Director of Engineering – UAS Development

About the role

Harmattan AI is building sovereign, autonomous defense systems and is looking for a Director of Engineering to launch a new UAS Development organisation in Rabat, Morocco. This founding role will shape the engineering team from the ground up and drive the full product lifecycle from concept through series production.

Key responsibilities

• Stand up and staff the engineering group, reaching full capability quickly while maintaining high standards.
• Manage a fixed‑milestone programme calendar, aligning delivery cadence with contractual dates.
• Own the complete technical chain – airframe, propulsion, avionics, launcher, ground segment, flight testing and trials.
• Lead and mentor managers, conduct design and programme reviews across five disciplines, and build a senior leadership layer.
• Develop the local supplier ecosystem and oversee entity operations during the first year.
• Interface directly with the General Manager, Chief Engineer, programme management, group CTOs and the customer, owning evidence and milestone relationships end‑to‑end.

Required profile

• MSc in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical Engineering or a closely related field; a proven track record of building organisations is highly valued.
• 10+ years of engineering experience, including at least 4 years in engineering management.
• Demonstrated ability to move from individual contributor to managing managers, with at least four direct reports who themselves are leads.
• Experience standing up new engineering teams or programmes, preferably in aerospace or defense.

Required skills

• Airframe engineering
• Propulsion systems engineering
• Avionics engineering
• Launcher systems integration
• Ground‑segment engineering
• Flight test operations
• Systems engineering for unmanned aerial systems

What we offer

• Opportunity to build a strategic engineering organisation from scratch.
• Direct exposure to senior leadership, CTOs and key defence customers.
• Competitive compensation package aligned with a fast‑growing, billion‑dollar valued company.