Flight Operations Engineer - Autonomous Defense Field & Training

Harmattan AI; Austin (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmattan AI is seeking a Flight Operations Engineer to bridge our R&D lab and on‑site operations, delivering the last mile of autonomous defense systems to global partners. You will lead test campaigns, perform real-world flight demonstrations, and train end-users on complex autonomous systems while coordinating with hardware, software, and systems teams.

The role requires elite piloting skills, hands-on hardware engineering, and a high degree of technical autonomy, with frequent international

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience in flight operations, flight testing or validation on aerospace or robotic systems, or embedded robotics.
• Proven track record in end-to-end assembly, integration, and maintenance of high-performance FPV, multicopters and/or fixed-wing systems.
• Wide engineering culture around flight dynamics, control systems, avionics, and/or RF systems.
• Bonus: Pilot certification, experience with military or industrial drone platforms.
• Detail-oriented with excellent documentation and organizational skills.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to motivate and guide teams toward success.
• Proven ability to simplify complex technical concepts for training and public presentations.
• Comfortable with a dynamic schedule that requires frequent international presence.

Responsibilities

• Test campaigns: Plan and execute real-world tests to validate performance and edge cases of new hardware and software.
• Lead high-stakes live flight demonstrations for defense stakeholders.
• Deliver comprehensive training programs for clients covering flight theory, mission planning, and emergency procedures.
• Cross-team collaboration with hardware, software, and systems teams to support debugging and iteration.
• Manage deployment and tactical logistics of autonomous systems, including C2 and RF data links in real-world environments.

Skills

Flight operations

Flight testing

FPV drones

RF links

Flight dynamics

Avionics

Leadership

Documentation

Training

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace/robotics/engineering

Tools

FPV hardware

RF systems

C2 infrastructure

Job description

Harmattan AI is seeking a Flight Operations Engineer to bridge our R&D lab and on‑site operations, delivering the last mile of autonomous defense systems to global partners. You will lead test campaigns, perform real-world flight demonstrations, and train end-users on complex autonomous systems while coordinating with hardware, software, and systems teams.

The role requires elite piloting skills, hands-on hardware engineering, and a high degree of technical autonomy, with frequent international