Drone System Reliability Technician and Pilot

Job description

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 Drone System Validation Technician and Pilot, you will be at the front line of our quality, safety, and reliability efforts. Your primary mission is to ensure that our defense-grade products meet rigorous operational standards before they are cleared for active duty. Working within a dedicated flight testing team, you will manage, prepare, and operate fleets of newly assembled drones or related product during intensive field validation campaigns. By logging massive operating hours, you will actively hunt for rare, hard-to-replicate system bugs and edge-case anomalies. We are looking for operators who combine rigorous testing discipline with the hands-on piloting expertise required to accurately assess and validate nominal drone behavior in flight. Your technical feedback will directly enable our engineering teams to secure and polish our next-generation defense systems. RESPONSIBILITIES - Intensive Flight Testing: Conduct high-volume flight testing of newly assembled interceptors to log hours, validate systems, and actively hunt for rare, intermittent flight anomalies. - Aviation Performance Assessment: Manually operate, stress-test, and critically evaluate the flight dynamics of various platforms (multirotors, fixed-wing, flying wings, and RC planes) to ensure they handle exactly as designed. - Field Deployment: Lead and execute demanding on-site flight missions, sometimes lasting several weeks, under diverse weather and environmental conditions. - Mission Safety & Logs: Rigorously follow test checklists, maintain safety protocols during high-throughput flight operations, and accurately report flight observations to the engineering, production and industrialisation teams. CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS - Good RC/UAV Piloting Skills: You have extensive hands-on experience piloting RC planes, flying wings, or multirotor UAVs. Manual piloting dexterity and a deep instinct for flight mechanics are the absolute priorities for this role. - Rigor & Endurance: Strong discipline to run repetitive, structured test cycles with consistent attention to detail and unwavering focus on safety. - Adaptable Mindset: You thrive in fast-paced, lean startup environments where initiative, quick decision-making, and teamwork are valued over rigid hierarchy. - Field-Ready & Mobile: You possess a valid driver’s license (Permis B) and are ready to drive team vehicles, transport flight gear/drones. You are looking for a highly active, hands-on role where you will be out in the field on a daily basis, all year round. - Technical background: Any technical degree or professional experience in electronics, RC modeling, mechanics, or aeronautics is a great plus, but passionate self-taught pilots are highly encouraged to apply. - Basic Technical English: Capable of understanding technical guidelines and writing flight reports in English. NICE-TO-HAVE - Certifications & FPV: Official drone pilot certifications, instructor ratings, or solid FPV (First Person View) racing/freestyle experience. - Military or Field Background: Past experience in specialized military units or demanding field-oriented professions. - Basic data/technical literacy: a basic grasp of autopilot systems, telemetry or flight-log reading, to help bridge the field and R&D. This is what turns an operator into a genuine validator, and is worth probing even if not required. We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.