Optical Sensing Test Engineer

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 You will sit at the centre of the Optics Cluster in our Test Department, with a scope that crosses cluster boundaries. A sensing subsystem is not only an optics problem. It sits where optics, electronics, embedded software, and mechanical integration meet. Integration decides whether sensor data can be trusted. An EO camera that is perfectly focused but misaligned with the LiDAR produces unsafe data. A LWIR sensor that passes standalone characterisation can still fail beside a hot avionics bay. The airframe tells a different story from the bench. You will therefore do more than execute tests. You will act as the sensing system architect for test, and you will: • Turn sensing subsystem requirements into structured test cases and test equipment concepts. • Specify and commission the optical, electrical, and mechanical ground support equipment (OGSE, EGSE, and MGSE) that each modality needs. • Serve as the department's technical authority on sensor synchronisation, calibration, and multimodal data quality. The day-to-day • Prototype testing: Characterise new sensors and integrated sensing subsystems during development. Turn requirements, such as performance at a given speed, temperature or altitude, into test plans. Design, build, and run the lab setups that show whether the sensor meets them. • Integration support: Help decide how cameras and other sensors fit each new platform, including mounting angles, focus, field of view, and protective window. • Production support: Define and run the acceptance test procedures that every production unit must pass before shipment. • Supplier evaluation: Assess new sensor suppliers and components against technical requirements before we commit to procurement. • In-service root cause analysis: Investigate sensing failures in products already flying, in the field or from reports. Reproduce the fault, fix it, and give structured findings to the design and manufacturing teams. You should apply if you Must have skills: • Have hands-on experience testing optical cameras or imaging systems in a lab, in industry or in applied research. • Have designed and built your own test setups, not only run existing procedures. • Can turn specifications into test cases with clear pass or fail criteria. • Troubleshoot hardware in a structured, practical way. • Hold a degree in engineering, physics, or a related field, or have equivalent practical experience. • Work professionally in 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 radar or LiDAR sensors. This is a strong plus. • Experience with thermal (LWIR) cameras. • Familiarity with sensor fusion, synchronisation, or camera calibration. • Programming skills, such as Python or MATLAB, for test automation and data analysis. • Experience with environmental testing, including temperature and vibration. • A background in aerospac