Drone System Validation Engineer - CH at Harmattan AI (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Harmattan AI· Lausanne, Switzerland·
Role details
Harmattan AI at a glance
France's first defense-tech unicorn, building attritable AI-piloted strike, interception, and ISR drones for allied militaries.
Harmattan AI is a vertically integrated defense prime building autonomous drone systems for allied militaries. It designs the full stack, from airframes and payloads to embedded compute and the autonomy algorithms that let drones sense, decide, and act at the edge without GPS or a network link, coordinated across a swarm by its mission-orchestration layer.
$242M raised · latest: Series B · $200M · January 2026 · backed by Dassault Aviation, FirstMark Capital, Atlantic, Motier Ventures
Summary
The Validation Engineer leads test campaigns to validate the performance, reliability, and operational readiness of autonomous defense systems. Responsibilities include planning system testing, conducting flight test campaigns, defining test protocols, and analyzing data to inform R&D.
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 Drone System Validation Engineer, you will play a critical role in validating the performance, reliability, and operational readiness of our autonomous defense systems. You will lead test campaigns on our own systems to inform internal development and maintain a competitive edge.
Responsibilities
- System Testing: Plan and execute validation & verification of defense systems (drone, payload...) in simulated and real-world conditions.
- Flight Test Campaigns: Design and conduct rigorous test for new features, hardware configurations, and software releases.
- Test Protocols: Define, document, and refine structured test procedures.
- Data Analysis: Capture and interpret telemetry, logs, and test outcomes to assess system behavior and recommend design improvements hand-in-hand with the R&D.
- Cross-Team Collaboration: Work closely with hardware, software, and systems teams to support debugging and iteration based on test outcomes.
Candidate Requirements
- 2–5 years of experience in validation on aerospace or robotic systems, or embedded robotics.
- Solid understanding of methodology for rigorous testing and validation of technical system
- Wide engineering culture around flight dynamics, control systems, avionics, and/or RF systems.
- Comfortable designing and executing structured test protocols.
- Experience with DVT/PVT phases and environmental testing methodologies.
- Strong statistical analysis skills to interpret test data and validate reliability.
- 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.
Location and Commitments
- Contract Type: Permanent contract
- Work Schedule: Full-time
- Availability: ASAP
- Location: Lausanne
We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.
We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.
Why work at Harmattan AI
- 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
- Values: Tackle the hardest problems, build what matters, move at the speed of relevance, and aim to redefine frontiers. harmattan.ai
- 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
- 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.