Head of FP&A

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

Finance at Helsing is built from first principles. There are no legacy systems, no inherited processes, and no established playbooks. As our Head of FP&A, you will be a critical senior finance leader shaping the function from the ground up. You will design the global planning infrastructure, the reporting architecture, the capital model, and the financial narrative that will steer Helsing through its next multi-billion-dollar phases of growth.

Working as a strategic financial partner to the CEO, CFO, and Executive Committee, you will produce the models that drive capital allocation decisions across both software and advanced manufacturing domains. You will operate at the intersection of high-growth tech finance and defense-contract economics, modeling and balancing cost-plus, time & materials, fixed-price, and government milestone billing. You will translate complex operational realities into a cohesive financial narrative for a Board that includes some of the world's most sophisticated technology and growth investors.

The day-to-day

Financial Planning, Forecasting & Manufacturing Scale-Up:

• Own the global budget, multi-year strategic plans, and rolling forecast cycles, fully integrated across P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, and capital plans

• Model financial outcomes for Helsing’s advanced manufacturing footprints (e.g., "Resilience Factories" across Europe and the US), assessing factory ramp-up costs, supply chain/inventory dynamics, and capital expenditure vs. operating expenditure trade-offs

• Design pricing, revenue recognition, and margin models that accommodate various defense contract types (fixed-price incentive, cost-plus-fixed-fee, milestone-based government billing) under relevant local standards (e.g., German MoD/UK MoD/US GAAP regulations)

• Build robust scenario analyses (bull/base/bear) that stress-test revenue, manufacturing output, supply chain resilience, contract win-rates, and geopolitical/procurement variables

• Lead monthly financial review cycles, delivering clear variance analysis (material cost, labor, overheads) and commercial insight against budgets and forecasts

• Experience working closely with a CFO/executive team through a major corporate event, such as a large capital markets transaction, IPO preparation, or substantial growth-funding round

Capital Allocation & Strategic Finance:

• Build and own the capital allocation framework, evaluating ROI and business cases for new hardware programs, R&D initiatives, factory expansions, and potential M&A targets

• Support the CFO in optimizing massive working capital requirements tied to long-term government payment cycles and milestone-based defense contracts

• Assist in evaluating diverse financing structures, debt covenant modeling, and government or subsidized financing opportunities (e.g., European Investment Bank, national export credit agencies, and defense industrial funds)

Systems, Data & AI-First Finance:

• Lead the selection, design, and implementation of Helsing’s global FP&A platform, connecting it seamlessly with manufacturing ERPs and business intelligence tools

• Spearhead an AI-first approach to corporate finance, deploying AI agents and forecasting models to automate variance commentary and board reporting, moving the team from manual reporting to proactive analytical depth

You should apply if you

• Proven strong experience in FP&A, Strategic Finance, or Corporate Finance, with a clear track record of progressive leadership in high-growth, venture-backed, or recently listed technology/industrial environments

• Proven track record of blending high-level strategic planning with a hands-on approach to monthly reporting, variance analysis

• Proven ability to build an FP&A or corporate finance function from scratch without inherited playbooks or tools, scaling the infrastructure to support highly complex business models. Add implementing system and tools to manage FP&A area

• Direct experience managing financial planning for physical manufacturing (ideally in aerospace, defense, deep tech, or automotive) coupled with complex government contracts (cost-plus, fixed-price, milestone billing)

• A strong passion for modern technology, automation, and data structures. You leverage advanced tooling and AI to drive insights rather than relying on manual spreadsheets

• Outstanding Communication: The ability to distill complex operational, supply-chain, and defense-contract economics into a clear strategic narrative for the C-suite and Board

• A professional qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA), MBA, or CFA is highly desirable

• Familiarity with European defense procurement frameworks (e.g., German Bundeswehr, UK MoD) and related compliance, audit, and cost-reporting requirements

• Working proficiency in German & English

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

• 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.