Forward Deployed Software Engineer

Harmattan AI; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 300,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmattan AI in Abu Dhabi seeks a Forward Deployed Software Engineer to design, build and deploy production-grade software for partner armed forces. You will own end-to-end delivery—from architecture to field deployment—collaborating with client teams and our platform engineers to ship solutions that matter in real-world operations.

You will work primarily in Python and a lower-level language (C++, Rust, or Go), operate on Linux, and communicate clearly with senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 4+ years building and shipping production software.
• End-to-end systems experience from architecture to deployment.
• Comfortable on Linux in field/operational environments.
• Strong communication with client teams and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design and build software applications solving operational problems for partners, end-to-end from architecture to deployment.
• Translate real-world requirements from partner militaries into working software under tight timelines.
• Build interfaces between platforms and partner systems, validating data flows end-to-end in the field.
• Deploy solutions on site and iterate quickly based on operator feedback.
• Collaborate with platform engineering to fold durable parts back into the product.

Skills

Python

C++

Rust

Go

Linux

English

Client comms

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Job Description:

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.

As a Forward Deployed Software Engineer, you'll spend your time writing code. You'll work with partner technical teams and end users to understand what they actually need, then design and build the solution yourself: architecture, implementation, testing, deployment. You'll be close enough to the mission to see why the problem matters, and you'll ship fast, because what you build gets used in the field almost immediately. Once a solution proves itself, you'll work with our core platform team to fold the durable parts back into the product, so your work keeps paying off beyond the deployment you built it for.

Responsibilities

• Design and build software applications that solve specific operational problems for our partners, owning them end-to-end from architecture through deployment.
• Take loosely defined, real-world requirements from partner militaries and organizations and turn them into working software, often on tight timelines.
• Build interfaces and connectors between our platforms and partner systems, and validate data flows end-to-end in the field.
• Deploy your solutions on site, gather feedback directly from operators, and iterate quickly based on what you see working (or not) in practice.
• Spot patterns and capabilities worth building into the core product, and work with our platform engineering team to get them there.
• Debug issues in live operational settings, drive them to resolution, and document what you learn along the way.
• Build real working relationships with client technical teams and end users so you understand their problems well enough to solve them properly.

Requirements

• 4+ years building and shipping production software, in Python and at least one lower-level language (C++, Rust, Go).
• A track record of defining and building end-to-end systems: projects, internships, or early-career work where you took an ambiguous problem to a working, deployed solution.
• Comfortable owning software end-to-end - design, build, debug, deploy - including on Linux, in operational or field conditions.
• Confident and clear communicating with client technical teams and senior stakeholders, with a bias to action
• Practical under constraint: ill-defined problems, tight deadlines, and a working solution over a theoretically perfect one.
• Travel: frequent on site with partners, domestic and international.
• Proficiency in English is mandatory.

Nice to have

• Prior forward-deployed, solutions engineering, or customer-facing engineering experience.
• Depth in computer vision, deep learning, mission planning, robotics, or embedded software.
• Degree from a leading engineering school.

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