Electrical Engineer (Ground Control System)

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. Overview Harmattan AI is developing new hardware products within the GCS module, including ruggedised drone controllers and long-range RF systems designed for demanding field environments. These products require dedicated electronics design with complex architecture in a constrained environment – PCBs integrating RF modules, microcontrollers, power management, and communication interfaces – optimised for cost at volume. The GCS team is seeking a dedicated hardware engineer to own electronics design end-to-end and accelerate the path to production milestones. Ideal candidate A senior hardware engineer who has designed and shipped complex PCBs, ideally mixing digital and power, into production. They are rigorous on schematics, layout, and bring-up, and have a strong instinct for cost and manufacturability. They are comfortable working autonomously in a small team and can bridge hardware and firmware. Skills required - PCB schematic and layout design (Altium Designer preferred) - RF PCB design: controlled impedance, antenna matching, EMC management - Mixed-signal design: power management, MCU interfaces, communication buses (SPI, I2C, UART, USB, CAN) - Hardware bring-up and debug: bench equipment proficiency - DFM/DFA for PCB manufacturing and assembly - Component selection and BOM management Responsibilities: - Schematic Design - Design complete schematics for mixed-signal and RF boards, from power to digital and RF sections. - PCB Layout & Routing - Perform or lead board placement and routing with attention to signal integrity, EMC, and RF constraints (6-8 layer layout, controlled impedance, ground planes, and RF traces). - Component Selection & BOM Optimisation – Select components with cost, availability, and reliability in mind; drive BOM cost reduction for mass production volumes. - Hardware Bring-up & Debug - Lead board bring-up and debug issues with oscilloscopes, spectrum analysers, and other bench equipment; write bring-up scripts when needed. - EMC & RF Compliance - Address EMC challenges; ensure signal integrity across the board and correct RF performance (antenna impedance matching and power levels). - Collaboration with Embedded SW - Work closely with the embedded software engineer to define hardware/software interfaces; support firmware bring-up. - Collaboration with Mechanical - Ensure seamless PCB integration into mechanical enclosures (connectors, mounting, thermal, shielding). - Supplier & Manufacturing Ramp-up - Qualify PCB manufacturers and assembly houses; support DFM/DFA review for production; manage NPI transitions. - Documentation - Maintain schematics, layout files, test procedures, and hardware specifications. We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.