Harmattan AI

Senior Team Lead, Avionics & Flight Software at Harmattan AI (Rabat, Morocco)

Harmattan AI· Rabat, Morocco·

Role details

Work type
Onsite
Employment
Full-Time

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

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.

Location: Rabat, Morocco — on site. Contract: Permanent, full time

ABOUT THE ROLE

As Senior Team Lead, Avionics & Flight Software, you will own the flight computer stack — from concept to flight. You will define the architecture, lead a cross-disciplinary team, and prove the design on real hardware in flight campaigns.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Avionics & Flight Software Team: Build, lead and grow a cross-disciplinary team across electronics, embedded software and GNC.
  • Avionics: Drive architecture and implementation of flight controller electronics at MCU class, sensor selection and integration across IMU, GNSS, baro and magnetometer, and board bring-up.
  • Embedded Software: Own the full software chain — drivers, BSP, firmware and release cycle — with the rigour required of safety-relevant systems.
  • GNC: Drive control loops, sensor fusion and navigation for autonomous flight, validated on hardware and in the air.
  • Trade-Off & Design Analysis: Settle the cost-versus-accuracy questions that define the architecture. Unit cost at production volume is a hard constraint on every choice.
  • Technical Coordination: Lead cross-functional design with airframe, propulsion, ground segment and RF teams. Own the vehicle-side datalink integration.
  • Integration & Validation: Own integration, prototyping, flight test support and qualification evidence, ensuring performance targets are met in real operating conditions.
  • System Reviews: Drive design and architecture reviews, maintaining consistency between requirements, design and testing.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

  • 5+ years in embedded systems, avionics or flight software engineering within defense, aerospace or robotics, including experience leading or coordinating engineers.
  • MSc in Electrical Engineering, Embedded Systems, Aerospace, Robotics or a closely related field. A track record of building will outweigh the degree.
  • At least one product taken from concept to production — flight controller, autopilot or comparable embedded control system — ideally one where unit cost was a hard design constraint.
  • Owner and generalist. You take the whole stack — electronics, firmware and GNC — rather than a slice of it.
  • Entrepreneurial, hands-on and comfortable a long way from headquarters. You design from first principles, take local decisions and defend them, and stay rigorous on anything touching the safety case.

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.

Application questions