Embedded Software Engineer - Launcher at Harmattan AI (Paris, France)
Harmattan AI· Paris, France·
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
Design and maintain firmware architecture for next-generation defense hardware, including launchers and drone controllers. The role involves developing low-level drivers, implementing real-time control loops, and managing the prototype-to-production lifecycle in resource-constrained MCU environments.
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 an Embedded Software Engineer on the Launcher team, you will take full ownership of the firmware architecture for our next-generation hardware products, including field-deployable launchers, ruggedized drone controllers, and long-range RF systems. Operating in resource-constrained MCU environments, you will work hand-in-hand with hardware and mechanical engineers to take products from initial board bring-up all the way through to production-ready field deployment. This role offers a fast-paced environment with high autonomy, no heavy bureaucracy, and a direct, fast feedback loop between design and real-world deployment.
Responsibilities
- Firmware Architecture & Design: Design robust firmware architecture for mixed real-time and control workloads on MCUs using both bare-metal and RTOS environments. Define toolchains and coding standards across multiple products.
- Driver & Protocol Development: Write and maintain low-level drivers for peripherals, sensors, RF modules, and power-management ICs. Implement and debug communication protocols including SPI, I2C, UART, USB, CAN, and RF link protocols.
- Real-Time Control: Implement deterministic real-time control loops and manage interrupts, timing, and scheduling.
- Hardware Bring-up & Debugging: Partner daily with the hardware engineer on board bring-up. Debug systems using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAG/SWD debuggers, writing custom bring-up and test scripts when needed.
- Production Maturity & Testing: Own the prototype-to-production firmware maturity path. Build unit tests, hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing, and automated test benches to meet test coverage and reliability targets.
- Lifecycle & Security: Develop secure bootloaders and robust, reliable over-the-air (OTA) firmware update mechanisms for assets deployed in harsh environments.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Align with Mission Application Developers on telemetry, command, and control interface requirements , and collaborate with Mechanical Engineers on integration, thermal regulation, and shielding constraints.
Requirements
- Education: Master’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, Embedded Systems, Computer Science, or an equivalent technical field.
- Experience: 2 to 10+ years of experience (Junior to Senior levels) in embedded software development.
- Production Track Record: Proven experience taking at least one complete embedded product from initial prototype to mass production.
- Core Technical Skills: Proficient in Embedded C/C++ with strong foundations in bare-metal and RTOS development (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or equivalent) on MCUs, typically ARM Cortex-M.
- Hardware & Protocols: Deep understanding of MCU peripherals, communication buses (SPI, I2C, UART, USB, CAN), and hands-on laboratory debugging equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD).
- Software Practices: Strong discipline in version control, CI/CD pipelines, and automated firmware test methodologies.
- Mindset: A rigorous, autonomous, and pragmatic professional who balances clean code and thorough validation with delivery speed.
Bonus Points
- Experience developing drone, UAV, remote control, or radio communication firmware.
- Experience designing RF link or wireless protocol firmware.
- Background working with ruggedized, military, or industrial-grade systems.
- Professional familiarity with Rust.
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.