Chief Engineer

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 a Chief Engineer, you will own the architecture, system definition and implementation of one of our robotic systems — from concept to field deployment. You will work hand-in-hand with project managers and technical leads to translate mission needs into system-level designs, coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams, and ensure overall system performance, robustness, and reliability.

Responsibilities

• System Architecture: Transform system requirements into architectures solutions.

• Technical Coordination: Lead cross-functional design across mechanical, electrical, software, GNC, and ML teams.

• Trade-Off & Design Analysis: Conduct feasibility studies, trade-off analyses, and system-level simulations to guide technical choices.

• Integration & Validation: Oversee system integration, prototyping, and validation, ensuring performance targets are achieved.

• System Reviews: Drive design and architecture reviews, maintaining consistency between requirements, design, and testing.

• Continuous Improvement: Implement processes to enhance requirements traceability, system documentation, and validation workflows.

Candidate Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in system engineering within robotics, aerospace, or defense sectors.

• MSc in Engineering (any field); PhD is a plus.

• Proven experience leading full system lifecycles (concept → prototype → validation).

• Strong background in system architecture, requirements engineering, and trade-off analysis.

• Broad engineering culture with understanding of mechanical, electrical, and embedded systems.

• Experience coordinating multi-disciplinary teams and managing technical interfaces.

• Rigorous, structured, and mission-driven mindset with strong analytical skills.

• Excellent communication and documentation abilities.

• Bonus: Experience with UAS or defense systems.

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