Systems Engineer - Armament Control System

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 Systems Engineer for our Armament Control System (ACS), you take end-to-end technical responsibility for a safety-critical system: hardware, software, testing, qualification and safety. You will shape the concept for armament control across the aircraft, the ground station and the data links that connect them, then translate that concept into specifications suppliers can build against. You will be the technical counterpart in statement-of-work and contract negotiations, and you will help engineers earlier in their careers grow into systems thinkers. The work sits at the point where architecture, certification and partner management meet, and nothing reaches an aircraft until the evidence shows it is safe.

The day-to-day

• Take technical responsibility for the full ACS lifecycle, from concept and architecture through hardware and software development, integration and test, to qualification and safety release

• Define the system concept and architecture for on-aircraft and ground-station armament control, including tactical data links and ACS software, against standards such as MIL-STD-1760, ARP4754A, DO-178C, DO-254 and MIL-STD-882

• Write and maintain ACS requirements and supplier specifications in tools such as DOORS or Polarion, so that every requirement is traceable to a verification method and a test result

• Act as the technical point of contact in supplier selection, statement-of-work definition and contractual negotiations, holding partners to agreed scope, schedule and performance

• Coach engineers earlier in their careers through design reviews, safety reasoning and certification practice, raising the quality bar across the team

You should apply if you

• Have taken a safety-critical aerospace or defence system through to qualification, and can explain the trade-offs you made along the way

• Design architectures that span hardware, software and interfaces, with working knowledge of embedded systems and tactical data links

• Write precise requirements and supplier specifications, and work fluently in requirements management tools such as DOORS or Polarion

• Apply airworthiness and safety standards, for example ARP4754A, DO-178C, DO-254, MIL-STD-882 or MIL-STD-1760, in everyday engineering decisions

• Communicate technical reasoning clearly in written and spoken English and German, to customers as well as engineering colleagues

• Hold, or are willing and able to obtain, an extended German security clearance (erweiterte Sicherheitsüberprüfung, Ü2 or Ü3)

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

• Work with model-based systems engineering, for example SysML in Cameo or a comparable toolchain

• Have integrated stores or weapons onto an airborne platform, whether crewed or uncrewed

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

These are the core benefits across all locations; there may be additional benefits in specific sites.

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 .