(Senior) Programme Manager Mission Systems

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

This role sits at the heart of one of Helsing's most consequential programmes: the development of a next-generation aircraft. As Programme Manager for Mission Systems, you will own the delivery rhythm across the Chief Engineering Team, Product Team, and Programme Leadership, translating complex engineering requirements into structured, measurable plans. You will build the strategic partnerships and cross-functional alignment that keep a broad, multi-discipline programme moving forward with clarity and pace. This is a role that combines hands-on execution with genuine strategic influence.

The day-to-day

• Own the programme rhythm across engineering and product leadership, facilitating key decision forums with rigour and ensuring all outcomes are recorded, tracked, and followed through
• Translate complex Mission Systems requirements, covering Mission Sensor and Mission Communication Systems, into lean, consistent delivery plans that keep specialist teams aligned on shared objectives
• Build and sustain strategic relationships with external aerospace industry partners, creating the conditions for collaboration that directly accelerates aircraft development
• Identify and resolve points of friction at team interfaces, establishing effective ways of working between organisations and ensuring every workstream produces measurable progress
• Coordinate across software development, systems engineering, and mission systems disciplines, maintaining coherence and momentum across a broad and technically demanding scope

You should apply if you

• Have built and delivered structured programme plans across complex, multi-discipline engineering environments, including software and systems engineering
• Bring domain knowledge in Mission Systems, whether in Mission Sensor Systems, Mission Communication Systems, or adjacent areas, sufficient to engage credibly with specialist engineering teams
• Have managed strategic relationships with external industry partners and shaped the collaborative conditions that accelerate technical programmes
• Can translate ambiguous technical and organisational challenges into clear priorities, actionable plans, and measurable outcomes
• Are comfortable operating across strategic and hands-on execution simultaneously, moving between programme governance and direct delivery contribution without losing rigour

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with aerospace or defence acquisition frameworks and the regulatory landscape surrounding aircraft development programmes
• Experience establishing programme management practices from the ground up within a scaling engineering organisation

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: regular 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

• A hands-on onboarding program (affectionately labelled “Infraduction”), in which you will be building tooling and applications to be used across the company. This is your opportunity to learn our tech stack, explore the company, and learn how we get things done - all whilst working with other engineering teams from day one (Specifically for engineering and AI)

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.

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