Lead Engineer - Ground Control Station (GCS) & Hardware Simulator

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 Lead Engineer for Ground Control Stations and Hardware Simulators , you will serve as the primary technical authority for the mechanical, electrical, and systems architecture of military-grade, ruggedised hardware. Based in Germany, you will own the full lifecycle of GCS units, from portable field systems to vehicle-integrated configurations, and high-fidelity Hardware-in-the-Loop simulators. Your work sits at the intersection of hardware engineering and operational deployment: translating design intent into physical systems that perform reliably in harsh environments. You will bridge software teams, mechanical designers, and production partners, ensuring that every system shipped meets the uncompromising standards that defence operations demand.

The day-to-day

• Define and drive a modular, scalable hardware architecture for GCS units and simulation racks, ensuring strict compliance with MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-461, and delivering systems that are maintainable and upgradable in the field

• Work on Modular Hardware Design by establishing and driving a highly modular, scalable, and service-friendly hardware architecture for GCS units and simulation racks, ensuring ease of maintenance and upgradability.

• Lead hands-on prototyping, wiring, and assembly of early-stage GCS and simulator units, taking designs from CAD through to workshop floor reality, including cabling, custom wire harnesses, power distribution, and UPS integration

• Oversee the physical and electrical integration of subsystems including high-performance computing, rugged displays, RF communication datalinks, and pilot control interfaces, ensuring coherent and robust electro-mechanical outcomes

• Define and execute rigorous verification and validation plans covering thermal chamber, vibration, and ingress protection testing, producing documented evidence of compliance for defence and programme stakeholders

• Collaborate with fabrication partners, CNC machinists, sheet metal manufacturers, and cable assembly houses to ensure design for manufacturing, smooth pilot production runs, and on-time delivery against programme milestones

You should apply if you

• Have designed and shipped ruggedised electronic enclosures or portable field equipment for aerospace, defence, robotics, or heavy-industrial simulator programmes, with demonstrable compliance against military or industrial environmental standards

• Bring practical, hands-on proficiency across the full build cycle, including crimping, soldering, mechanical assembly, and hardware fault-finding using multimeters, oscilloscopes, and other bench instruments

• Have produced electrical system documentation including power budgets, grounding schematics, wire-harness drawings, and connector selection (e.g. Amphenol, Glenair) to a standard suitable for handover to manufacturing partners

• Have deep knowledge of military and industrial standards (e.g., MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, IP ratings) and practical methods for achieving EMI shielding and shock/vibration isolation.

• Are familiar with UAV systems and simulation (e.g., Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing, Pixhawk/PX4 flight controllers, ROS, and flight simulator software) is a strong asset.

• Are proficient in 3D CAD modelling tools such as SolidWorks or Siemens NX for mechanical enclosure design, rack-mount layouts, and sheet metal fabrication packages

• Communicate clearly in English across multidisciplinary teams, acting as the effective interface between software developers, mechanical designers, and workshop or production staff

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

• Familiarity with UAV systems and simulation environments, including Hardware-in-the-Loop testing, Pixhawk/PX4 flight controllers, ROS, or flight simulator software integration

• Experience coordinating supplier relationships across CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and cable assembly, with practical knowledge of design-for-manufacturing principles at pilot production scale

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 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.

Helsing's Candidate Privacy and Confidentiality Regime can be found here .