Systems Engineer - Interceptors

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 a Systems Engineer, Interceptors, you will shape the system architecture and requirements for AD-2 Ambush, Helsing’s solid-rocket-powered interceptor within the Contra air defence system. Designed to engage high-speed one-way attack drones and subsonic cruise missiles beyond AD-1’s reach, AD-2 can reach Mach 2.5 and engage targets at a range of 20 km. You will translate stakeholder needs and the threat environment into a coherent system concept, then develop the requirements, architecture and evidence needed to support testing, certification and production. You will also make sure that safety, security and through-life considerations are built into the system from the outset. The day-to-day • Define AD-2’s system architecture and maintain traceability from customer requirements through to hardware and software design • Coordinate system integration and verification, validation and qualification so that AD-2 meets its performance, safety and delivery requirements • Work with software, hardware and programme teams to integrate and validate the system’s capabilities, including its radar seeker and container launch configuration • Apply reliability, availability, maintainability and safety practices, and establish quality processes that support compliance with relevant defence standards and regulations • Identify technical risks, assess their impact on delivery and agree mitigations with customers and industry partners as AD-2 progresses from testing towards production You should apply if you • Have delivered systems engineering for complex or safety-critical systems, including system architecture and requirements management • Have translated system-level requirements into integrated hardware and software designs with engineering teams • Have planned or delivered integration, verification, validation or qualification activities • Apply reliability, availability, maintainability and safety practices to manage system risks and meet relevant standards 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 • Have worked on guided, rocket-powered or container-launched systems • Have supported a defence system through testing and into production 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 exciti