Software Engineer - Validation

Harmattan AI

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 our GNC, ML, Embedded Software, and Validation teams scale, Harmattan AI requires dedicated internal software infrastructure to accelerate development and testing. Joining the Tooling team you will be responsible for developing a "state-of-the-art" drone simulator to support our advanced autonomous defence applications. This role offers high ownership and the opportunity to work at the intersection of software engineering, simulation, and AI robotics with direct mission impact.   RESPONSIBILITIES * Simulator Development: Design, develop, and maintain flight-simulation-related tools and features. * Architectural Design: Define technical solutions, including architecture, APIs, and UIs, to respond to specific project needs. * Performance Optimisation: Analyze simulator performance across various aspects and implement necessary improvements. * Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with GNC, ML, and Embedded teams to establish specifications for new features and ensure the tool meets user needs. * Documentation & Standards: Write clear documentation and tutorials, and eventually mentor junior developers to standardise best practices.   CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS * Experience: Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in software engineering. * Technical Proficiency: Strong software skills in C++ and Python, with a good knowledge of Linux system internals. * Domain Expertise: Significant experience with drones or robotic systems, including practical understanding of embedded software (GNC, gimbal, video) and open-source autopilots like PX4 or Ardupilot. * Simulation & Graphics: Experience in development with game engines (Unreal Engine preferred) or contributing to 3D video game engines (physics or visual realism). * Educational Background: MSc or BSc in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a similar technical field; equivalent professional experience is equally valued.   * Leadership & Mindset: * User Empathy: Ability to balance user feedback with technical vision to build effective R&D tools. * Problem Solving: Proven capacity to handle complex projects, from scoping and prioritising to delivering results under evolving requirements. * Commitment: 100% dedication to Harmattan AI’s mission and a "no-task-is-too-small" mentality in a fast-paced environment. We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.

Harmattan AI

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 Harmattan AI develops advanced autonomous drone systems and payloads for defense applications, our engineering teams are scaling rapidly. To support this growth, our internal Tooling team needs a dedicated Software Engineer - Visualization to build the software infrastructure that accelerates development, testing, and validation. In this role, you will design and deliver the critical internal tools that allow our Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), Machine Learning (ML), Embedded Software, and Validation teams to see, explore, and make sense of massive datasets—including telemetry, sensor data, simulation outputs, flight paths, and complex 3D scenes. You will have high ownership and direct mission impact, building infrastructure used daily across all technical teams. RESPONSIBILITIES * Design & Development: Design, develop, and maintain high-performance visualization tools, telemetry dashboards, data plotting software, and 3D scene viewers from scratch. * Architecture & API Design: Define clean, sustainable solutions (architecture, internal APIs, and intuitive user interfaces) responding to specific technical needs from engineering teams. * Pipeline Integration: Ensure all custom visualization tools integrate seamlessly into the company's automated CI/CD and data processing pipelines. * Performance Optimization: Analyze and continuously optimize the performance, rendering, and responsiveness of visualization tools handling real-world data at scale. * Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner directly with user teams (GNC, ML, Embedded, Validation) to translate operational feedback and field requirements into technical specifications. * Quality Assurance: Write clean, robust code, contribute to tests, improve automated quality evaluations, and document workflows via tutorials. * Technical Standards: Set technical standards for internal software tools and mentor junior developers as the organization scales. CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES & EXPERIENCE * Professional Experience: Minimum of 3 years of professional software engineering experience, ideally with a background in robotics, aerospace, or building specialized data visualization platforms. * Core Languages: Strong, production-grade software development skills in C++ and Python. * UI Frameworks: Solid experience building desktop user interfaces or visualization graphics using the Qt framework. * Graphics & Visualization: Proven experience creating data or 3D visualization tools, custom charting libraries, dashboards, or 3D scene renderers. * Development Environment: Complete comfort in a Linux development environment combined with cross-platform build knowledge using containerization tools like Docker. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS (NICE TO HAVE) * Practical experience building applications or software libraries that interface directly with drones, autonomous payloads, or robotic architectures. * A baseline understanding of a drone's embedded software stacks (e.g., GNC logic loops, gimbal control, video streams, or embedded hardware). * Familiarity with CI/CD automation and orchestration tools. EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND * Ideally an MSc or BSc in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a similar technical field. Equivalent professional engineering experience is equally valued. LEADERSHIP & PROFESSIONAL ATTRIBUTES * Complex Project Management: Avid learner with a demonstrated capacity to handle large-scale, complex projects from initial scoping and prioritization through rapid, iterative deployments—offering innovative solutions and leading teams to deliver outstanding results. * User Empathy & Design Sensitivity: Empathetic to the pain points of internal user teams; sensitive to software design, ergonomic efficiency, and clean UX. * Adaptability & Mobility: Thrives under pressure in a fast-paced, highly dynamic environment; displays strong curiosity and a healthy “no-task-is-too-small” mentality to maintain continuous deployment workflows. * Communication & Influence: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of leading and collaborating with diverse principals—from junior team members to senior executives and group leaders. * Commitment: 100% dedication to Harmattan AI’s mission, vision, and ambitious growth plans, ready to go the extra mile to ensure operational excellence. We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.

Harmattan AI

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 Software Engineer within the Ground Control Systems (GCS) team, you will play a central role in developing Harmattan AI’s new range of drone controllers — high-performance, Android-based control stations designed for professional UAV operations. You will adapt and extend the open-source QGroundControl platform (C++/Qt) to integrate seamlessly with our proprietary hardware, adding new features and ensuring reliability, performance, and scalability across missions. RESPONSIBILITIES * App Development: Design, develop, and optimize our QGroundControl-based application using C++ and Qt. * Hardware Integration: Adapt the app interface with physical controls (joysticks, buttons, switches, touchscreen) for a cohesive operator experience. * Feature Implementation: Translate user needs and mission requirements into new functionalities and UX/UI improvements. * Platform Maintenance: Port and maintain the app across Android versions, ensuring performance, compatibility, and security. * Deployment: Manage app updates and releases across our device fleet. * Collaboration: Work closely with embedded and electronics teams to ensure smooth hardware/software integration and with QA for field validation. CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS * Master’s degree in Software Engineering or related field. * 3+ years of experience in software development: C++ and Qt for desktop or embedded applications. * Experience with Android development (Java or C++/NDK). * Familiarity with UX/UI design principles and cross-platform app optimization. * Experience in robotics or drones environments is a strong plus. * Knowledge of MAVLink, PX4, or ground control systems is an advantage. * English proficiency (reading and writing technical documentation). * Versatile, autonomous, and eager to learn in a fast-evolving technical environment. LOCATION AND COMMITMENTS * Contract Type: Permanent contract (CDI) * Work Schedule: Full-time * Availability: ASAP * Location: Paris We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.