Mission Planning Engineer (Guidance, Navigation, Control)

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 a Mission Planning Engineer, you’ll design and implement the Guidance, Navigation, and Control algorithms that translate high-level mission goals into actionable guidance for autonomous robots and multi-agent systems. You’ll bridge cutting-edge research and field-ready autonomy, ensuring our systems are both intelligent and predictable in live operations.

Responsibilities

• Design algorithms that decompose high-level missions into structured, solvable guidance tasks for autonomous robots.

• Develop and optimize mission and path-planning frameworks for autonomous systems.

• Build scalable backend integrations for mission guidance and execution.

• Run simulations and validation campaigns to assess autonomy consistency across diverse mission types.

• Partner with AI/ML, backend, and product teams to ensure algorithms are efficient, testable, and deployable in real-time environment

Candidate Requirements

• Education: Ph.D. or M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Applied Math, AI, or related field.

• Experience: Proven experience designing and deploying mission- or path-planning algorithms in aerospace, defense, or robotics.

• Technical Skills: Strong coding in Python and C++ (or MATLAB for prototyping). Deep understanding of autonomous decision-making, multi-agent coordination, and simulation frameworks.

• Mindset: Ability to move from research prototype to production-grade system

• 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: DMV area (D.C. / Maryland / Virginia) / On-site

• 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.