Sensor & C2 Integration Engineer

<h3>About Alta Ares</h3><p style="min-height:1.5em"><br />Alta Ares is an air defense Neoprime. We build AI-guided interceptors to counter drones and cruise missiles, along with the software platform that powers them.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">Our customers are NATO-aligned militaries and defense institutions, and our systems are regularly deployed during live exercises and operational demonstrations across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">Founded in 2024, we have grown to 90 people, raised over $60M, and increased revenue 40× this year. We are now entering a new phase of international expansion, industrial scaling, fundraising, and product development.</p><h2>Role &amp; Mission</h2><p style="min-height:1.5em">As Sensor &amp; C2 Integration Engineer, you will own the interoperability layer that connects Alta Ares' systems to the broader sensor and command-and-control ecosystem of our military and institutional partners.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">Your core mission is twofold: ingest and normalize track data from heterogeneous external sources — radar feeds, sensor networks, and tactical data links speaking CoT, ASTERIX, or proprietary partner protocols — and expose Alta Ares' own systems to partner Command &amp; Control (C2) infrastructure through the SAPIENT protocol. You sit at the intersection of protocol engineering, systems integration, and partner-facing technical work, often validating your integrations live alongside partner engineers during joint test campaigns and demonstrations.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">This is a role with real architectural responsibility: every new partner integration adds to a portfolio you are accountable for keeping coherent, documented, and maintainable as it scales.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2>Key Responsibilities</h2><h3>1. Radar &amp; Sensor Track Integration (CoT, ASTERIX, Proprietary Protocols)</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Design, implement, and maintain ingestion pipelines for heterogeneous external track sources: Cursor-on-Target (CoT) XML streams, ASTERIX binary radar feeds, and proprietary partner protocols</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Build and evolve a normalized internal track model that abstracts source-format differences (coordinate frames, update rates, track quality/confidence metrics) for consumption by downstream systems (GCS, fusion, guidance)</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Develop parsers, decoders, and protocol adapters with strict validation against partner ICDs and interface specifications</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Handle multi-sensor track correlation and basic fusion logic: deduplication, track continuity across sensor handoff, timestamp alignment</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Ensure resilience to malformed, late, duplicated, or out-of-order messages from partner systems</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p></li></ul><h3>2. C2 Integration (SAPIENT)</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Own the integration of Alta Ares' systems with partner Command &amp; Control (C2) infrastructure via the SAPIENT protocol</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Implement and maintain SAPIENT-compliant sensor and fusion nodes: registration, detection reporting, task and command handling, per the SAPIENT interface specification</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Lead technical integration work with partner C2/radar vendors: interface review, joint integration test planning, real-time troubleshooting during demonstrations</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Produce and maintain partner-facing integration deliverables (ICDs, integration overview datasheets), with careful redaction of internal or sensitive parameters before partner delivery</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Track and adapt to partner-specific variants and evolving revisions of the SAPIENT standard</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p></li></ul><h3>3. Interoperability Architecture &amp; Standards</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Maintain a coherent internal architecture for sensor/C2 interoperability able to scale across a growing portfolio of partner integrations</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Track the evolution of relevant standards (SAPIENT, ASTERIX, CoT, and adjacent tactical data standards) and assess their impact on Alta Ares' integration layer</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Define and enforce internal conventions for track data handling, coordinate transformations, and time synchronization across heterogeneous sources</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Contribute to protocol-selection and architecture decisions for new partner integrations</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p></li></ul><h3>4. Field Testing &amp; Partner Demonstrations</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Support integration test sessions, technical kick-offs, and live demonstrations with sensor and C2 partners</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Debug interoperability issues in real time during joint trials: protocol mismatches, timing drift, coordinate-frame errors, malformed messages</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Validate end-to-end data flow, from external detection through to track consumption, under operational conditions</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Translate partner feedback into concrete specification and implementation improvements</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p></li></ul><h3>5. Documentation &amp; Engineering Standards</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Maintain interface control documents (ICDs), integration overview datasheets, and test reports for each partner integration</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Define and enforce coding standards and review processes for the sensor/C2 integration codebase</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Maintain and report on integration status across the full partner portfolio</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Support knowledge transfer and onboarding of other engineers on protocol-specific topics</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p></li></ul><h2>Candidate Profile</h2><h3>Experience</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">4–7 years of experience in systems integration, defence/C2 systems, radar data processing, or tactical data link engineering</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Demonstrated hands-on, production-grade experience with <strong>at least one</strong> of: ASTERIX, CoT, or SAPIENT — with working familiarity with the others considered a strong plus</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Proven experience integrating with or building interfaces to radar systems and/or C2 platforms in an operational or near-operational context</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience producing and maintaining ICDs or interface specifications for external technical partners</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Prior work in defence, dual-use, or government-related programs is a strong plus</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Familiarity with adjacent NATO/tactical standards (STANAG 4586, Link 16, JREAP-C) is a plus</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p></li></ul><h3>Technical Skills — You Must Be Able to Do These Yourself</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Strong proficiency in Python and/or C++ for protocol parsing and middleware development</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Binary and XML protocol parsing (ASTERIX categories, CoT XML schema, SAPIENT messages)</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Network protocols used for sensor/C2 data feeds: UDP/TCP, multicast, serial</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Geospatial transformations: coordinate systems (WGS84, ECEF, local NED/ENU) and cross-source time synchronization</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Precise reading and implementation of formal ICDs and interface specifications</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Git-based development workflows in a collaborative engineering environment</p></li></ul><p>Find <a href="https://www.arbeitnow.fr">Jobs in France</a> on Arbeitnow</a>