CTO / Embedded Systems Lead

Njordyx is building a defense-first AI autonomy module for professional drones and robotic platforms.

The product is not another drone airframe. It is the onboard mission brain: mission compute hardware, embedded runtime, flight-control integration, AI inference, secure data capture, offline mission logic and autonomy software for third-party UAV, UGV and marine robotic platforms.

Our initial commercial focus is the defense and security sector: sovereign operators, defense integrators, border/security programs, critical infrastructure protection, local primes and government-linked industrial partners. Civil infrastructure use cases may follow from the same technical core, but the company is being designed from the beginning around secure, resilient and procurement-ready autonomy.

Njordyx is being structured with a Finland/EU technical base and a Saudi/GCC operating path. Riyadh is expected to become a major hub for strategic partners, local validation, customer access, assembly/test capability, field trials, localization and future production support.

We are looking for a Founding CTO / Embedded Systems Lead who can build the technical foundation for a serious defense-adjacent autonomy company.

You will own the architecture of the Njordyx autonomy module from concept to prototype and field validation.

This includes the compute platform, embedded runtime, flight-control interfaces, secure deployment model, AI edge inference path, sensor interfaces, hardware/software integration, supplier choices, prototype roadmap, security architecture and technical hiring plan.

This is not a maintenance role and not a narrow firmware role. It is a founding technical leadership role for someone who can build the first version of a secure autonomy product and represent the technical side of the company in front of investors, partners, integrators and defense/security stakeholders.

Njordyx will start with defense/security-oriented applications and will prioritize:

• Secure offline mission execution.
• GPS-degraded / communications-limited operating conditions.
• Controlled runtime and update process.
• Sovereign / on-prem deployment options.
• Integration with trusted third-party platforms.
• Sensitive customer data handling.
• Supplier screening and non-adversarial supply-chain posture.
• Documentation, logs, test evidence and validation discipline.
• Procurement-ready packaging for defense integrators and sovereign customers.

The right candidate should be comfortable operating in a dual-use and defense-adjacent environment where confidentiality, access control, documentation, export-control awareness, and disciplined engineering processes matter from day one.

Regular business trips to Riyadh are expected.

The role will support the Saudi/GCC strategy, including:

• Technical meetings with strategic partners, local primes and integrators.
• Prototype demonstrations and architecture reviews.
• Local assembly/test planning.
• Field-validation preparation for desert, coastal, infrastructure and security environments.
• Knowledge-transfer planning with controlled access to core IP.
• Collaboration with future Saudi engineering, field-test and support teams.
• Support for localization, training and future production-readiness discussions.

The technical core must remain secure and well-governed, while Riyadh becomes a real operating, validation and localization hub.

• Define the onboard module architecture: mission compute, secure storage, flight-controller interfaces, sensor interfaces, power, thermal envelope and connectivity.
• Select the early hardware platform and prototype strategy.
• Design the embedded runtime architecture for autonomy, AI inference, mission execution and secure deployment.
• Integrate with drone/autopilot ecosystems such as PX4, ArduPilot, MAVLink, ROS 2 or equivalent stacks.
• Build the first technical specification, interface-control documents, prototype roadmap and test plan.
• Define secure engineering foundations: signed firmware, secure boot path, controlled updates, audit logs, device identity and role-based access.
• Support ruggedization planning for heat, dust, coastal corrosion, vibration and field operations.
• Work with autonomy, robotics, CV/ML, electronics, flight-test and security/compliance engineers as the team grows.
• Support supplier evaluation, BOM planning, design-for-manufacturability and small-batch assembly/test planning.
• Help separate core IP, customer-specific configurations and local integration workflows across Finland/EU and Saudi/GCC operations.
• Represent the technical side of the company in discussions with investors, strategic partners, defense/security integrators and potential pilot customers.

• Strong background in embedded systems, robotics, avionics, drone systems, edge AI hardware or autonomous platforms.
• Experience taking hardware/software systems from architecture into prototype, field testing or production.
• Strong C/C++ and embedded Linux or RTOS experience.
• Understanding of flight-control systems, GNSS/IMU, camera pipelines, sensors, mission compute, power/thermal limits and ruggedized edge devices.
• Familiarity with secure firmware, signed updates, secure boot, device identity, OTA/update pipelines, logging and controlled deployment.
• Ability to work with incomplete requirements and turn a strategic concept into a staged engineering roadmap.
• Comfort working with defense/security stakeholders, sensitive technical information and strict confidentiality.
• Ability to communicate clearly with engineers, investors, strategic partners and non-technical decision-makers.
• Willingness to travel to Riyadh for partner meetings, technical workshops, field-validation planning and Saudi/GCC buildout.

• PX4, ArduPilot, MAVLink, ROS 2, UAVCAN/CAN, DDS or similar robotics/drone stacks.
• NVIDIA Jetson, Qualcomm RB platforms, STM32, ARM, FPGA or other edge compute / embedded platforms.
• Experience with AI inference at the edge, camera pipelines, perception workloads or sensor fusion.
• Experience with defense, aerospace, aviation, security, public-sector or critical-infrastructure customers.
• Knowledge of secure boot, TPM/secure elements, signed firmware, SBOM, vulnerability management or security-by-design.
• Experience with hardware test rigs, environmental testing, EMI/EMC preparation, production test procedures or small-batch assembly.
• Previous CTO, technical co-founder, principal engineer, systems architect or early-stage hardware startup experience.
• Experience working across multiple countries, especially Europe and the Middle East.

Njordyx operates in a dual-use field. The role may require background checks, strict confidentiality, export-control awareness and controlled access to sensitive technical or customer information.

We are building the company with a security-first engineering culture: secure development, documentation, test evidence, supplier screening, controlled updates, access control and clear separation between public, internal, controlled technical and customer-sensitive information.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the technical foundation of a defense-first autonomy company from day one.

You will not be maintaining legacy hardware or optimizing a finished product. You will define the architecture, select the technical stack, build the prototype path, support the Saudi/GCC localization strategy, hire the early technical team and help create the engineering culture behind a secure autonomy platform.

Njordyx is being built for serious markets: defense/security integrators, sovereign customers, critical infrastructure, public safety and professional robotic platforms that need secure autonomous systems rather than generic consumer drone logic.