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.
As (Senior) Programme Manager (Air) - Military Exercises, you will sit at the intersection of Chief Engineering, Flight Test, Product and Programme, co-ordinating how we take part in military exercises. Your first focus is a major multinational air exercise, which you will own from first registration to final debrief. You will translate exercise requirements into engineering and product decisions, align partners inside and outside Helsing, and act as the point of contact for the customer and other involved Bundeswehr stakeholders. Exercises are where our systems meet real operators in realistic conditions, so the quality of your preparation shapes what the Bundeswehr learns about our capability, and what we learn about theirs.
Own Helsing's participation in a multinational air exercise end to end, covering registration, applications, airworthiness and certification evidence, security concept, logistics and coordination of on-site execution
Serve as the first point of contact for customer, Bundeswehr and exercise-authority stakeholders, resolving requirements questions and keeping commitments realistic and documented
Translate exercise and interoperability requirements into a prioritised change list for the Chief Engineering and Product teams, and track those changes to a flight-ready baseline
Build and maintain the integrated exercise schedule, risk register and readiness gates, flagging slippage early enough for the team to act
Handle classified material and information-security obligations correctly throughout, from participant clearances to data handling and post-exercise reporting
Have a proven track record in coordinating military exercises or comparable engineering test programmes in defence, aerospace industry or related sectors
Represent our organisation credibly with customers, partners and suppliers, handling contractual and operational conversations without close supervision
Communicate fluently in German and English, in writing and in person, with technical and non-technical audiences alike
Have a university degree (or equivalent experience) in any subject relevant to these sectors, including but not limited to mechanical, industrial or aerospace engineering
Work securely with classified data and understand the information-security rules that govern it
Keep teams moving when timelines compress and requirements are still taking shape
Are a high performer who thrives in a fast-paced environment
Are collaborative, humble and a problem-solver
Are willing to travel regularly
Are ready to meet all necessary requirements for a security clearance according to the respective national laws
Familiarity with tactical data links, particularly Link 16
Working knowledge of security gateways, cryptography, data networks (esp. red-black separation)
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
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.
Skills Required
- Proven experience coordinating military exercises or comparable engineering test programmes in defence, aerospace, or related sectors
- Ability to represent the organisation credibly with customers, partners, and suppliers and manage contractual and operational conversations independently
- Fluent written and spoken German and English
- University degree or equivalent experience relevant to defence, aerospace, engineering, or related sectors
- Ability to handle classified data and follow applicable information-security rules
- Ability to keep teams moving under compressed timelines and evolving requirements
- Willingness to travel regularly
- Ability to meet all requirements for security clearance under applicable national laws
- Familiarity with tactical data links, particularly Link 16
- Working knowledge of security gateways, cryptography, and data networks, especially red-black separation
Helsing Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Helsing and has not been reviewed or approved by Helsing.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered top-of-market and competitive for specialized engineering and AI roles across key European hubs. Feedback suggests total compensation is a consistent strength relative to other aspects of the workplace.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity or VSOP is a core component of offers, giving employees meaningful participation in the company’s growth. Feedback suggests these equity grants are viewed as a significant upside alongside high base pay.
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Parental & Family Support — Policies include extended paid parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers, paid family emergency leave, and flexibility such as remote options during pregnancy and phased return. Feedback suggests these family‑oriented perks stand out for a high‑growth tech scale‑up.
Helsing Insights
What We Do
Helsing is a new type of security and artificial intelligence company. We believe that software – and, in particular, artificial intelligence – will be the key capability to keep liberal democracies from harm. Our ambition is to achieve global technology leadership in real-time information processing, turning unstructured sensor data into information advantage for democratic governments. Our platform aims to provide the clearest picture possible in any operating environment. We’re looking for people with their heart in the right place, who share our conviction that liberal democratic values are worth protecting, for ourselves and for future generations.
