Lead Warhead Engineer

Harmattan AI; Paris; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmattan AI in Paris seeks a Lead Warhead Engineer to be the technical authority for warhead developments across products. You will arbitrate design trade-offs among energetics, safety, arming, mechanical integration and testing, interfacing with program, product, operations and customers.

You will shape engineering standards, supplier base, and development approaches to enable rapid design, qualification, manufacture and scaling of warheads in a demanding defense environment.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Energetics, Physics or related field with at least 10 years in warhead or munitions development.
• Deep knowledge of the munitions ecosystem and regulatory framework.
• Proven track record leading warhead developments through qualification to serial production.
• Strong knowledge of NATO safety and qualification standards (MIL-STD, STANAG).
• Experience across multiple warhead architectures is highly desirable.
• Ability to arbitrate complex technical trade-offs under schedule pressure and defend decisions.
• Strong leadership and communication skills with experience managing engineering teams.
• Eligibility for French national security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own the warhead architecture and design trade-offs across developments; arbitrate decisions between energetics, electronics & safety, mechanical, and test disciplines.
• Define engineering standards and design review practices.
• Define and build the warhead supply chain with scalability as a design requirement from day one.
• Act as the warhead authority towards program, product and customers; translate mission and effectiveness requirements into warhead specifications and development plans.
• Drive developments from concept through design, testing, qualification and industrialization on cycles measured in days and months; manage timelines, risks and technical maturity at each milestone.
• Ensure compliance with pyrotechnic regulations of our customers' countries and applicable NATO safety and qualification standards throughout the product lifecycle.
• Build and manage relationships with test centers, energetic materials suppliers and industrial partners.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Security clearance eligibility

Program management

Education

Master's or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Energetics, Physics or related field

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 Lead Warhead Engineer at Harmattan AI, you will be the technical authority for all warhead developments related to Harmattan's products, arbitrating design trade-offs across energetics, safety and arming, mechanical integration and testing. You will act as the primary interface between the warhead team and program & product, operations and customer stakeholders. You will shape the engineering standards, the supplier base and the development approach that will allow Harmattan to design, qualify, manufacture and scale warheads at a pace the traditional ecosystem cannot match.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Own the warhead architecture and design trade-offs across all developments; arbitrate technical decisions between energetics, electronics & safety, mechanical, and test disciplines, from requirement to manufactured product; define engineering standards and design review practices.

• Supply Chain Design: Define and build the warhead supply chain (energetic materials, loading, machining, test capacity) with scalability as a design requirement from day one.

• Program Interface: Act as the warhead authority towards program, product and customers; translate mission and effectiveness requirements into warhead specifications and development plans.

• Development Oversight: Drive developments from concept through design, testing, qualification and industrialization on cycles measured in days and months; manage timelines, risks and technical maturity at each milestone.

• Compliance and Safety: Ensure compliance with pyrotechnic regulations of our customers' countries and applicable NATO safety and qualification standards (MIL-STD, STANAG) throughout the product lifecycle.

• Ecosystem Relations: Build and manage relationships with test centers, energetic materials suppliers and industrial partners.

Candidate Requirements

• Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Energetics, Physics or a related field, with at least 10 years of experience in warhead or munitions development.

• Deep knowledge of the munitions ecosystem: ex. DGA, prime contractors, state test centers and the applicable regulatory framework.

• Proven track record of leading warhead or munitions developments through qualification and into serial production.

• Strong knowledge of NATO safety and qualification standards (MIL-STD, STANAG) for munitions.

• Experience across several warhead architectures is highly desirable.

• Demonstrated ability to arbitrate complex technical trade-offs under schedule pressure and to defend decisions towards programs and customers.

• Strong leadership and communication skills, with experience building or managing engineering teams.

• Eligibility for French national security clearance.

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