Manufacturing Engineer

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

The Manufacturing Engineer plays a pivotal, strategic role at the intersection of product design and production reality. This position is central to defining how products will be manufactured, ensuring their robust and efficient realization from concept through to scalable production. The Manufacturing Engineer proactively collaborates with design engineering to guarantee manufacturability (DFM/DFA) from the earliest stages, meticulously plans and optimizes manufacturing processes, defines optimal cycle times, identifies and mitigates potential bottlenecks, and oversees the successful implementation of new production lines and technologies. Their expertise ensures that innovative designs can be transformed into high-quality, cost-effective, and scalable products.

The day-to-day

• Define, design, and realise new and optimised manufacturing processes for new product introductions (NPI) or significant design changes

• Collaborate closely with design engineering from the conceptual phase onwards to provide critical input on Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA)

• Analyse and plan manufacturing capacities, define optimal cycle times (Taktzeiten) for new production steps or lines, and perform line balancing to achieve target throughput and efficiency

• Identify potential bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and risks in planned manufacturing processes and layouts, and develop alternative process or equipment strategies to prevent future production constraints

• Define requirements for and support the design, procurement, and qualification of new manufacturing tools, fixtures, jigs, and production equipment, including automation solutions

• Develop comprehensive manufacturing plans for NPI, oversee the setup and validation of new production lines, manage pilot runs, and support a successful ramp-up to full-scale production

• Establish robust process control plans and conduct validation activities (such as IQ/OQ/PQ) and statistical process capability studies (CpK, PpK) to ensure consistent quality and performance

• Create and maintain precise manufacturing documentation, including detailed work instructions, process flow diagrams, routings, and process specifications

• Apply Lean Manufacturing principles (such as Value Stream Mapping, SMED, and Poka-Yoke) and Six Sigma methodologies to continuously refine and optimise production processes, driving measurable waste reduction and efficiency gains

• Provide expert technical guidance during the implementation of new processes, partnering with R&D, quality, supply chain, and production teams to deliver manufacturing excellence

You should apply if you

• Possess a solid technical foundation in manufacturing, aerospace, industrial, or mechanical engineering

• Bring demonstrable experience introducing new products to production, defining manufacturing processes, and applying DFM/DFA principles

• Have a deep understanding of diverse manufacturing processes — such as machining, casting, assembly, and surface treatment — along with their capabilities and limitations

• Have designed tooling, parts, and factory layouts using CAD software such as SolidWorks, NX, or CATIA

• Interpret complex engineering drawings and GD&T, applying process validation techniques (IQ/OQ/PQ) to ensure consistent quality

• Apply Lean Manufacturing principles or Six Sigma methodologies to continuously improve and optimise production processes

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.

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.

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