Systems Engineer - Interceptors

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 Systems Engineer, Interceptors, you will shape the system architecture and requirements for AD-2 Ambush, Helsing’s solid-rocket-powered interceptor within the Contra air defence system. Designed to engage high-speed one-way attack drones and subsonic cruise missiles beyond AD-1’s reach, AD-2 can reach Mach 2.5 and engage targets at a range of 20 km. You will translate stakeholder needs and the threat environment into a coherent system concept, then develop the requirements, architecture and evidence needed to support testing, certification and production. You will also make sure that safety, security and through-life considerations are built into the system from the outset.

The day-to-day

• Define AD-2’s system architecture and maintain traceability from customer requirements through to hardware and software design

• Coordinate system integration and verification, validation and qualification so that AD-2 meets its performance, safety and delivery requirements

• Work with software, hardware and programme teams to integrate and validate the system’s capabilities, including its radar seeker and container launch configuration

• Apply reliability, availability, maintainability and safety practices, and establish quality processes that support compliance with relevant defence standards and regulations

• Identify technical risks, assess their impact on delivery and agree mitigations with customers and industry partners as AD-2 progresses from testing towards production

You should apply if you

• Have delivered systems engineering for complex or safety-critical systems, including system architecture and requirements management

• Have translated system-level requirements into integrated hardware and software designs with engineering teams

• Have planned or delivered integration, verification, validation or qualification activities

• Apply reliability, availability, maintainability and safety practices to manage system risks and meet relevant standards

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

• Have worked on guided, rocket-powered or container-launched systems

• Have supported a defence system through testing and into production

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.