Head of ISR & Strike Solutions 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
The Head of ISR & Strike Solutions leads the strategic direction and end-to-end delivery of Harmattan AI's defense systems. This role involves managing a team of program and product managers, overseeing contract execution, and serving as the primary interface for customers and C-Level executives to ensure alignment...
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 Head of ISR & Strike solutions, you will be in charge of a complete line of products for Harmattan AI ISR & Strike solution. You are the primary interface of customers and C-Level to manage this line of products, including product strategy and roadmap, business plans and pricing elaboration and management, development and industrialization management, production execution control, contract execution overseeing end-to-end delivery of our systems, ensuring contractual compliance, and coordinating internal teams to meet critical deadlines. You directly manage a team of Program managers, Product Managers and System Architects.
Responsibilities
- Strategic Customer Interface & Alignment: Act as the primary interface for customers and C-Level executives, ensuring program execution aligns with the overall ISR & Strike product strategy and roadmap.
- End-to-End Delivery Oversight: Oversee the entire contract execution lifecycle, coordinating the team of Program Managers, Product Managers, and System Architects to ensure on-time, on-spec delivery of complex and mass-produced systems.
- Contractual & Compliance Guarantee: Guarantee that all deliverables meet contractual, technical, and operational requirements, managing compliance across the product line.
- Risk Mitigation & Crisis Leadership: Anticipate strategic and program-level risks and lead rapid, structured resolution of issues and major roadblocks as they arise, escalating internally when necessary to unblock delivery.
- Financial Ownership & Revenue Management: Own the program financial timeline and ensure accurate invoicing and revenue activation at contractual milestones, aligning with business plans and pricing strategies.
- Team Enablement & Process Alignment: Ensure centralized product policies and processes are compatible with specific program and customer constraints, identifying missing strategic and operational enablers for the team.
Candidate Requirements
- 10+ years of experience in program or project management within the defense sector.
- Mandatory expertise in the field of drones for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) and Strike.
- Significant experience as a Program Manager, including leading product development.
- Proven track record managing complex deliveries and mass-production with direct client interface and contractual responsibilities.
- Strong knowledge of defense acquisition processes, program milestones, and compliance documentation.
- Ability to manage programs in cutting-edge/disruptive environments.
- Proficiency in managing a complete business plan.
- Expertise in defining the product strategy and roadmap ("product head").
- Detail-oriented with excellent documentation and organizational skills.
- Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to motivate and guide teams toward success.
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.