Lead Systems Engineer
Helsing
Lead Systems Engineer
Helsing
AI software and autonomous defense systems
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.
As the Lead Engineer for Low Observability & RF Interoperability, you will direct the effort to minimise the system's electromagnetic signature whilst ensuring all RF systems co-exist without degradation. Your core responsibilities involve developing low-signature operational concepts, managing RF deconfliction, and guiding system-level integration and verification. This role is pivotal in guaranteeing mission-critical performance and resilience, particularly within contested electronic warfare environments, ensuring our platforms maintain operational advantages when it matters most.
Design and manage emission control and RF deconfliction for the overall system, encompassing airborne platforms and ground components
Ensure daily RF interoperability across airborne payloads, including AESA radars and datalinks, to guarantee co-existence without mutual degradation
Plan and execute comprehensive EMC/EMI co-site assessments, providing clear mitigation recommendations for desense risks and harmonic management
Define frequency plans, channelisation, and emission control profiles tailored to specific mission phases
Establish signature-aware operation concepts, including passive-first tactics and sensor management to substantially reduce detectability
Develop robust integration concepts for antenna placement, isolation, and cable routing that meet rigorous performance and platform constraints
Ensure communications and sensing systems operate resiliently under contested electronic warfare conditions, analysing fallback modes and graceful degradation
Coordinate collaboratively with structural teams to ensure RF designs support low observability and manage unintended emissions via targeted shielding and filtering
Execute requirements traceability from platform-level performance goals to subsystem specifications and robust verification evidence
Guide cross-functional issue resolution and manage critical supplier technical exchanges to ensure full compliance with platform standards
Hold a degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline
Have delivered RF and EMC co-site interoperability solutions on complex airborne platforms
Possess practical expertise with multi-sensor RF integration, encompassing AESA radar, datalinks, and electronic support measures
Can execute comprehensive interference and intermodulation analyses, translating results into practical mitigations such as filtering and blanking
Have built and executed testing campaigns across laboratory and flight environments to reliably correlate models with physical data
Understand antenna placement trade-offs and can guide designs collaboratively with airframe structures teams
Demonstrate a proactive low-observability and signature-management mindset, including practical experience with LPI/LPD concepts
Bring established fluency in translating requirements into verification outcomes within a regulated aerospace environment
Have practical experience leading technical closure with suppliers to drive corrective actions to verified outcomes
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.
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
Competitive salary and VSOP options
Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation
Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance
Health and 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 and 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
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 develops AI software and autonomous systems for democratic governments, covering air, land, sea, and sub-surface domains. Its software combines data from drones, radar, satellites, cameras and other sensors to create a real-time operational picture that helps commanders detect threats and move quickly, while keeping key decisions under human control. Its product lineup includes AI-enabled strike drones (HF-1 / HX-2) for contested environments and underwater surveillance systems (SG-1 Fathom) for critical infrastructure. Helsing collaborates with European armed forces and partners such as Saab, Airbus and Kongsberg, and has supported Ukraine since 2022. The company has raised large rounds of funding, with a focus on expanding AI platforms and autonomous systems for partner nations. Its goal is to provide robust, field-ready AI-powered platforms that enable faster, safer decision-making and action in defense while maintaining governance over critical choices.
Explore more opportunities at Helsing