Senior Certifications Officer

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 we rapidly expand our engineering teams, we are simultaneously driving our hardware portfolio toward critical deployment and mission-ready status. As the primary stakeholder for civil product compliance, you will maintain total ownership over the certification of our entire hardware stack. This high-impact position demands a hands-on approach and deep cross-functional collaboration to ensure commercial success. You will spearhead end-to-end certification initiatives across EU, US, UK and Canadian markets, partnering with RF, engineering and testing teams in Paris and Lausanne. Responsibilities - Own the compliance and certification roadmap Determine which directives, standards and authorities apply per product variant and per target market. Maintain a live roadmap back-calculated from delivery milestones and keep it current as the portfolio evolves. - Run test campaigns end-to-end Define test scopes, book and manage accredited laboratories, review setups on-site, and interpret emission and RF test results. Cover CE marking (RED, LVD, EMC), FCC, UKCA, IC ISED, RoHS/REACH and UN 38.3 battery transport requirements. Where a product fails, diagnose the cause and drive engineering to implement the necessary fix. - Build and maintain technical documentation Author technical files, test evidence packages and declarations of conformity. Establish a documentation framework that scales with the product portfolio and holds up to regulatory audit. - Embed compliance into engineering workflows Attend design reviews to catch regulatory issues early. Work daily with mechanical, electronics and RF engineering teams - serving as the go-to compliance authority across the organisation, not a gatekeeper at the end of the process. - Maintain ongoing regulatory compliance Run change-impact assessments as designs evolve. Manage relationships with notified bodies and regulatory agencies. Keep surveillance processes robust across the entire hardware lifecycle. Candidate Requirements - 5+ years in product compliance and certification at a hardware company, with at least two to three full product lifecycle completions from initial scoping through to declaration of conformity. - Solid knowledge of FCC and CE marking requirements, with hands-on experience managing radio frequency emission testing and interpreting results. - Experience with the Radio Equipment Directive (RED), EMC Directive and Low Voltage Directive and their harmonised standards. - Proven track record managing accredited laboratories and notified body relationships directly. - Project management mindset: able to track multiple parallel workstreams, anticipate where each will land and prevent issues before they become blockers. - Fluent in English (written and spoken). Nice to have: - Electrical engineering background. - Experience with UKCA, IC ISED, RoHS/REACH or UN 38.3 battery transport certification - Background in UAS, drone hardware, aerospace or defense programmes. - Defense airworthiness exposure (EMAR, STANAG) - room to grow as the roadmap develops. We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.