Mechanical Engineer, Kinematic Systems and Mechanisms

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 Mechanical Engineer, Kinematic Systems and Mechanisms, you will own the design, analysis and validation of high-performance moving systems for Helsing's drone platforms, from deployment mechanisms and folding structures through to landing gears and robotic joints. Working across kinematic synthesis, multi-body dynamics, precision engineering and hands-on prototype iteration, you will translate complex mechanical requirements into flight-worthy, testable hardware.

The day-to-day

• Own mechanism architecture from concept through to validated hardware, performing kinematic synthesis, multi-body dynamics analysis, torque and force profiling and FEA to ensure every moving system meets structural, performance and weight requirements before design is committed

• Select and integrate electro-mechanical actuators, precision bearings, gearboxes, linkages and structural joints, applying advanced GD&T to ASME Y14.5 or ISO 1101 standards to control backlash, alignment and thermal expansion across complex moving assemblies

• Build and iterate functional mechanism prototypes hands-on, evaluating kinematic behaviour and structural integrity under operationally relevant conditions, and design lifetime and fatigue test campaigns that validate analytical models and drive technical maturation

• Produce robust 3D models, 2D manufacturing drawings, kinematic analysis reports and design documentation that meet aerospace quality standards, ensuring full traceability from requirement through to verified design output

• Collaborate with systems, structures and avionics teams across design reviews and integration milestones, ensuring kinematic assemblies interface correctly with the broader airframe and that mechanism reliability is maintained across the full range of environmental and operational conditions

You should apply if you

• Have designed and delivered complex kinematic mechanisms and moving systems for aerospace, drone or similarly demanding applications, with demonstrated proficiency in multi-body dynamics tools such as MSC Adams, MotionSolve or SolidWorks Motion alongside FEA for structural validation

• Are proficient in 3D and 2D CAD and PLM workflows using SolidWorks/PDM or Siemens NX/Teamcenter, and can apply advanced GD&T and statistical tolerance stack-up analysis to control precision and fit in complex moving assemblies

• Have selected and integrated precision mechanical components, including bearings, gearboxes, ball screws and high-strength fasteners, with a working knowledge of aerospace-grade materials and manufacturing processes including CNC machining, composites and additive manufacturing

• Have set up test rigs and executed functional, environmental and lifetime test campaigns on kinematic systems, using physical test data to correlate and refine analytical models

• Act decisively with minimal guidance, own outcomes end-to-end and initiate solutions without waiting for direction

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

• Experience designing mechanisms for harsh or constrained operational environments, including consideration of wear, lubrication, friction, stiffness and thermal compliance across extended service lifetimes
• Familiarity with Hardware-in-the-Loop test environments and their application to kinematic system validation within iterative drone or UAV development programmes

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: regular 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

• A hands-on onboarding program (affectionately labelled “Infraduction”), in which you will be building tooling and applications to be used across the company. This is your opportunity to learn our tech stack, explore the company, and learn how we get things done - all whilst working with other engineering teams from day one

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.