Data Engineer - Foundational

Harmattan AI; Paris; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmattan AI, a Paris-based defense technology company, seeks a Data Engineer to build massive data pipelines for multimodal video data. You will optimize ingestion, synchronization, and loading to accelerate ML workflows and sustain high GPU utilization in multi-node clusters.

Based in Paris, you will work on terabyte- to petabyte-scale datasets, deploy scalable storage solutions, and collaborate with ML engineers to design robust, reproducible data architectures for mission-critical models.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or Distributed Systems preferred.
• Deep knowledge of operating systems, networking, and parallel computing is essential.
• 5–6+ years of experience building and maintaining terabyte-scale pipelines for unstructured data (video, images, or point clouds).

Responsibilities

• Build ETL/ELT pipelines to extract, decode, and store EO/IR video into formats like WebDataset, TFRecords, or Parquet.
• Develop algorithms to synchronise EO and IR frames temporally and spatially for model training.
• Architect storage-to-GPU pipelines to maintain >90% GPU utilisation in multi-node clusters.
• Write distributed data processing jobs using Spark, Ray, or Beam to process thousands of hours of tactical video logs.
• Implement automated quality checks to filter corrupted frames and ensure reproducible training via versioning and lineage tracking.
• Assess and implement storage solutions (MinIO, S3 tiering) to manage growing datasets cost-effectively.

Skills

Distributed systems

Data pipelines

Performance optimization

Ownership mindset

Terabyte pipelines

Education

BS or MS in Computer Science / Distributed Systems

Tools

Spark

Ray

Beam

DVC

Apache Iceberg

Pachyderm

MinIO

Parquet

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.

About The Role

As a Data Engineer on the Foundational team, you will serve as the "plumber" for deep learning, building the massive, high-performance data infrastructure required to power our foundational models. Based in Paris, you will manage terabytes—and eventually petabytes—of raw, unstructured, and noisy video data (EO and IR). Your mission is to ensure our ML engineers spend their time designing architectures, not waiting for data loaders or wrangling corrupted files.

Responsibilities

• Multi-Modal Ingestion Pipeline: Build ETL/ELT pipelines to extract, decode, and store raw Electro-Optical (EO) and Infrared (IR) video from field logs into highly optimised formats like WebDataset, TFRecords, or Parquet.
• Sensor Synchronisation & Alignment: Develop algorithms to programmatically synchronise EO and IR frames temporally and spatially to provide paired inputs for model training.
• High-Throughput Data Loading: Architect storage-to-GPU pipelines to ensure multi-node training clusters maintain >90% GPU utilisation without I/O bottlenecks.
• Distributed Processing: Write and optimise distributed data processing jobs using tools like Apache Spark, Ray, or Apache Beam to process thousands of hours of tactical video logs.
• Data Quality & Versioning: Implement automated quality checks to filter corrupted or blank frames and maintain 100% reproducible training runs through robust versioning and lineage tracking.
• Infrastructure Evaluation: Assess and implement advanced storage solutions (e.g., MinIO, S3 tiering) to manage growing datasets while optimising for cost and latency.

Candidate Requirements

• Educational Background: A BS or MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or Distributed Systems is highly preferred. Deep knowledge of operating systems, networking, and parallel computing is essential.
• Technical Experience: 5-6+ years of experience building and maintaining terabyte-scale pipelines for unstructured data (video, images, or point clouds).
• Performance Optimisation: Proven track record of maximising multi-node GPU utilisation and optimising data loaders for frameworks like PyTorch or JAX.
• Tooling Expertise: Strong command of distributed computing tools (Spark, Ray, Beam) and ML data versioning tools (DVC, Apache Iceberg, or Pachyderm).
• Adaptability & Ownership: A systems-thinker who thrives in a fast-paced startup environment and views messy data as an engineering problem to be solved via automation.
• Commitment: 100% dedication to Harmattan AI’s mission of providing a defensive edge to allied nations through ethical, high-impact technology

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