Senior Programme Manager - Maritime

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 Senior Programme Manager, Maritime, you will shape Helsing's strategic partnerships and the customer programmes that are defining the future of naval warfare. Working directly with industry partners, procurement agencies and armed forces, you will own the strategy, vision and roadmap for current and future maritime defence programmes. This means building a deep understanding of customer needs, developing new opportunities with navies and the broader defence industry, and driving complex programmes from early engagement through to delivery. You will work alongside a distinctive partnerships and programmes team, drawing on varied expertise to shape how partners and customers think about software and AI in defence.

The day-to-day

• Shape and execute Helsing's market strategy, vision and roadmap for current and future maritime defence programmes

• Anticipate market trends and client needs to identify and develop new business opportunities with navies, armed forces and industry partners

• Take end-to-end responsibility for complex defence programmes, from early-stage engagements through to high-quality, on-time delivery

• Lead programmes in close collaboration with government customers, industry partners and internal stakeholders, ensuring alignment at every stage

• Own strategic campaigns, coordinating all activities and decisions required to deliver in line with Helsing's strategic goals

You should apply if you

• Have built a track record of leading complex programmes across both business development and delivery within defence, government or related professional services

• Bring domain knowledge relevant to maritime defence, developed through experience or education in areas such as political science, international security, business administration, data science or engineering

• Take end-to-end ownership of strategic challenges, driving programmes from initial engagement to successful completion

• Communicate and collaborate effectively with senior government, armed forces and industry stakeholders, building lasting and trusted relationships

• Meet the requirements for national security clearance in the applicable country

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

• Bring prior military or domain experience, particularly in naval warfare or related operational roles

• Hold existing relationships with key stakeholders in European naval procurement or defence industry ecosystems

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 : regularly 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 certain locations.

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 .