Lead Systems Engineer - EO/IR Sensing

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

As the Lead System Engineer for EO/IR Sensing, you will own the complete end-to-end integration of the airborne electro-optical/infrared targeting system, from initial requirements definition through to flight test and operational release. Your primary focus will be to translate mission needs into specific performance requirements for detection, tracking, and identification, whilst defining the sensor's concept of operations and algorithm integration. A critical part of your role is to manage the technical supplier interface, lead the verification and test campaign, and ensure seamless data integration with the core mission system to deliver a fully qualified capability.

The day-to-day

• Own day-to-day system engineering and integration of the airborne EO/IR targeting system from requirements through flight test and operational release.

• Translate mission needs into EORTS performance requirements: detection/recognition/identification ranges, FOV/zoom, stabilization/line-of-sight jitter, tracking accuracy, latency, and environmental limits.

• Define and maintain sensor mode set and CONOPS (wide-area search, cueing, target track, ID, geo-pointing, post-strike assessment), including mission-phase behavior and sensor scheduling.

• Lead target detection, tracking, and classification pipeline integration: algorithm selection, data labeling strategy, confidence metrics, and thresholds tuned for operational false-alarm tolerance.

• Ensure robust multi-sensor cueing with other sensors.

• Manage data interfaces/ICDs to mission computer and C2: video formats/encoding, metadata, track outputs, cues, recorder/telemetry needs, and health/BIT reporting.

• Plan and execute verification & test with a special focus on installed senor performance.

• Coordinate with software/avionics teams on data interfaces.

• Manage supplier technical control: review specs, acceptance tests, algorithm releases, and change requests; track issues to closure with objective evidence.

• Define and maintain interfaces/ICDs to avionics and mission systems.

• Produce program artifacts: requirements, verification matrices, test plans, performance reports, and flight readiness inputs.

You should apply if you

• Hold a relevant degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.

• Have experience in delivering EO/IR targeting systems (gimbals/EOTS/EORTS/ISR pods) through integration, test, and operational release.

• Can translate mission scenarios into DRI requirements (detection/recognition/identification ranges), plus stabilization/LOS jitter, tracking accuracy, latency, and environmental constraints.

• Have hands-on experience with sensor mode design/CONOPS (search, cueing, track, ID, geo-pointing, BDA) and sensor scheduling across mission phases.

• Have integrated detection/tracking/classification pipelines, including thresholding/false-alarm control and confidence metrics (ML-based ATR experience is a plus).

• Understand multi-sensor cueing and track association (radar/ESM to EO/IR handover, metadata alignment, confidence management).

• Have led verification & test (lab/HIL, ground range, flight test support) and can debug issues from imagery to algorithms to avionics/software.

• Can manage supplier technical control: review evidence, control configuration, and drive issues to objective closure.

Note: We operate in an industry where women, as well as other minority groups, are systematically under-represented. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the listed qualifications; ability and impact cannot be summarised in a few bullet points.

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

 

Helsing is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. Please do not submit personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning your health, or data concerning your sexual orientation.

  Helsing's Candidate Privacy and Confidentiality Regime can be found here.