Export Control Manager

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 a Export Control Manager, you will hold a critical position in bridging the gap between regulatory compliance and operational execution. You will act as a high-agency professional, taking full ownership of our daily export control operations—including licensing, releases, screening, and the customs interface. Beyond day-to-day throughput, your work will directly enable our growth by driving the projects that make these operations scalable, such as system rollouts, process automation, and building licensing architectures for new programs and sites. This role requires a hands-on specialist who thrives on operational excellence, complementing our ITAR/EAR regulatory function by owning our process architecture. You will work directly with our Executive Export Control Officer (Ausfuhrverantwortlicher) and design the vital controls they rely on, while formal personal liability remains at the management level.

The day-to-day

• Operations — Driving Daily Execution

  • End-to-End BAFA Licensing: Manage individual, global, and general licenses (AGG) for exports, transfers, and tech data, including conditions and deadlines.

  • Transaction Releases: Clear shipments, services, and software releases (list checks, end-use/end-user verification, catch-all assessments).

  • Sanctions Screening: Execute and document EU, UN, OFAC, and UK list screenings, resolving hits and false positives.

  • ERP Master Data: Ensure export control classifications (AL-No., ECCN) in the ERP match the reality of our products.

  • Customs Interface: Align with logistics and brokers on ATLAS filings, proofs of origin, and Carnets.

  • Advisory & Documentation: Guide internal stakeholders (Sales, Engineering, Procurement) and maintain an audit-proof record of all compliance decisions.

• Projects — Scaling for Tomorrow

  • Program Export Concepts: Build licensing architectures for new programs, consortia, and sites right from the proposal phase.

  • System Rollouts & Automation: Drive the implementation and optimization of export control tools (e.g., SAP GTS, AEB, Descartes) to automate workflows.

  • ICP Evolution: Upgrade internal processes and control mechanisms to meet BAFA ICP requirements.

  • Audits & Metrics: Lead internal checks, support external/AEO audits, and establish hard KPIs (lead times, hit rates) over gut feeling.

  • Team Enablement: Design and roll out practical, target-group-specific compliance trainings.

You should apply if you

• Have deep operational expertise: You bring at least 5 years of hands-on experience in operational export control within an industrial, technology, or defense company—or in a comparably transaction-heavy role

• Drive outcomes through project leadership: You have a proven track record of independently leading projects—such as system rollouts, process digitization, or building export frameworks—while steering stakeholders across departments

• Are a BAFA & EU regulatory specialist: You confidently apply AWG/AWV, the EU Dual-Use Regulation (EU) 2021/821, national control lists (Ausfuhrliste), and EU sanctions law in your daily practice, and have extensive experience with BAFA licensing procedures including ELAN-K2

• Understand systems beyond the user interface: You have practical experience with ERP or export control software (e.g., SAP, SAP GTS, AEB) coupled with a strong grasp of underlying master data and screening logic

• Thrive under real time pressure: You maintain a structured, deadline-driven approach and autonomously prioritize when twenty release requests hit your desk at once

• Are a clear communicator: You navigate complex topics with professional fluency in both written and spoken German and English

• Can obtain security clearance: You are willing and eligible to undergo a national security clearance check (SÜG)

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.

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of ITAR/EAR and US (re-)export regulations—while deep regulatory expertise sits with the dedicated ITAR counterpart, the ability to spot red flags and know when to hand over is essential

• Practical knowledge of customs law, Union Customs Code (UCC) operations, and hands-on AEO experience

• Relevant certifications such as ECoP, Certified Export Control Specialist (Fachkraft Exportkontrolle IHK/DIHK), or comparable qualifications

• Strong affinity for data and tooling, with a preference for building reports and evaluations rather than sending a third reminder email

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

• Competitive salary and VSOP options

• Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation

• Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance

• Health & wellness: gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health)

• Social: regularly company events and monthly social allowances

• Enhanced parental leave: 22 weeks fully paid for primary caregivers & 6 weeks for secondary caregivers.

• Family support: 5 days of paid family emergency leave, 100% remote work option during pregnancy and phased return to work

These are the core benefits across all locations, there may be additional benefits in certain locations.

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.