Head of Autonomous Systems Engineering

Harmattan AI; Paris; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmattan AI is seeking a Director of Engineering to build and lead an engineering organization from the ground up, owning the full technical chain from airframe to ground segment and scaling the team accordingly.

You will own the system qualification through to series production, establish a supplier base, and drive cross-disciplinary design reviews while maintaining high technical credibility and commitment to autonomous defence systems.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience leading engineering teams.
• Experience scaling an engineering site and hiring at pace.
• Track record of taking hardware through qualification to production, especially UAVs or autonomous systems.
• Strong technical engagement across multiple disciplines while maintaining credibility.

Responsibilities

• Organisational building: stand up the engineering group and hire key roles.
• Project management: deliver key milestones.
• Technical ownership: own the full technical chain from airframe to ground segment, including flight tests.
• People management: manage managers and lead design reviews across disciplines.
• Supplier ecosystem: develop a robust supplier base.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

People management

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Cross-disciplinary

Education

MSc in Mechanical Engineering

MSc in Aerospace Engineering

MSc in Electrical Engineering

Job description

Harmattan AI is seeking a Director of Engineering to build and lead an engineering organization from the ground up, owning the full technical chain from airframe to ground segment and scaling the team accordingly.

You will own the system qualification through to series production, establish a supplier base, and drive cross-disciplinary design reviews while maintaining high technical credibility and commitment to autonomous defence systems.