Engineering Manager, Thermal Cameras

About the Position

Engineering Manager, Thermal Cameras

Odd Systems is a defense technology company specializing in the development and production of thermal and day cameras for drones and robotic systems. Founded by a group of entrepreneurs, engineers, managers, and FPV enthusiasts with previous experience in several international technology companies, including Petcube, the world leader in pet cameras and software.

Our products, the Kurbas thermal cameras and Svitlych day cameras, are named after prominent figures of the "Executed Renaissance" and "Sixtiers" - Ukrainian intellectuals of the 20th century persecuted and destroyed by the Soviet regime. Odd Systems has offices in Ukraine, the USA, and the EU.

Mission of the Role: Lead the thermal vision engineering direction - two already formed product teams (own development of Kurbas Pro and OEM line of Kurbas Alpha/Beta). Your task is to develop and scale the direction that is already working: strengthen processes, take some people management from the Head of Engineering, and give the team the level of attention it currently lacks due to its growth.

Responsibilities

• Engineering Leadership: Coordination of the work of two product teams. Interaction with existing software team leads of both teams. Making system technical decisions together with the Head of RnD.
• People Management: Regular feedback, mentoring, and engineering coaching of the team's engineers. Building a safe connection with the team and a sense of manageability, which is currently lacking due to the lack of time for the current leader of the direction.
• Planning and Delivery: Support and development of the thermal camera platform technical roadmap. Setting technical tasks, managing priorities, risks, and inter-team dependencies. Ensuring the completion of development stages - from sensors to integration, V&V, and mass production.
• Quality and Engineering Standards: Development of engineering practices, control of architectural and technical documentation, Design Review and Code Review, implementation of CI/CD and automated testing. Management of technical debt.
• Communication: Interaction with the product team and Delivery, coordination with suppliers of sensors, ISP platforms, optics, ODM/OEM partners.

Requirements

• Experience in projects with a complex hardware + software component (Embedded Systems, robotics, industrial or defense electronics).
• Practical experience in at least one of the following areas: Systems Engineering, Embedded Software, Embedded Linux, FPGA, Electronics, or Computer Vision.
• Experience in technical leadership or managing an engineering team for at least 2 years.
• Understanding of the full lifecycle of hardware product development: Discovery, Requirements, Architecture, Development, Integration, Verification & Validation, Production Release, and Product Lifecycle Support.
• Knowledge of Systems Engineering principles, technical risk management, configuration, change management, and development phase models (Phase-Gate, V-Model, or similar).
• Practical experience in building engineering processes, managing Delivery, and implementing KPIs.
• Excellent communication skills, system thinking, and experience in interacting with technical and business stakeholders.

Nice to Have

• Experience in bringing a complex hardware product from concept to mass production.
• Experience in the field of cameras, thermal vision systems, optics, Computer Vision, or other imaging systems.
• Experience in the MilTech, Aerospace, Robotics, or industrial sectors.
• Experience in working with established product lines at the support and scaling stage (not just launching from scratch).

We Offer

• Work that will have a real impact. We create products that directly enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities.
• Work with top engineers in the MilTech and autonomy fields.
• Official employment registration in Diya.City.
• Possibility of booking military-obligated employees according to current legislation.
• Work schedule: hybrid, remote.
• Annual paid vacation - 24 calendar days.
• Additional paid vacation for veterans - 14 calendar days.
• Voluntary health insurance after the probationary period.
• Possibility of reimbursing training expenses according to the company's internal policies.

About the Company

Odd Systems is a defense technology company specializing in the development and production of thermal and day cameras for drones and robotic systems. Our mission is to create innovative products that enhance the defense capabilities of Ukraine and contribute to global security.