Procurement Manager – Tech & IT

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

In this role, you will build Helsing’s very first category strategy for our entire technology procurement – Software, SaaS, Cloud & Compute, and IT Hardware – from scratch, in close sparring and partnership with our IT and Engineering teams. You will be the very first person in the company to establish a comprehensive, centralized overview of what we spend on technology, with whom, under what terms, and when auto-renewals are due. Your mission is to bring this expenditure under control while ensuring that our fast-moving engineering teams never lose their momentum.

The day-to-day

• Building and executing Helsing's very first technology procurement category strategy across our entire scope: Software & SaaS, Cloud/Compute/Hosting, IT Hardware/End Devices, Engineering Tooling (CAD/CAE/Simulation), Security Tools, and Telco & Connectivity
• Creating complete transparency by mapping and organizing raw creditor and spend data to establish exactly who we spend money with, under what conditions, and managing key renewal milestones
• Leading high-stakes negotiations in the high six-figure range, including Enterprise SaaS renewals, Hyperscaler commitments, and custom enterprise software agreements
• Analyzing complex pricing models (such as consumption-based pricing, tiered structures, Committed-Use Discounts, egress fees, and true-ups) to calculate and optimize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Partnering internally on an equal footing with IT, Engineering, and Legal to draft, review, and align on Master Services Agreements (MSAs) and Statements of Work (SOWs)
• Delivering results in a "greenfield" environment by pragmatically establishing procurement processes where none currently exist, enabling speed and structure simultaneously

You should apply if you

• Have 5+ years of experience in strategic procurement or strategic sourcing, with a strong focus on IT, Software, or Cloud
• Have a proven track record of independently leading and closing complex negotiations in at least the high six-figure range (e.g., enterprise SaaS renewals, hyperscaler commitments, or similar)
• Possess a deep understanding of complex tech pricing structures (consumption models, tiering, Committed-Use Discounts, egress, true-ups) and can confidently build TCO models
• Are highly comfortable with raw data – you have advanced Excel modeling skills and can build a spend-cube from a raw creditor export from scratch
• Have a strong contractual understanding, enabling you to work hand-in-hand on MSAs or SOWs as a trusted peer alongside IT and Legal departments
• Have thrived in greenfield or fast-paced scale-up environments where you successfully delivered results despite the lack of pre-established procurement processes
• Are fully business fluent in both German and English (written and verbal)
• Are willing and eligible to undergo a governmental security clearance (Sicherheitsüberprüfung)

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 working in Defence, Aerospace, or another highly regulated sector
• Familiarity with SAP S/4HANA and modern P2P procurement systems (such as ZIP, Omnea, Lio, or Pivot)
• A solid grasp of cloud sovereignty and security frameworks (e.g., BSI C5, VS-NfD, CLOUD Act risk assessments)
• Prior experience setting up or structuring Software Asset Management (SAM) programs

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: 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.  Helsing's Candidate Privacy and Confidentiality Regime can be found here.