Mission Planning Engineer - Guidance
About Us
At Harmattan AI, we are a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Driven by rigorous engineering developments of new defense products based on recent robotics and AI developments, we are on a steep growth trajectory. If you are interested in a career in a highly technical environment, thrive on pushing boundaries, and want to achieve ambitious goals, we would love to hear from you.
About the Role
As Mission Planning Engineer, you will design and implement the algorithms that form the core of Harmattan’s mission planning engine. You’ll develop routing, guidance, and navigation capabilities that operators can rely on, even when the environment is uncertain or adversarial.
Responsibilities
Algorithm Design & Implementation
Develop mission-planning, routing, and path-optimization algorithms.
Implement visual navigation and map-preloading for GPS-denied or spoofed conditions.
Integrate algorithms into backend and simulation frameworks for real-time use.
Simulation & Validation
Build and run simulations to validate algorithm robustness under contested scenarios.
Design stress-testing methodologies and performance metrics for field validation.
Cross-Functional Work
Collaborate with UX and Product to ensure outputs are interpretable, usable, and operationally meaningful.
Work closely with backend teams to ensure scalability and low-latency integration.
Candidate Requirements
Education: M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Applied Math, or related.
Experience: 5–10 years designing mission-planning or navigation algorithms (defense, aerospace, robotics).
Technical Skills: Expertise in GNC (Guidance, Navigation & Control), visual navigation, SLAM, and Python/C++/MATLAB.
Mindset: Research-to-deployment mindset, system thinker, operator-focused.
Clearance: Eligible for U.S. DoD Security Clearance.
Commitment: 100% dedication to Harmattan AI’s mission, vision, and ambitious growth plans, ready to go the extra mile to ensure operational excellence.
Location and Commitments
Contract Type: Full-time / Permanent
Work Schedule: Washington DC (on-site preferred)
Compensation: $165K-$190K + equity + benefits
Start Date: November 2025
We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.
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