Systems Engineer - Air

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

You will be part of a team that develops the world’s first AI-enabled electronic warfare capability for a 4+ generation fighter jet - from concept to maiden flight. As part of our chief engineering team, you will lead and guide the system engineering activities: from requirements negotiation and validation with the customer to final system qualification and certification with the authorities.

Your core challenge is to ensure together with our world-leading AI software team that the developed software meets customer requirements whilst exceeding customer expectations.

The day-to-day

As a member of the Chief Engineering team, your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Negotiate system requirements with our customer, derive high-level software requirements, and validate high-level software requirements in close collaboration with our software leads

• Update traceability of system requirements to all software development artefacts and establish clear technical product baselines in close cooperation with configuration management

• Conduct regular technical risks board meetings together with our software engineers. Jointly develop risk mitigation strategies and assess project impact

• Ensure proper planning of all technical deliverables (together with the project manager), monitor technical implementation progress and guide the team into successful delivery

• Lead the preparation of all technical documents, ensuring they meet compliance and certification standards. Authorize documents before delivery to customer

• Lead the final software product qualification and certification activities with both customer and authorities

• Work closely with our quality assurance team to ensure that all technical deliverables adhere to established quality standards. Address any issues promptly to maintain project integrity

• Provide regular updates on project status and technical changes to Chief Engineering and Programme Management, ensuring all stakeholders are informed of significant developments

You should apply if you

• Led already a 10+ system engineering team for avionics or electronic warfare system development from conceptual development to first flight

• Built already at least 2 software-intensive avionics or electronic warfare systems that are in-service today

• Have already developed embedded software for an avionics or electronic warfare system in accordance with DO-178C from requirements to software verification

• Established successfully a relationship with at least one civil or military aviation authority and participated in at least two panel meetings or Stage of Involvement (SOI)

• Hold a degree in aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, physics, computer science, or other engineering studies that give you a good, deep technical understanding of complex topics

• Have excellent communication skills and the ability to report and present working results clearly and efficiently both internally and externally

• Are passionate about working in a team and being able to coordinate the team and guide them towards aerospace standards.

Note: We operate at an intersection 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

#LI-DNI

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.