Field Operator - Ukraine

OPENING DETAILS Preferred starting date: ASAP Weekly availability: full-time (5 days/week) Location: Ukraine About the company Fiducial is a young but fast-growing deep-tech start-up with big ambitions at the frontier of autonomy, perception, and defence. Currently, we are developing software for advanced on-board UAV situational awareness in military applications. Using low-cost and widely available sensors and compute, our solutions are built for scalability. From there, we plan to develop a line-up of interconnected solutions to safeguard European safety. Our team consists of engineers that are passionate about the technology and solutions they develop. The only time most of us are not thinking about the technology is when we are asleep, and sometimes even then. Our team members have a background in different fields such as Aerospace Engineering, Computational Science and Engineering, Robotics and Computer Graphics. Our office is located in the Aerospace Innovation Hub, a start-up hub located on the TU Delft campus in the faculty of Aerospace Engineering. We work closely with top-tier partners, ranging from government agencies and prime contractors to academic research institutes and other start-ups. Our projects span from large tender orders in collaboration with partners to low-TRL research with government agencies. Whether through formal R&D programs or rapid prototyping tracks, we operate at the intersection of innovation and deployment. Your role As a Field Operator, you will provide practical, on-site field support for our technical operations team, forward-deployed engineers, and field activities in Ukraine. This is a hands-on operational role requiring strong logistics capability, reliability, calm judgement under pressure, and enough technical literacy to support field work without taking over technical decision-making. You will support our engineering team as they deploy, integrate, and test advanced UAV software in real-world environments. Field work can be fast-moving and demanding, requiring practical coordination, clear communication, and disciplined escalation. Your role is to help ensure that field activities are well prepared, teams have the practical support they need on location, and internal stakeholders have a factual view of operational status on the ground. You will work closely with the Technical Operations Manager and local engineering team, acting as the first line of practical support in Ukraine. You will coordinate local logistics, support on-site pilot setups, help prepare telepresence kits and other field materials, and act as the hands, ears, and eyes at the location. This role does not make technical commitments, commercial commitments, project scope decisions, or independent deployment decisions. Your responsibilities will include Field operations support • Support the preparation and coordination of field activities in Ukraine, ensuring deployed teams have the practical support needed to operate effectively. • Provide hands-on support on location, including carrying equipment, preparing practical materials, and helping teams operate with minimal operational distraction. • Act as a practical problem-solver for day-to-day operational needs that arise before, during, and after field activities. • Help maintain reliable local operating conditions for teams working in demanding and fast-changing environments. Logistics and equipment coordination • Support logistics planning for field activities, including movement of equipment, local transport, and practical preparation for on-site work. • Help prepare, track, and coordinate deployment equipment and other field support materials needed for customer-facing projects. • Coordinate practical arrangements related to workspace readiness, accommodation, access, utilities, supplies, and local services where needed. • Liaise with the local engineering team and relevant local parties to ensure field requirements are understood and practical arrangements…