Lead Systems Engineer - Low Observability Shaping & Materials

About the company

Helsing is a Munich-based defence AI and drone company that develops defence software, drones, and military systems for air, land, sea, and underwater operations.

About this role

<h2><strong>Who we are</strong></h2> <div> <p><span data-contrast="auto">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.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">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.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">We are an ambitious and committed team of engineers, AI specialists and customer-facing programme managers.<span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;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.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></span></p> </div> <h2><strong>The role</strong></h2> <p>We are looking for a Systems Engineer specializing in Low Observability (LO) Materials and Shaping. You will join a diverse team of specialists working on complex challenges in the defence space. You will apply your expertise to ensure our air vehicles achieve critical survivability requirements through advanced material integration and structural shaping.</p> <h2><strong>The day-to-day</strong></h2> <ul> <li class="text-start "> <p>Develop radar cross-section (RCS) and infrared (IR) material concepts for air vehicles and integrate them into the overall structural concept.</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Create and execute a technology maturation roadmap for low observability materials and supplier components.</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Develop RCS and IR concepts for supplier parts (including antennas, air data systems, and EO/IR windows) in collaboration with suppliers, and initiate relevant development activities.</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Direct and oversee supplier and testing activities for RCS and IR performance.</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Execute iterative air vehicle shape optimization in coordination with partners (including Grob) and suppliers to refine RCS and IR calculations.</p> </li> </ul> <h2 id="You’ll-do-great-if-you….3" data-renderer-start-pos="15247"><strong>You should apply if you</strong></h2> <ul> <li> <p>Hold a relevant degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Have 8+ years of professional experience in systems engineering, with a focus on low observability, RCS/IR materials, and structural integration.</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Understand electromagnetic theory, radar cross-section reduction techniques, and infrared signature management deeply.</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Have a proven track record of leading supplier development and testing programmes.</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Are a first-principles thinker who values accountability, integrity, and respect.</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Have Eligibility for national security clearance (due to the sensitive nature of defence work).</p> </li> <li class="text-start "> <p>Speak fluent English; additional proficiency in German is a strong advantage.</p> </li> </ul> <p><em data-renderer-mark="true"><em data-stringify-type="italic">Note: We operate in an industry where women, as well as other minority groups, are systematically</em>&nbsp;<em data-stringify-type="italic">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.</em></em></p> <h2><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></strong></h2> <ul> <li> <p><span data-contrast="auto">Helsing’s work is important. You’ll be directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns</span></p> </li> <li> <p><span data-contrast="auto">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</span></p> </li> <li> <p><span data-contrast="auto">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</span></p> </li> <li> <p><span data-contrast="auto">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</span></p> </li> <li> <p><span data-contrast="auto">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</span></p> </li> </ul> <h2 id="What-we-offer" data-renderer-start-pos="3238"><strong><span id="6afa48f9-b79