Hardware Engineer - Physical Products

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 Hardware Engineer on the Physical Products team, you will translate requirements into robust, efficient, and field-ready UAV designs. Working across disciplines, you will contribute to the full hardware stack, from aerodynamic and structural subsystems to propulsion and electronics, going deep in your area of specialism while keeping the integrated system in view. From early-stage concept and analysis through to flight-ready builds, you will help ensure the performance and reliability of Helsing's UAV platforms, directly advancing our mission to equip democratic societies with capable, cutting-edge defence technology.

The day-to-day

• Own end-to-end aspects of UAV hardware design, from early-stage concept and analysis through to flight-ready builds, taking responsibility for quality and pace of delivery

• Work across aerodynamic, structural, propulsion, and electronic subsystems, going deep in your area of specialism while contributing to the performance of the integrated system

• Develop and iterate prototypes at pace, balancing aerodynamic performance, structural integrity, weight, power, and manufacturability constraints

• Define and execute hardware validation and flight-readiness testing, including analysis, bench tests, integration checks, and field trials, producing clear documentation of results and design decisions

• Evaluate and select components and materials, working with suppliers and partners to meet technical and programme requirements

You should apply if you

• Have hands-on experience designing and building UAVs or similarly complex autonomous hardware systems in any engineering discipline

• Have depth in at least one of: aerodynamics and flight mechanics, mechanical and structural design, or electronics and avionics

• Have a strong prototyping track record, with experience taking hardware from concept to flying article at pace

• Are proficient with relevant engineering tools in your domain, such as CAD, FEA, CFD, Altium, or MATLAB/Simulink

• Have experience defining and running hardware validation and test campaigns, and communicate clearly in written and spoken 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

• Have worked across more than one engineering discipline within UAV or autonomous systems development, bridging technical boundaries across a hardware programme

• Have experience collaborating with software and firmware teams on hardware and software integration challenge

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 

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.