Harmattan AI

Autonomous defense systems and C2 platforms

HR Generalist

HR Generalist & Employee RelationsPosted on Nov 13

Full-timeLausanne, SwitzerlandNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

A Master's degree or equivalent in human resources, law, management, or a related field is required.
An HR Manager certificate (Certificat de Gestionnaire RH, HRSE) is required.
At least 10 years of experience in generalist human resources or Human Resources Business Partner roles is required; experience in an SME or scale-up is preferred.
Strong knowledge of Swiss employment law and social insurance is required; experience with G, B, and L work permits is preferred.
Credibility with managers and engineers, with the ability to advise and make decisions, is required.
Rigor, confidentiality, autonomy, and comfort with building processes are required.
Comfort with an HR information system such as HiBob and reporting tools is required.
Fluency in French and English is required; Swiss-German is an asset.

Responsibilities

Work closely with research and development management to support organizational design.
Act as the single HR contact for Switzerland, present daily in Crissier and a reliable remote partner for Zurich with regular visits.
Provide managers with concrete operational HR guidance grounded in Swiss law and respond promptly to employee concerns.
Communicate with teams to explain and support the organization.
Stay aligned with the Paris HR team and group policy while maintaining local compliance.
Own compliance with Swiss employment law throughout the employee lifecycle, including contracts, probation, working time, leave, and termination; adapt group contracts and HR policies to Swiss requirements.
Manage relations with cantonal labor and migration authorities in Vaud and Zurich, including filings, registrations, and inspections.
Handle employee representation obligations as headcount grows and keep leadership informed of regulatory changes.
Own the monthly payroll cycle with the payroll provider and Finance, validate variable inputs including absences, overtime, bonuses, joiners, and leavers, and cross-check payslips.
Ensure timely social and tax declarations and manage health, accident, and pension benefits.
Manage individual employee situations end to end, including disciplinary procedures, conflict resolution, and sensitive cases.
Handle personnel administration, including contracts, amendments, employee files, and certificates; manage absences in HiBob and produce HR metrics.
Own G, B, and L work permit applications for foreign nationals joining Crissier and Zurich, filing with the DGEM, following up through approval, and handling related cantonal and residence formalities.
Take over from Talent Acquisition after offer acceptance and manage contracts, administration, and onboarding for both sites.
Handle offboarding in accordance with Swiss formalities and provide a clear handover.

Desired Qualifications

Experience in defense, aerospace, or deep technology, and experience with multi-site teams.

About Us

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 HR Generalist, you are the go-to HR contact for managers and teams in Crissier and Zurich. You turn company priorities into concrete HR actions: contract administration, onboarding, development, employee relations and compliance with Swiss employment law.

Responsibilities

Manager & Employee Partnership

Work in close collaboration with R&D management to support them in the design of the organization
Act as the single HR contact for Switzerland: present daily in Crissier, and a reliable remote partner for Zurich with regular visits
Give managers concrete, operational HR answers grounded in Swiss law, and address employee concerns promptly
Communicate with the teams with pedagogy to support and explain the organization

Stay aligned with the Paris HR team and group policy while remaining locally compliant

Local Compliance & Employment Law

Own compliance with Swiss employment law across the employee lifecycle (contracts, probation, working time, leave, termination) and adapt group contracts and HR policies to Swiss requirements
Manage relations with cantonal labor and migration authorities (Vaud and Zurich): filings, registrations, inspections
Handle employee representation obligations as headcount grows and keep leadership ahead of regulatory change

Payroll & Social Declarations

Own the monthly payroll cycle with our provider and Finance: validate variable inputs (absences, overtime, bonuses, joiners, leavers) and cross-check payslips
Ensure timely social and tax declarations and manage benefits (health, accident, pension)

HR Operations & Personnel Administration

Manage individual employee situations end to end: disciplinary procedures, conflict resolution, sensitive cases
Handle personnel administration (contracts, amendments, files, certificates), run absences in HiBob and produce HR metrics
Own work permit applications (G, B,L) for foreign nationals joining Crissier and Zurich: file with the DGEM, follow up until approval, and handle related cantonal and residence formalities

Onboarding, Offboarding & Mobility

Work with Talent Acquisition, who own recruitment: take over once an offer is accepted and run contracts, administration and onboarding for both sites
Handle offboarding with correct Swiss formalities and clear handover

Candidate Requirements

Master's degree or equivalent in HR, law, management or a related field
HR Manager certificate (Certificat de Gestionnaire RH, HRSE)
10+ years in generalist HR or HR Business Partner roles, ideally in an SME or scale-up
Strong knowledge of Swiss employment law and social insurance; experience with work permits (G, B, L) is a plus

Skills

Credibility with managers and engineers; able to advise and decide
Rigor, confidentiality, autonomy and a taste for building processes
Comfort with an HRIS (HiBob) and reporting tools

Languages

Fluent French and English; Swiss-German is an asset for Zurich

Nice to have

Experience in defense, aerospace or deeptech, and with multi-site teams

We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.

About the Company

Harmattan AI

Autonomous defense systems and C2 platforms

Harmattan AI builds vertically integrated autonomous defense systems for NATO and allied forces. Its products include layered air defence, coordinated ISR and strike UAVs, electronic-warfare tools, and command-and-control platforms, all powered by a software-defined autonomy stack. The systems are designed to operate together, with autonomous decision-making, sensor fusion, and mission execution through its C2 framework. The company differentiates itself through large-scale industrial manufacturing, secured Programs of Record with European and UK defense ministries, and a strategic partnership with Dassault Aviation to embed Harmattan’s controlled autonomy into combat-air systems such as Rafale F5 and UCAS. The goal is to provide trusted, scalable autonomous solutions for defense missions, expanding globally and embedding autonomy into partner platforms to strengthen allied capabilities.

Company size: 201-500
Company stage: Series B
Total funding: $242M
Headquarters: Paris, France
Founded: 2024

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