Director of Engineering – UAS

About the role

As Director of Engineering – UAS at Harmattan AI, you will bridge R&D modules and senior leadership, driving engineering excellence across our unmanned aerial systems programmes in Lausanne and Paris. The role is focused on people management, process standardisation, and building the infrastructure that enables rapid prototyping and test campaigns.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and mentor engineering teams across aerodynamics, mechanical design, electronics, propulsion, prototyping and Systems‑on‑Module.
• Own the recruitment pipeline for six hardware disciplines across two sites.
• Develop and enforce standardised work processes for mechanical, electrical and propulsion engineering.
• Audit, select and improve internal tooling, balancing off‑the‑shelf and custom solutions.
• Contribute to organisational structure and cross‑functional delivery optimisation.
• Partner with senior leadership to shape long‑term technical vision and strategy.

Required profile

• Strong academic background in Mechanical, Aerospace or Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• Proven track record transitioning from individual contributor to engineering manager.
• Experience leading multi‑disciplinary hardware teams of 30+ engineers.
• Demonstrated ability to drive recruitment, mentorship and performance management.

Required skills

• Mechanical engineering
• Aerospace engineering
• Electrical engineering
• Aerodynamics
• Mechanical design
• Electronics
• Propulsion systems
• Prototyping
• Systems‑on‑Module (SOM)