Artificial Intelligence

Director of Engineering - US Region

Austin, TXOnsiteFull TimeDirectorPosted 1 month ago

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Required skills

Director of Engineering
US Region
Series B
autonomous defense systems
engineering management
scaling engineering sites
hardware system
qualification
series production
UAV

Nice to have

Mechanical Engineering
Aerospace Engineering
Electrical Engineering
airframe
propulsion
avionics

Role summary

Harmattan AI, a defense technology company specializing in autonomous systems, is seeking a Director of Engineering for its US Region. Following a $200M Series B funding round, the company is expanding its capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems. The Director will build and lead the engineering organization from the ground up, owning the technical chain from development through production, and establishing a robust supplier ecosystem. This role requires extensive experience in engineering management, hardware system development, and organizational building, with a strong background in defense or robotics.

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 the Director of Engineering at Harmattan AI, you will build and lead an engineering organisation with various engineering modules from the ground up.

You will own the full technical chain, take the system through qualification and into series production, and build a supplier base and engineering ecosystem that sustains it.

Responsibilities

Organisation Building: Stand up the engineering group including hiring key engineering roles.
Project Management: Act as a project manager handling the delivery of key milestones.
Technical Ownership: Own the full technical chain across airframe, propulsion, avionics, launcher and ground segment, through to flight test and trials.
People Management & Mentorship: Manage managers while staying close to the engineering, run regular design reviews across multiple disciplines.
Supplier Ecosystem: Develop a supplier base.

Candidate Requirements

Educational Background: An MSc in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical or a strongly related engineering field. A track record of building organisations will outweigh the degree.
Proven Leadership: An engineer who moved into management and then into managing managers.
Experience: 10+ years, with at least 4 in engineering management. You have stood up or materially scaled an engineering site, including hiring at pace.
Track Record: You have taken a hardware system through qualification and into series production. Background in UAV, autonomous systems or advanced robotics.
Technical Engagement: While this is a leadership role, you remain credible across every discipline in the group without claiming depth in any, and you take written positions on the cross-module questions no one else will close.
Commitment: 100% dedication to Harmattan AI's mission of building autonomous defence systems

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

Ready to apply?

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