Director of Engineering
Harmattan AI
Director of Engineering
Harmattan AI
Autonomous defense systems and C2 platforms
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.
As the Director of Engineering for UAS Development at Harmattan AI, you will build and lead an engineering organisation with various engineering modules from the ground up.
You will own the full technical chain, take the system through qualification and into series production, and build a supplier base and engineering ecosystem that sustains it.
Organisation Building: Stand up the engineering group including hiring key engineering roles.
Project Management: Act as a project manager handling the delivery of key milestones.
Technical Ownership: Own the full technical chain across airframe, propulsion, avionics, launcher and ground segment, through to flight test and trials.
People Management & Mentorship: Manage managers while staying close to the engineering — run regular design reviews across multiple disciplines.
Supplier Ecosystem: Develop a supplier base.
Educational Background: An MSc in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical or a strongly related engineering field. A track record of building organisations will outweigh the degree.
Proven Leadership: An engineer who moved into management and then into managing managers.
Experience: 10+ years, with at least 4 in engineering management. You have stood up or materially scaled an engineering site — including hiring at pace.
Track Record: You have taken a hardware system through qualification and into series production. Background in UAV, autonomous systems or advanced robotics.
Technical Engagement: While this is a leadership role, you remain credible across every discipline in the group without claiming depth in any, and you take written positions on the cross-module questions no one else will close.
Commitment: 100% dedication to Harmattan AI's mission of building autonomous defence systems
We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at 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.
Explore more opportunities at Harmattan AI