enterprise customers succeed, and that the product stays in front. This is a senior, hands-on role with three pillars. 1. Build and ship with AI * Ship production software using AI as a force multiplier — prototypes, integrations, customer-facing flows — and get them live, not just specified. * Move our AI from assisting people to running the buying and selling workflow as autonomous agents. * Integrate our pipeline deep into customer systems and ERPs (SAP, Odoo, Microsoft Dynamics), and design for fast onboarding so a new customer reaches value in days, not months. * Our stack: Python, FastAPI, Pydantic AI, Pydantic Logfire, JavaScript/Node, React, GCP, Kubernetes. You won't be expected to master all of it on day one, but you should be comfortable navigating it with AI tooling. 2. Lead technical communication with enterprise customers * Own the technical relationship with three to five enterprise customers: run the discovery workshops, scope the work, run first-line UAT, and steer executive, procurement and IT conversations. * Translate customer reality into clear build decisions and engineering reality into clear customer expectations. Hold the line on scope when a request will not move the metric that matters. * Represent the product credibly to senior stakeholders, and to investors when a customer also sits on our cap table. 3. Help build the product org * Drive the shipping cadence: a weekly or biweekly release rhythm with engineering, and sequence delivery against engineering capacity with our Head of Tech. * Make the strategic product calls — what we build next, and what we deliberately do not. * As we scale enterprise customers, help grow how the team works and the product function around you. YOUR PROFILE You are a builder who ships with AI and can run an enterprise customer relationship and help shape how we build. Two non-negotiables: technical capability and product sense. Everything else sits behind those. * Excellent written and verbal communication in English and in German (C1 or C2 must have, native not required). You can run a technical workshop with a German industrial customer end to end. * Berlin-based or willing to relocate. The role also includes regular travel to customer sites in Central Germany (~2–3 days per month). * 5+ years building product, with at least 2 years in genuinely technical roles (engineering, technical PM at a real engineering company, solutions architect, forward-deployed engineer). * Deep LLM/AI experience: you build and ship real software with LLMs and agents in production, not just prototype or chat with them. You can walk us through something you shipped and how you built it. Bonus if you have shipped an agentic or autonomous system. * AI coding tools: you use Cursor, Claude Code or comparable as your primary development environment - not occasionally, but as the way you build. This is how you ship independently without engineering support. * Strong technical instincts: you read code, evaluate an architecture, and hold your own in a design review with engineering. * First-line UAT discipline: you have personally signed off (or rejected) enterprise releases and can describe the framework you used. * Comfortable owning several enterprise customers in parallel without dropping balls, and pushing back on scope when needed. * Able to simplify complexity and make fast, sound decisions under pressure. Nice-to-have: background in an AI-first company; ERP integrations (SAP, Odoo, Microsoft Dynamics) or procurement / order-management workflows; early-stage or founding-engineer experience, industrial B2B, metals, supply chain or manufacturing experience. WHY US? * Ownership of named enterprise accounts, judged on outcomes rather than hours. * Direct technical impact: you see what you ship in production within weeks. * Senior co-founders who are technical operators, not pitch-deck founders. Decisions happen fast. * Competitive base, performance bonus, and meaningful equity at a Series A company. * Regular travel to customer sites (mainly Central Germany). * Subsidised Urban Sports Club membership and Deutschlandticket. * Hybrid work format, office in the heart of Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin. * Regular team events, company breakfasts and Friday drinks.