Did you know that one single container ship emits more CO2 than 65,000 cars?

At CargoKite we want to change this by developing the sailing ship of the 21st century. We are a diverse team of visionaries, engineers united by a common goal: to develop cutting-edge solutions that propel the shipping industry into a more sustainable era. Are you a visionary with an interest in climate change solutions? Do you have a knack for turning groundbreaking ideas into tangible, sustainable hardware solutions? If so, we invite you to join our trailblazing team at CargoKite and shape the future of maritime transportation.

As a Junior Software Engineer, you will contribute to building and optimizing our software solutions, working closely with our team to shape the future of our autonomous vessels. This full-time role (40 hours/week) offers flexibility, hands-on experience, and the chance to work on a project with real-world impact for a recent TUM graduate. Your responsibilities will include:

• Assisting in the design and development of real-time web applications for vessel monitoring, control, and decision support
• Supporting the development and testing of routing, perception, and motion-planning algorithms to optimize vessel paths under real-world weather and operational conditions
• Collaborating on building planning, analytics, and visualization tools that turn complex data into actionable insights
• Contributing to autonomous and remote-control systems, including software integration and simulation-based testing (SIL/HIL)
• Writing and maintain clean, efficient, and well-tested code in Python, JavaScript, and C++
• Helping improve data processing, cloud integration, and system performance while ensuring reliability and security
• Bringing creative ideas and a problem-solving mindset to support ongoing innovation and continuous improvement

About you

• Have finished your studies at TUM
• Completed a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field
• Living in Munich
• Strong knowledge of Python and JavaScript (bonus: experience with C++)
• Strong understanding of algorithms and graph theory and an interest in routing or robotics
• Familiarity with backend technologies (e.g., Node.js, Django, or Flask)
• Experience with frontend frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular
• Knowledge of AWS is a plus
• Strong problem-solving skills, curiosity, and eagerness to learn
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Fluent in English

Desired but not required

• Interest in or experience with sailing, kitesurfing, or robotics
• Familiarity with sensor technologies, geospatial data, or real-time control
• Experience with cloud-based services and large-scale data processing tools

• Opportunity to join a deep-tech startup as an employee from the very beginning, and contribute to the strategic decision making of the company.
• Outstanding opportunities for personal development through a great deal of creative freedom and a high degree of independence and impact on your team and the company.
• Competitive compensation
• A collaborative and inclusive work environment in which we can rely on each other, and which values your contributions and ideas.
• Chance to make a meaningful impact on the future of the shipping industry & our planet.
• Health and wellness benefits (sports, public transport ticket etc.).
• Flexible working hours with the possibility to work from home.

We are CargoKite, a Munich-based early-stage startup developing a new, wind-powered ship class for oversea transportation of freight. We are a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich and aim to decarbonize global shipping. With our high-tech sailing ship we help commercial shipping companies to reduce operating costs, cut emissions and enable a more individual shipping service. After recently closing our seed funding round with international top-tier investors from the US and Europe, we are now looking to grow our world-class crew!

At CargoKite, we believe that diversity and equal opportunity are key to success. Therefore, we create an inclusive environment for all employees and are open to diverse applications, regardless of age, skin color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other legally protected characteristics.

Do I need to meet all the requirements to apply?
Studies by several different sources have shown that, on average, men will apply for a job if they meet 60% of the application requirements. In contrast, women/non-binary people will seek to match a much higher percentage of the requirements before applying.

We encourage everyone to apply and give us a chance to evaluate your skills and experience. We are all learning on the job, and although the listing above has been carefully compiled, we are also open-minded and interested to hear about the value you can bring to the role and to us as a company.