Chief Engineer

Harmattan AI in Lausanne seeks a Chief Engineer to lead the architecture and development of robotic systems from concept to field deployment. The role requires 10+ years in system engineering within robotics, aerospace, or defense, with strong leadership and technical coordination skills.

The Chief Engineer is responsible for defining and implementing the architecture of robotic systems, from initial concept through to field deployment. This role involves translating mission requirements into system-level designs, coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams, and ensuring overall system performance, robustness, and reliability.

Responsibilities

• Translate system requirements into comprehensive architecture solutions.
• Lead cross-functional design efforts involving mechanical, electrical, software, GNC, and ML teams.
• Perform feasibility studies, trade-off analyses, and system-level simulations to inform technical decisions.
• Supervise system integration, prototyping, and validation to meet performance targets.
• Conduct design and architecture reviews to ensure alignment between requirements, design, and testing.
• Establish processes to improve requirements traceability, system documentation, and validation workflows.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in system engineering within robotics, aerospace, or defense industries.
• MSc in Engineering (any field); PhD is advantageous.
• Demonstrated experience leading full system lifecycles from concept to prototype to validation.
• Strong expertise in system architecture, requirements engineering, and trade-off analysis.
• Broad engineering knowledge including mechanical, electrical, and embedded systems.
• Proven ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary teams and manage technical interfaces.
• Rigorous, structured, and mission-focused mindset with strong analytical capabilities.
• Excellent communication and documentation skills.

Nice to have

• Experience in UAS or defense systems.

About the company

Harmattron AI is a next-generation defense prime focused on building autonomous and scalable defense systems. The company emphasizes real-world impact, excellence, and tackling the most challenging technical problems in a rigorous and demanding environment.

• Focus on technologies with real-world impact.
• Commitment to excellence and ambitious goal-setting.
• Environment that demands rigor, ownership, and execution.
• Building autonomous and scalable defense systems.