Working Student - Embedded Software Development for Swarm Navigation and Communications
Required skills
Job description
German Aerospace Center (DLR) posted this role. Below, we break down what it means for a working student in Oberpfaffenhofen: your weekly hours, take-home pay and visa limits.
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Description provided by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Vacancy-ID: 5994
Place of work: Oberpfaffenhofen
Starting date: 01.10.2026
Career level: Student employment
Type of employment: Part time
Duration of contract: 6 months
Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector - Federal Government (TVöD-Bund)
The DLR Institute of Communications and Navigation is dedicated to mission-oriented research in selected areas of communications and navigation. Its work ranges from the theoretical foundations to the demonstration of new procedures and systems in a real environment and is embedded in DLR's Space, Aeronautics, Transport, Security and Digitalization programmes.
What To Expect
In decentralized swarm systems, achieving reliable navigation in GNSS-denied environments remains a critical challenge. The DLR's swarm navigation framework addresses this by leveraging inter-agent ranging to establish a self-organizing localization network. However, running these real-time algorithms requires efficient execution on resource-constrained hardware. Working in close collaboration with the team, you will support the practical implementation and architectural design of the DLR swarm navigation system for microcontrollers and single-board computers.
Your Tasks
- Contribute to the design of a hardware-independent, modular software architecture to enable flexible deployment across various hardware platforms
- Implement and test software modules to execute the DLR swarm navigation algorithms on microcontrollers and single-board computers
- Jointly design and conduct practical system tests
- Document the developed software architecture and code structures
Your Profile
- Student in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field.
- Strong programming skills in C++ or Rust for hardware-near development.
- Experience with embedded systems (e.g., ESP32, Raspberry Pi); knowledge of hardware-level concepts (I²C, SPI, Interrupts) is an advantage.
- Good knowledge of software engineering, including Clean Code, Design Patterns, and Software Architectures.
- Familiarity with modern development tools like Git and CI/CD pipelines.
We offer
DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.
We look forward to getting to know you!
If you have any questions about this position (Vacancy-ID 5994) please contact:
Dr. Christian Gentner
Tel.: +49 8153 28 2890
Start of internal publication: 06.08.2026
Working student essentials
What this Tech working student role in Oberpfaffenhofen means for you: the weekly-hours rules, the social-contribution perks, and what international students should check before applying.
Weekly hours
Working students may work up to 20 hours a week during the semester and full-time during the breaks. Staying within this keeps your student status and the Werkstudent benefits.
Working student rulesSocial contributions
Under the Werkstudentenprivileg you're exempt from health, care and unemployment insurance contributions — only pension insurance applies. That leaves more net pay than a regular job.
Check your insuranceInternational students
Non-EU students can work 140 full or 280 half days per year (raised from 120/240 in March 2024). A working student contract usually fits within this — confirm the exact limits printed on your residence permit.
Studying in Germany
