Director of Engineering - Mission Intelligence

Harmattan AI seeks a Director of Engineering to lead Mission Intelligence teams in Lausanne and Paris, bridging R&D and leadership while driving engineering excellence and team growth.

This position serves as a critical management layer connecting R&D modules with executive leadership. The primary focus is on elevating team performance and standardizing engineering practices across Mission Intelligence groups located in Lausanne and Paris. The role ensures that sensor data and operational context are effectively transformed into mission understanding, acting as the bridge between research efforts and shipped products.

Responsibilities

• Manage engineers directly, including conducting performance reviews, supporting career development, and organizing training programs.
• Prioritize and manage the full recruitment cycle to build and sustain a high-performing engineering team.
• Create and enforce standardized workflows across applied AI, data, and machine learning engineering groups.
• Evaluate and enhance internal tools and infrastructure to provide engineers with optimal resources.
• Restructure organizational modules and drive changes that improve cross-functional delivery efficiency.
• Partner with leadership to define and advance the company’s strategic vision.

Requirements

• A strong academic background in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, or a closely related technical discipline.
• Prior experience as an Individual Contributor (IC) who has successfully moved into a management capacity.
• Proven track record of leading applied ML or autonomy engineering teams that have delivered production AI systems.
• Practical expertise in multi-agent systems, fleet orchestration, scene understanding, or mission planning.

Nice to have

• Deep credibility and recognized expertise in one or more of the core technical areas, such as multi-agent systems, fleet orchestration, scene understanding, or mission planning.

About the company

Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following a $200M Series B funding round, the company is valued at $1.4 billion. The work environment is demanding, expecting rigor, ownership, and strong execution from all team members.

• Building technologies with real-world impact.
• Pursuing excellence in all endeavors.
• Setting ambitious goals.
• Taking on the hardest technical challenges.