Finance Project Manager

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

Helsing is preparing for one of the most consequential milestones in any company's history, and this role owns the programme that will make it possible. As Finance Project Manager, you will lead Helsing's IPO Readiness Programme from internal preparation through to execution, bringing the standards and discipline of Big 4 Transaction Services or Deals Advisory to every workstream. You will run the IPO Programme Office, coordinate all external advisors, and ensure Finance, Legal, HR, and Engineering are operating to public-company standards well ahead of any filing date. You will make complex regulatory requirements accessible to non-finance leaders and build the investor-grade reporting infrastructure that underpins the transaction.
The day-to-day

• Lead the IPO Readiness Programme across three phases: internal readiness in months one to six, advisor onboarding in months six to twelve, and IPO execution in months twelve to twenty-four
• Drive the month-end close sprint, implement internal controls and the risk-control matrix, clean the chart of accounts and legal entity map, and establish Board governance to public-company standards
• Onboard and coordinate the Big 4 pre-audit, manage the IFRS 15 revenue recognition review, stress-test the three-year financial model, and begin drafting prospectus financial sections
• Own the investor-grade management accounts pack, produced monthly, IFRS-compliant, and fully auditable, and coordinate all external advisors including the Big 4 reporting accountant, legal counsel, NOMAD, and lead bank across all workstreams
• Use AI tools to accelerate IPO preparation, including LLM-assisted drafting of prospectus sections and Board papers, and deploy automated IPO readiness trackers that synthesise workstream status into a single CFO-ready dashboard

You should apply if you

• Have lived through a live IPO, dual-track process, or significant capital markets transaction in a Big 4 Transaction Services, Deals Advisory, or IPO programme management capacity, and understand the process from the inside
• Have deep working knowledge of IFRS financial reporting, IFRS 15 revenue recognition, IAS 38 R&D capitalisation, and the three-year audited financials required for a prospectus
• Have contributed to or led a Big 4 pre-IPO readiness assessment, and know the questions auditors ask and how to prepare the answers
• Have built or reviewed a risk-control matrix in an IPO context, with a solid understanding of internal control frameworks such as COSO or SOX equivalents
• Coordinate effectively across Finance, Legal, HR, Engineering, and external advisors simultaneously, translate complex regulatory requirements into clear guidance for non-finance stakeholders, and hold a professional qualification such as ACA, CPA, CFA, or equivalent

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

• Awareness of government contract finance obligations, including the need to satisfy government auditors and commercial investors simultaneously, or familiarity with defence, deep-tech, or regulated industry finance reporting requirements
• Experience using AI tooling to accelerate prospectus drafting, investor communications, or financial model scenario analysis

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.