Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following the close of a $200M Series B, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, we are expanding our teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.
Our work is guided by clear values: building technologies with real-world impact, pursuing excellence in everything we do, setting ambitious goals, and taking on the hardest technical challenges. We operate in a demanding environment where rigor, ownership, and execution are expected.
About the Role As the Director of Engineering for UAS at Harmattan AI, you will act as a vital management layer between R&D modules and leadership, focusing on elevating our people and standardising our engineering excellence. This is a "hands-off" people management role designed to relieve pressure on senior leadership by building high-performing teams, improving internal tooling, and standardising work processes across the company without sacrificing execution speed. You will be a visionary partner to our leadership, contributing to organisational structure and the long-term technical vision. In this role, you will lead our UAS Engineering teams across Lausanne and Paris — covering aerodynamics, mechanical design, electronics, propulsion, prototyping, and Systems-on-Module (SOM). UAS Engineering's cadence is driven by physical prototypes and test campaigns, and the role spans multiple senior-heavy hardware disciplines.
Responsibilities
People Management & Mentorship: Act as a dedicated people manager for engineers, overseeing performance reviews, career growth, and training initiatives.
Recruitment: Own the recruitment process as the number one priority, building and maintaining an effective engineering team to meet our ambitious growth plans across six hardware engineering disciplines and two sites.
Process Standardisation: Develop and implement standardised work processes across mechanical, electrical, and propulsion engineering teams to ensure high-quality output and consistency.
Engineering Infrastructure: Audit and improve internal tooling—deciding between off-the-shelf and custom solutions—to ensure engineers have the best resources to succeed.
Organisational Strategy: Contribute to the organisational structure by reorganising modules and initiating changes to optimise cross-functional (XFN) delivery.
Vision & Execution: Collaborate with leadership to build the company vision, bringing fresh ideas to the table rather than just executing existing plans.
Candidate Requirements
Educational Background: A strong academic record in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
Proven Leadership: Previous experience as an Individual Contributor (IC) who has successfully transitioned into a management role, allowing you to deeply understand the technical challenges your team faces.
Experience: Direct experience leading multi-disciplinary hardware engineering teams (30+ engineers) at a UAV, drone, eVTOL, or humanoid / advanced robotics company. You have shipped at least one complex multi-disciplinary hardware system — airframe, propulsion stack, full UAV, or humanoid platform — through prototype to deployment or production, and you know the rhythm of fast-cycle hardware test campaigns and qualification gates.
Technical Engagement: While this is a management-focused role, you should still possess a desire to "keep your hands dirty" and remain engaged with the technical aspects of the work.
Soft Skills & Communication: Exceptional soft skills and communication abilities, with a "high-bar" for excellence and a natural ability to elevate those around them.
Commitment: 100% dedication to Harmattan AI's mission of building autonomous defence systems and a readiness to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.
