Operational Excellence Associate
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 an Operational Excellence Associate, you will structure, formalize, and expand Harmattan AI’s internal systems through a rigorous, data-centric approach.
Your mission is to elevate the company to a superior level of operational maturity by:
Designing robust blueprints for internal workflows.
Establishing quantitative performance metrics to track success.
Supporting ISO certifications and regulatory standards.
Spearheading continuous improvement initiatives based on measurable impact.
In this high-impact role, you will act as the "connective tissue" between Engineering, Manufacturing, and Leadership. You won’t just enforce processes; you will architect the high-maturity engine that enables Harmattan AI to grow. This is an ideal position for a cross-functional strategist who thrives on building rigor within a fast-paced, industrial environment.
Responsibilities
Operational Excellence, Coordination & Continuous Improvement
Analyse, challenge, and optimise existing operational processes using fact-based and quantitative approaches.
Anticipate scaling & operational risks and regulatory hurdles, designing proactive remediation strategies to stay ahead of company growth.
Proactively manage risks and trade-offs, providing leadership with data-backed recommendations to resolve misalignments and accelerate decision-making.
Data, Performance Tracking & Decision Support
Define, structure, own KPIs and operational metrics aligned with company objectives.
Conduct deep-dive analyses to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
Translate operational data into clear insights and decision-support recommendations.
Operational Tooling & Automation
Identify process bottlenecks and partner with Engineering to design, build, and deploy high-impact solutions, ranging from AI agents and APIs to seamless ERP integrations to automate our processes.
Translate operational needs into precise data specifications, ensuring all tools are built for scale while maintaining "gold standard" ISO traceability and compliance.
ISO Certifications & Structured Management Systems
Partner with cross-functional teams (Cyber, Quality, Manufacturing) to design and deploy the controls required to achieve and sustain ISO certifications.
Lead gap analyses and evidence-based internal audits to ensure our processes remain lean, compliant, and ready for regulatory scrutiny.
Requirements
Master’s degree preferred in Finance, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field. 2-5 years of professional experience in management consulting or similarly demanding, analytics-driven environments.
Proven exposure to operational excellence, process improvement, strategy, operations, or performance-focused roles, with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
Excellent written and verbal communication in English, fluency in French is a very strong asset. Capable of leading diverse principals, able to operate seamlessly between technicians, engineers, contractors, and leadership
Strong quantitative and analytical mindset, with demonstrated ability to work with data to drive decisions.
Proven experience building or using KPIs, dashboards, reporting, or analytical tools.
Ability to structure ambiguous problems and translate complexity into clear analyses, metrics, and documentation.
Comfortable working autonomously in a fast-growing, high-expectation, and technical environment.
We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.