Energetic Materials Scientist (Munitions)

Harmattan AI; Lausanne; On-site; CHF 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmattan AI in Lausanne seeks an Energetic Materials Engineer to lead the selection, testing, and qualification of energetic materials for our warhead-focused systems. You will collaborate with systems, warhead and fuze engineers, test facilities, and external partners to ensure safe sourcing as we scale.

The role requires deep expertise in energetic materials chemistry, stability, NATO-aligned qualification, and hands-on material characterization.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science, or Chemical Engineering.
• Strong knowledge of explosive materials, propellants and pyrotechnics.
• Experience with NATO qualification standards.
• Hands-on experience with DSC, TGA, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.
• Experience in material qualification for energetic systems.
• Fluent English.

Responsibilities

• Act as the internal reference on energetic materials chemistry and compatibility to guide material selection.
• Baseline energetic materials requirements across our products.
• Evaluate chemical stability, ageing and environmental sensitivity to define safe-for-use storage and operation requirements.
• Develop and oversee material qualification in line with NATO standards, internally and with external partners.
• Run hands-on material characterization and build the laboratory capability, in-house or through partners.
• Assess supplier specifications, process capability and quality requirements to ensure repeatability and traceability, and manage inspections and non-conformances.
• Support warhead and fuze engineers in sourcing and preparing materials for prototype testing and report results to systems engineers.
• Build qualification frameworks and guidance for the wider team, and contribute to growing an internal materials team.

Skills

Explosives knowledge

Propellants

Pyrotechnics

Explosive safety

Hazardous materials handling

NATO standards

Analytical techniques

DSC

TGA

FTIR

Raman spectroscopy

English fluency

Education

Master’s degree or PhD in Chemistry/Materials Science/Chemical Engineering

Tools

DSC

TGA

FTIR

Raman spectroscopy

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.

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 Energetic Materials Engineer in the Warhead team, you will be the technical authority ensuring the energetic materials in our systems are properly selected, tested and qualified for their intended use. You will build Harmattan AI’s expertise in energetic materials chemistry, stability and supplier assurance, so we can safely and repeatedly source and produce energetics as we scale. You will work daily with systems, warhead and fuze engineers, as well as test facilities and partners.

Responsibilities

• Act as the internal reference on energetic materials chemistry, properties and compatibility to guide material selection.
• Baseline the energetic materials requirements and material inventory across our products.
• Evaluate chemical stability, ageing and environmental sensitivity to define safe-for-use, storage and operational requirements.
• Develop and oversee material qualification in line with NATO standards, internally and with external partners.
• Run hands-on material characterization and build the laboratory capability, in-house or through partners, to support it.
• Assess supplier specifications, process capability and quality requirements to ensure repeatability and traceability, and manage inspections and non-conformances.
• Support warhead and fuze engineers in sourcing and preparing materials for prototype testing, and report results to systems engineers.
• Build qualification frameworks and guidance for the wider team, and contribute to growing an internal materials team.

Candidate Requirements

• Master’s degree or PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering or a related field.
• Strong understanding of explosive materials, propellants and pyrotechnics, including explosive safety and hazardous materials handling.
• Hands‑on experience with analytical techniques such as DSC, TGA, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.
• Experience characterizing and evaluating materials in accordance with NATO qualification standards.
• Experience running qualification programs for materials used in pyrotechnic or energetic systems.
• Understanding of materials manufacturing processes and quality controls.
• Fluency in English required.

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