Who we are

Helsing is a defence AI company. Our mission is to protect our democracies. We aim to achieve technological leadership, so that open societies can continue to make sovereign decisions and control their ethical standards. 

As democracies, we believe we have a special responsibility to be thoughtful about the development and deployment of powerful technologies like AI. We take this responsibility seriously. 

We are an ambitious and committed team of engineers, AI specialists and customer-facing programme managers. We are looking for mission-driven people to join our European teams – and apply their skills to solve the most complex and impactful problems. We embrace an open and transparent culture that welcomes healthy debates on the use of technology in defence, its benefits, and its ethical implications. 

The role

We are looking for a Systems Engineer with exceptional knowledge and execution drive. Reporting directly to Chief Engineering, you are responsible for the design and implementation of all aspects of systems engineering in one of Helsing's flagship programmes in the aerospace domain.

Working closely with the delivery teams at the intersection between technical and commercial delivery within Helsing requires strategic oversight, while maintaining tight control over the day-to-day project work. In this role, you are responsible for the on-time/quality/cost delivery of all systems engineering activities. This includes the definition and implementation of all system engineering processes, and the fulfilment of all quality and configuration management process requirements.

You will have the opportunity to expand the scope of your responsibility across all programmes at Helsing. You will shape and build the systems engineering organisation based on Helsing's current and future needs. This includes the strategic ramp-up of all required domain-specific systems engineering competencies, both by hiring leading-edge system engineers and by developing experts internally through training and coaching.

The day-to-day

No two days as a Systems Engineer at Helsing are the same and you may find yourself doing any (or all!) of the below on a day-to-day basis: 

• Executing all aspects of system engineering, incl. definition of system requirements and development of system design by leading from the front
• Responsible for overall system integration, verification, validation – and for qualification and certification (as far as required)
• Ensuring that all quality and configuration management process requirements are fulfilled at any time
• Supporting the definition of product roadmaps in collaboration with product and engineering teams
• Defining ways-of-working (eg, processes, interfaces, governance, roles) between systems engineering and Helsing's product and programme teams
• Supporting marketing and business development in customer meetings and campaigns
• Designing and building the system engineering organisation based on current and future business needs

You should apply if you

• Have a proven track record (minimum 7 years' experience) as Systems Engineer in the aerospace industry
• Experience in the management of large scale defence or aerospace programmes 
• Have a university degree (or equivalent experience) in any subject relevant to these sectors, including but not limited to Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering  
• Are business fluent in German and English 
• Are a high performer who thrives in a fast-paced environment   
• Are collaborative, humble, and a problem-solver  
• Are ready to meet all necessary measures and requirements that are required to receive a security clearance according to the respective national laws  

Note: The above bullet points describe the ideal candidate. None of us matched all of these at once when we first joined Helsing. We encourage you to apply even if you believe you meet only part of our wish list.

Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields 

• Helsing’s work is important. You’ll be directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns. 

• The work is unique. We operate in a domain that has highly unusual technical requirements and constraints, and where robustness, safety, and ethical considerations are vital. You will face unique Engineering and AI challenges that make a meaningful impact in the world. 

• Our work frequently takes us right up to the state of the art in technical innovation, be it reinforcement learning, distributed systems, generative AI, or deployment infrastructure. The defence industry is entering the most exciting phase of the technological development curve. Advances in our field of world are not incremental: Helsing is part of, and often leading, historic leaps forward. 

• In our domain, success is a matter of order-of-magnitude improvements and novel capabilities. This means we take bets, aim high, and focus on big opportunities. Despite being a relatively young company, Helsing has already been selected for multiple significant government contracts.  

• We actively encourage healthy, proactive, and diverse debate internally about what we do and how we choose to do it. Teams and individual engineers are trusted (and encouraged) to practise responsible autonomy and critical thinking, and to focus on outcomes, not conformity. At Helsing you will have a say in how we (and you!) work, the opportunity to engage on what does and doesn’t work, and to take ownership of aspects of our culture that you care deeply about. 

What we offer

• A focus on outcomes, not time-tracking

• Competitive compensation and stock options

• Relocation support

• Social and education allowances

• Regular company events and all-hands to bring together employees as one team across Europe