Are you looking for a new opportunity to take your career to a higher orbit? To join an international group with a successful track record in Space Engineering? A job adapted to your career ambitions and in which you could have an impact for the years to come?
Starion is currently recruiting a Software Architect / Technical Lead to join its cyber‑security team.
This is a permanent position, based in Leiden, the Netherlands, offering strong opportunities for professional growth and hands‑on involvement in high‑impact projects.
Cyber security is a critical capability within European defence, space and critical infrastructure programmes. The systems developed in this context are long-living, highly regulated and must remain reliable under changing threats and operational conditions.
Within Starion, you will take a leading role in the development of a large-scale cyber training and simulation platform for defence use. The programme is in an early phase. While the objectives are defined, the technical architecture and execution approach still need to be designed and structured.
This is a permanent position with Starion Netherlands. The role focuses mainly on technical leadership and coordination (±60%), combined with hands-on architectural involvement (±40%).
Tasks and activities
The scope of work will include:
- Defining and owning the software architecture of the cyber security platform.
- Translating programme objectives into clear technical and architectural decisions.
- Aligning architecture, development and operational use.
- Coordinating multiple teams and stakeholders across defence organisations and industrial partners.
- Structuring technical work, resolving dependencies and removing blockers.
- Acting as the technical anchor in an Agile setup.
- Staying hands-on where needed by designing core fundamentals, reviewing implementations and challenging technical decisions.
Skills and experience
The following skills and experience are mandatory:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics or a closely related technical field.
- At least five years of professional software development experience, including technical leadership or architectural responsibilities.
- Proven experience with complex, distributed software systems, preferably within regulated, defence, security or mission-critical contexts.
- Strong system-level understanding across back-end and front-end domains, enabling you to define fundamentals and guide implementation.
- Experience working in Agile delivery environments with multiple teams and stakeholders.
- Consistent focus on software quality, maintainability and lifecycle governance.
- Experience acting as a Technical Lead, coordinating teams while maintaining architectural credibility.
- Must hold EU nationality and be eligible to work on EU defence programmes.
- Fluent in English, both written and spoken.
The following skills and experience would be highly desirable,
- Experience in regulated, defence, security, or mission-critical environments.
- Knowledge of software architecture principles: layered architectures, event-driven systems, integration patterns.
- Track record coordinating technical teams while maintaining architectural credibility.
- Cyber security domain experience.
- Full-stack understanding (back-end and front-end) to guide implementation.
- Defence or government sector experience.
- Training/simulation platform development experience.
- Security clearance or experience with classified projects.
- Experience structuring technical work in early-phase programmes.
Why should you apply?
- You will have the opportunity to work within leading space organisations across Europe.
- We encourage everyone to think outside the box and to push the boundaries of traditional knowledge. This role is an opportunity to join a forward-thinking company and allows for a deeper understanding of the industry.
- To be part of a company that values integrity, inspiration, care and collaboration.
- Benefits include: competitive remuneration packages; unique career opportunities, including working in other countries; access to training and development programmes; flexible relocation support.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all candidates, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.
As part of our commitment to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process, we will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process.
