Chief Engineer
- Location
- Lausanne, Switzerland
- Work type
- On-site
- Job type
- Full-time
- Salary
- Not listed
- Clearance
- Not required
- U.S. citizenship
- Not stated
- Posted
- Jan 26, 2026
- Department
- R&D
About the role
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 a Chief Engineer, you will own the architecture, system definition and implementation of one of our robotic systems — from concept to field deployment. You will work hand-in-hand with project managers and technical leads to translate mission needs into system-level designs, coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams, and ensure overall system performance, robustness, and reliability.
Responsibilities
System Architecture: Transform system requirements into architectures solutions.
Technical Coordination: Lead cross-functional design across mechanical, electrical, software, GNC, and ML teams.
Trade-Off & Design Analysis: Conduct feasibility studies, trade-off analyses, and system-level simulations to guide technical choices.
Integration & Validation: Oversee system integration, prototyping, and validation, ensuring performance targets are achieved.
System Reviews: Drive design and architecture reviews, maintaining consistency between requirements, design, and testing.
Continuous Improvement: Implement processes to enhance requirements traceability, system documentation, and validation workflows.
Candidate Requirements
10+ years of experience in system engineering within robotics, aerospace, or defense sectors.
MSc in Engineering (any field); PhD is a plus.
Proven experience leading full system lifecycles (concept → prototype → validation).
Strong background in system architecture, requirements engineering, and trade-off analysis.
Broad engineering culture with understanding of mechanical, electrical, and embedded systems.
Experience coordinating multi-disciplinary teams and managing technical interfaces.
Rigorous, structured, and mission-driven mindset with strong analytical skills.
Excellent communication and documentation abilities.
Bonus: Experience with UAS or defense systems.
We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.