Design Engineer - Electronics

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 an Electronics Engineer on the Physical Products team, you will design and build the electrical systems that bring Helsing's platforms to life. From component selection and electrical architecture definition through to bespoke PCB design and hands-on prototype bring-up, you will shape how our systems are powered, connected, and controlled. Working at the intersection of hardware and systems engineering, you will translate complex requirements into robust, field-ready electronics, iterating rapidly to de-risk designs and validate concepts early. Your work will directly advance Helsing's mission to equip democratic societies with capable, reliable defence technology.

The day-to-day

• Design, build, and validate bespoke PCBs from schematic through to hands-on bring-up, covering power, digital, and mixed-signal electronics using tools such as Altium Designer or KiCad
• Define the electrical architecture of UAV platforms, producing wiring diagrams, power distribution schemes, and interface definitions that underpin system integration across mechanical, software, and avionics boundaries
• Select and specify components across sensors, actuators, controllers, and power systems, trading off performance, cost, availability, and integration effort to make well-reasoned, documented design decisions
• Integrate communication interfaces such as CAN Bus, Ethernet, and RS422/485, and support RF and radio systems, ensuring robust data and power distribution across the platform
• Define and execute unit-level tests, contribute to reliability and safety analyses such as FMEA, and produce clear design documentation including wiring diagrams, schematics, PCB layouts, and BOMs

You should apply if you

• Have designed and integrated electrical and electronic systems in a professional engineering context, ideally within aerospace or a similarly demanding domain
• Are proficient in PCB design and layout, with hands-on experience using ECAD tools such as Altium Designer or KiCad and simulation tools such as LTSpice
• Can interpret complex third-party datasheets and technical documentation, translating electrical characteristics and constraints into sound, well-reasoned design decisions
• Have experience designing cable harnesses and defining communication interfaces, and have worked with RF or radio systems in a hardware integration context
• Collaborate effectively across mechanical, software, and systems engineering disciplines, and communicate clearly in written and spoken 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.

Nice to have

• Experience with ECAD/MCAD co-design workflows and the integration of electrical systems into complex electromechanical assemblies
• Experience contributing to reliability or safety analyses such as FMEA in a production or pre-production engineering context

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

• A focus on outcomes, not time-tracking

• Competitive compensation and VSOP options

• Relocation support

• Social and education allowances

• Regular company events and all-hands to bring together employees as one team across Europe

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.