Lead Systems Engineer - EO/IR 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 System Engineer for EO/IR Sensing, you will oversee the complete end-to-end integration of the airborne electro-optical/infrared targeting system, from initial requirements definition through to flight test and operational release. Your primary focus will be to translate mission needs into specific performance requirements for detection, tracking, and identification, whilst defining the sensor's concept of operations and algorithm integration. You will guide the technical supplier interface, direct the verification and test campaign, and ensure seamless data integration with the core mission system to deliver a fully qualified capability.

The day-to-day

• Direct system engineering and integration of the airborne EO/IR targeting system to ensure operational readiness

• Translate mission needs into specific performance requirements, including detection, recognition, identification ranges, and environmental limits

• Define and maintain sensor mode sets and concepts of operations to ensure effective sensor scheduling across mission phases

• Integrate target detection, tracking, and classification pipelines by selecting algorithms and tuning thresholds for operational false-alarm tolerance

• Ensure robust multi-sensor cueing and seamless data interfaces to mission computers and command systems

• Plan and execute verification and test campaigns with a focus on installed sensor performance and objective evidence gathering

• Coordinate technical supplier relationships, reviewing specifications, acceptance tests, and algorithm releases to ensure compliance

You should apply if you

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

• Have delivered EO/IR targeting systems through integration, test, and operational release

• Can translate complex mission scenarios into concrete detection, recognition, and identification requirements

• Possess practical expertise with sensor mode design and sensor scheduling across various mission phases

• Have integrated detection and classification pipelines, including confidence metrics and false-alarm control

• Can guide verification and testing processes while debugging issues across imagery, algorithms, and avionics

Nice to have

• Have practical experience with ML-based Automatic Target Recognition (ATR)

• Understand multi-sensor cueing and track association, such as radar or ESM to EO/IR handover

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.