(Senior) Programme Manager - Military Exercises

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 (Senior) Programme Manager (Air) - Military Exercises, you will sit at the intersection of Chief Engineering, Flight Test, Product and Programme, co-ordinating how we take part in military exercises. Your first focus is a major multinational air exercise, which you will own from first registration to final debrief. You will translate exercise requirements into engineering and product decisions, align partners inside and outside Helsing, and act as the point of contact for the customer and other involved Bundeswehr stakeholders. Exercises are where our systems meet real operators in realistic conditions, so the quality of your preparation shapes what the Bundeswehr learns about our capability, and what we learn about theirs.

The day-to-day

• Own Helsing's participation in a multinational air exercise end to end, covering registration, applications, airworthiness and certification evidence, security concept, logistics and coordination of on-site execution

• Serve as the first point of contact for customer, Bundeswehr and exercise-authority stakeholders, resolving requirements questions and keeping commitments realistic and documented

• Translate exercise and interoperability requirements into a prioritised change list for the Chief Engineering and Product teams, and track those changes to a flight-ready baseline

• Build and maintain the integrated exercise schedule, risk register and readiness gates, flagging slippage early enough for the team to act

• Handle classified material and information-security obligations correctly throughout, from participant clearances to data handling and post-exercise reporting
  
  

You should apply if you

• Have a proven track record in coordinating military exercises or comparable engineering test programmes in defence, aerospace industry or related sectors  

• Represent our organisation credibly with customers, partners and suppliers, handling contractual and operational conversations without close supervision

• Communicate fluently in German and English, in writing and in person, with technical and non-technical audiences alike

• Have a university degree (or equivalent experience) in any subject relevant to these sectors, including but not limited to mechanical, industrial or aerospace engineering  

• Work securely with classified data and understand the information-security rules that govern it

• Keep teams moving when timelines compress and requirements are still taking shape

• Are a high performer who thrives in a fast-paced environment   

• Are collaborative, humble and a problem-solver  

• Are willing to travel regularly

• Are ready to meet all necessary requirements for a security clearance according to the respective national laws  
  
  

Nice to have

• Familiarity with tactical data links, particularly Link 16

• Working knowledge of security gateways, cryptography, data networks (esp. red-black separation)
  
  

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.