As Head of AI at Swarmer, you will own the AI roadmap and execution across autonomy, perception, and data systems. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will consolidate AI/ML efforts, align initiatives with product and combat priorities, and build strong operating processes. This is a hands-on managerial role requiring technical depth and execution discipline to deliver field-ready outcomes in defense technology.

Responsibilities

Own the AI roadmap and execution rhythm across Swarmer’s autonomy, perception, and data stack (LMT, ATR, VISNAV).
Consolidate AI/ML efforts into one coherent roadmap with clear owners, priorities, and delivery accountability.
Align AI initiatives with product roadmap, combat-ops priorities, and field constraints.
Build strong operating processes for planning, prioritization, ownership, quality, metrics, and quarterly delivery.
Prioritize ruthlessly: say no, defend focus, surface conflicts, and stop work that should not continue.
Architect and integrate the data function into the broader AI organization.
Improve team speed through tooling, automation, AI-assisted workflows, and hands-on contribution where needed.
Make high-level technical decisions and supervise the architectural choices of senior leads (CV, robotics, autonomy, integration)

Requirements

5+ years in a managerial role leading technical teams.
Proven experience leading AI/ML, computer vision, perception, or autonomy teams.
Strong people management skills: hiring, team structure, accountability, performance management, and leadership of senior ICs.
Hands-on technical background in AI/ML, computer vision, robotics, autonomy, or related fields.
Ability to supervise technical decisions and challenge senior engineers without needing to act as the CTO.
Strong execution discipline, speed over perfectionism, and comfort being judged on shipped outcomes.
Real power-user experience with AI engineering tools such as Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, or similar and the conviction that the entire engineering team should be using them daily.
Solid fundamentals in math and physics — comfortable reasoning about the physical world (wind, ballistics, sensor behavior, drone dynamics) before defaulting to "let's train a model." Candidates who only know ML as an applied toolkit without underlying intuition are not a fit.
Experience deploying models at the edge / on embedded platforms (e.g., Jetson, Qualcomm) — not only in the cloud.
Upper-Intermediate level of English or higher

Nice to have

Experience with ATR, object recognition, perception systems, or autonomous systems at depth.
Experience with embedded AI, edge deployment, or resource-constrained environments.
Hardware-software integration experience.
Defense, aerospace, drones, robotics, or operational technology experience.
Experience rebuilding or scaling a data team and working directly with founders or CEOs.

Benefits

A chance to shape the core autonomy and perception systems at the heart of Ukraine’s defense tech ecosystem and its international expansion
Direct impact in a high-stakes industry where security decisions carry real-world consequences
Professional growth through working with cutting-edge defense technologies and exposure to international security best practices
Competitive salary, benefits package (insurance, paid sick leaves, 20 paid days off per year)
Benefits of the defense sector (reservation, etc)