Lead Systems Engineer - Passive RF Sensing

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 the Lead Engineer for Passive RF Sensing, you will direct the end-to-end integration and performance of airborne electronic surveillance systems, including Radar Warning Receivers, from initial requirements through to flight test. Your primary focus will be to translate mission threats into concrete sensor requirements, define the antenna architecture for optimal direction-finding, and manage emitter library data. You will guide co-site coordination to protect sensitive receivers from onboard transmitters and direct the verification campaign to deliver a fully qualified sensor system.

The day-to-day

• Direct the integration and performance of passive RF sensors from initial requirements through to flight test to ensure operational readiness

• Translate mission threat scenarios into measurable sensor requirements and define antenna architectures for optimal direction-finding

• Specify and validate sensor performance, driving direction-finding performance analysis and RF distribution

• Oversee library and classification support, managing emitter parameter sets, frequency agility handling, and confidence metrics

• Guide co-site and electromagnetic compatibility coordination with onboard transmitters to implement desense protection, blanking, and filtering

• Execute verification and test campaigns with a focus on installed sensor performance, coordinating data interfaces with software and avionics teams

• Manage technical supplier relationships, reviewing specifications, acceptance tests, and change requests to track issues to objective closure

You should apply if you

• Hold a degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline

• Have delivered passive RF sensors for airborne or complex platforms from concept to integration

• Understand threat radar phenomenology and can convert scenarios into measurable sensor requirements

• Possess practical expertise with direction-finding architectures, error budgeting, and calibration

• Can specify and validate receiver performance, interpreting laboratory and flight data accurately

• Have implemented electromagnetic compatibility mitigation on platforms with strong transmitters

Nice to have

• Bring established familiarity with emitter libraries and classification workflows

• Have practical experience defining interfaces to mission computers and avionics systems

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 and 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 and 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

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.