Electrical Engineer (Ground Control System)

Harmattan AI; Paris; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmattan AI in Paris is seeking a senior hardware engineer to own end-to-end electronics design for rugged RF/mixed-signal boards, interfacing with firmware and mechanical teams.

You will lead schematic design, PCB layout, BOM optimization, and bring-up, ensuring manufacturability and cost targets for production-ready hardware in a defense-oriented environment.

Qualifications

• Senior hardware engineer with PCB design and production experience.
• Experience mixing digital and power domains and bringing boards to production.
• Autonomous in a small team with ability to bridge hardware and firmware.
• Strong focus on cost and manufacturability for mass production.

Responsibilities

• Schematic design for mixed-signal and RF boards, from power to digital and RF sections.
• PCB layout and routing with emphasis on signal integrity, EMC and RF constraints (6-8 layer layouts).
• Component selection and BOM optimization for cost and availability.
• Hardware bring-up and debug using oscillosopes, spectrum analyzers and bench equipment; write bring-up scripts if needed.
• Address EMC and RF performance including antenna impedance matching and power levels.
• Collaborate with Embedded SW to define hardware/software interfaces and support firmware bring-up.
• Coordinate with Mechanical for PCB integration into enclosures (connectors, mounting, thermal, shielding).
• Qualify PCB manufacturers and assembly houses; support DFM/DFA review for production; manage NPI transitions.
• Maintain documentation for schematics, layout files, test procedures, and hardware specs.

Skills

PCB design

RF PCB design

Mixed-signal design

Hardware bring-up and debug

DFM/DFA for PCB manufacturing

BOM management

Tools

Altium Designer

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.

Overview

Harmattan AI is developing new hardware products within the GCS module, including ruggedised drone controllers and long-range RF systems designed for demanding field environments. These products require dedicated electronics design with complex architecture in a constrained environment – PCBs integrating RF modules, microcontrollers, power management, and communication interfaces – optimised for cost at volume. The GCS team is seeking a dedicated hardware engineer to own electronics design end-to-end and accelerate the path to production milestones.

Ideal candidate

A senior hardware engineer who has designed and shipped complex PCBs, ideally mixing digital and power, into production. They are rigorous on schematics, layout, and bring-up, and have a strong instinct for cost and manufacturability. They are comfortable working autonomously in a small team and can bridge hardware and firmware.

Skills Required

• PCB schematic and layout design (Altium Designer preferred)
• RF PCB design: controlled impedance, antenna matching, EMC management
• Mixed-signal design: power management, MCU interfaces, communication buses (SPI, I2C, UART, USB, CAN)
• Hardware bring-up and debug: bench equipment proficiency
• DFM/DFA for PCB manufacturing and assembly
• Component selection and BOM management

Responsibilities

• Schematic Design - Design complete schematics for mixed-signal and RF boards, from power to digital and RF sections.
• PCB Layout & Routing - Perform or lead board placement and routing with attention to signal integrity, EMC, and RF constraints (6-8 layer layout, controlled impedance, ground planes, and RF traces).
• Component Selection & BOM Optimisation – Select components with cost, availability, and reliability in mind; drive BOM cost reduction for mass production volumes.
• Hardware Bring-up & Debug - Lead board bring-up and debug issues with oscilloscopes, spectrum analysers, and other bench equipment; write bring-up scripts when needed.
• EMC & RF Compliance - Address EMC challenges; ensure signal integrity across the board and correct RF performance (antenna impedance matching and power levels).
• Collaboration with Embedded SW - Work closely with the embedded software engineer to define hardware/software interfaces; support firmware bring-up.
• Collaboration with Mechanical - Ensure seamless PCB integration into mechanical enclosures (connectors, mounting, thermal, shielding).
• Supplier & Manufacturing Ramp-up - Qualify PCB manufacturers and assembly houses; support DFM/DFA review for production; manage NPI transitions.
• Documentation - Maintain schematics, layout files, test procedures, and hardware specifications.

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