---
title: 'Data Engineer (Detect & Track Distillation) at Harmattan AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/data-engineer-detect-track-distillation-harmattan-ai-paris-anxgbhvxrd2c'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Data Engineer (Detect & Track Distillation) at Harmattan AI

- **Company:** [Harmattan AI](https://feeny.ai/companies/harmattan-ai)
- **Location:** Paris, France
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-05
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/harmattan-ai/946e4e29-bd23-480c-ad35-ba8d00ceb286

## 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

Our ML teams train models on datasets derived from large volumes of raw, unstructured data. Model quality depends directly on data quality, and today that data is handled largely by hand.

As a Data Engineer, operating out of Paris, Lausanne, or Zurich, you will own the data layer that feeds the team's models, from raw field logs or public datasets through curated, versioned, training-ready datasets. You will manage terabytes of raw, unstructured data and turn it into clean, documented, versioned datasets, so that the modelers spend their time designing and training models, not waiting on data loaders or wrangling corrupted files. You join at an early stage with real influence over how field and public data gets processed for deep-learning pipelines.

## RESPONSIBILITIES

- Ingestion Pipeline: Ingest, decode, and store raw, unstructured field data (video and other sensor streams) from field logs into efficient, controlled formats.
- Multimodal Alignment: Align multiple data streams temporally and spatially so paired data is usable for training.
- Curation: Transfer both ingested data and public datasets into high-value data, including parsing, filtering, de-duplication and revision.
- Data & Labeling Requirements: Define which data to gather and what and how to label it, and own the dataset-construction workflow and labeling tooling. Coordinate with the teams responsible for data gathering and labeling.
- Dataset Construction: Build task-specific datasets for the team’s training and evaluation needs, in collaboration with acquisition, annotation and product teams.
- Versioning & Lineage: Version datasets and maintain lineage so training runs stay reproducible.
- Storage & Formats: Store data in efficient, training-ready formats (such as columnar or sharded formats) and manage storage tiering to balance cost and latency as datasets grow.
- Efficient Delivery: Deliver clean, documented datasets and the corresponding tools for loading to keep training from being I/O-bound, shaping their structure with the modelers.

## CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

- Educational Background: A degree in a STEM field, or equivalent practical experience. Practical data engineering experience matters more than the specific degree.
- Data Pipelines at Scale: Built and maintained pipelines for unstructured data at scale (video, images, or sensor data), covering ingestion, decode, storage, curation, and versioning.
- Engineering: Strong in Python and data engineering, and comfortable optimizing data loaders for common training frameworks (for example PyTorch).
- Bonus: Multimodal sensor data, labeling or dataset construction for ML, dataset versioning tooling, and distributed data processing tooling.
- Attributes: Systematic, quality-minded, pragmatic, and service-oriented so the modelers are enabled, with a knack for taming messy data via automation.
- Commitment: 100% dedication to Harmattan AI's mission of providing a defensive edge to allied nations through ethical, high-impact technology.

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

## About Harmattan AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Harmattan AI builds autonomous defense systems—including strike and surveillance drones—using AI-driven autonomy and real-time intelligence for allied forces.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B, unicorn status)
- **Headquarters**: Paris, France
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Mouad M’Ghari (CEO & Co‑founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Defense & autonomous systems
- **Target customers**: B2G – NATO member states, ministries of defence (UK, France, and others)
- **Mission**: Deliver scalable, sovereign AI capabilities to allied forces by building mission‑ready autonomous systems that respond in real time, adapt under pressure, and deliver an edge in contested environments. [harmattan.ai](https://harmattan.ai/)

## Products & Services
- **Platform Autonomy**: AI‑driven autonomy layer for drones, enabling real‑time decision‑making and adaptation.
- **Mission Orchestration**: Software for coordinating multiple autonomous assets (e.g., collaborative air combat).
- **Precision Strike**: Attritable strike drones with embedded AI for target engagement.
- **VSHORAD (Very Short‑Range Air Defence)**: Counter‑drone interception systems.
- **Persistent ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance)**: Autonomous surveillance platforms for continuous battlefield awareness.
- **Electronic Warfare Platforms**: Systems for electronic attack and protection. [harmattan.ai](https://harmattan.ai/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: $1.4 billion (as of January 2026, after Series B). [tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2026/01/12/french-startup-harmattan-ai-hits-unicorn-status-as-it-strikes-deal-with-french-aerospace-group/)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding ~$240 million ($200 M Series B led by Dassault Aviation + over $40 M prior). [tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2026/01/12/french-startup-harmattan-ai-hits-unicorn-status-as-it-strikes-deal-with-french-aerospace-group/)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Dassault Aviation (lead investor & strategic partner), multiple NATO allies as customers.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Achieved unicorn status within two years of founding.
  - Awarded several “programs of record” by UK and French Ministries of Defence. [tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2026/01/12/french-startup-harmattan-ai-hits-unicorn-status-as-it-strikes-deal-with-french-aerospace-group/)
  - Scaling industrial manufacturing of drone interception and electronic warfare platforms.
  - Headcount grew to 131 employees (Built In estimate). [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/harmattan-ai)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Two‑layer autonomy model**: Combines platform‑level AI with mission‑orchestration software for coordinated, scalable autonomous forces.
- **Sovereign AI**: Focus on delivering non‑dependent capabilities to allied nations, differentiating from US‑centric primes.
- **Attritable systems**: Cost‑effective, expendable drones that enable mass deployment without prohibitive losses.
- **Speed to relevance**: Claims rapid iteration and deployment cycles, with conflict‑ready production. [harmattan.ai](https://harmattan.ai/)

## Strategic Focus
- Expand product offering into new operational domains (e.g., collaborative air combat with Dassault Aviation).
- Scale industrial manufacturing of drone interception, electronic warfare, and ISR platforms.
- Deepen integration of embedded AI into next‑generation air combat systems (future combat air systems). [tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2026/01/12/french-startup-harmattan-ai-hits-unicorn-status-as-it-strikes-deal-with-french-aerospace-group/)

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “Elite builders” who “thrive on complexity, move with urgency, and own their work end to end.” Emphasis on purpose, technical excellence, and real‑world impact. [harmattan.ai](https://harmattan.ai/careers/)
- **Values**: Tackle the hardest problems, build what matters, move at the speed of relevance, and aim to redefine frontiers. [harmattan.ai](https://harmattan.ai/careers/)
- **Work policy**: Hybrid model with a mix of remote and on‑site; many roles are in‑office at locations in Paris, Lausanne, London, Arlington (TX), Wissous, Poland, UAE, and Morocco. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/harmattan-ai)
- **Engineering culture**: Hands‑on development of mission‑critical autonomous systems; strong R&D focus across AI, computer vision, RF hardware, propulsion, and mission planning.
- **Perks**: Not explicitly listed, but the company highlights the opportunity to protect front‑line personnel and shape the future of autonomous defence.

## Sources
1. [harmattan.ai](https://harmattan.ai/)
2. [harmattan.ai/careers](https://harmattan.ai/careers/)
3. [harmattan.ai/open-roles](https://harmattan.ai/open-roles)
4. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/harmattan-ai)
5. [tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2026/01/12/french-startup-harmattan-ai-hits-unicorn-status-as-it-strikes-deal-with-french-aerospace-group/)

## Other roles at Harmattan AI

- [Forward Deployed Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-software-engineer-harmattan-ai-united-arab-emirates-h1ph5ed6wera) — United Arab Emirates
- [Embedded Electrical Engineer - SoM](https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-electrical-engineer-som-harmattan-ai-zurich-nfmnmqmj7qkw) — Zurich, Switzerland
- [Embedded Electrical Engineer - SoM](https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-electrical-engineer-som-harmattan-ai-lausanne-25bs7fgkpqjz) — Lausanne, Switzerland
- [Product Operations Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/product-operations-intern-harmattan-ai-paris-598y5hqzq0v7) — Paris, France
- [Embedded Electrical Engineer - SoM](https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-electrical-engineer-som-harmattan-ai-paris-4kfy8a0s9nsw) — Paris, France
- [Software Engineer - Gimbal](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-gimbal-harmattan-ai-paris-964y8cys7ssa) — Paris, France
- [Forward Deployed Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-software-engineer-harmattan-ai-paris-t3v3brcs9b32) — Paris, France
- [Drone System Validation Technician and Pilot](https://feeny.ai/job/drone-system-validation-technician-and-pilot-harmattan-ai-rabat-z2eczm57bd4w) — Rabat, Morocco
- [Validation Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/validation-engineer-harmattan-ai-rabat-j6rf9bn7tje4) — Rabat, Morocco
- [Flight Operations Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/flight-operations-engineer-harmattan-ai-rabat-m3nxbfykp8at) — Rabat, Morocco