Avionics Systems Engineer - Safety Critical Systems

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 an Avionics Systems Engineer for Safety Critical Systems, you will be responsible for the development and delivery of safety critical flight control and vehicle management hardware and software, working closely with industry partners. You will be responsible not only for defining the system, but also driving it through all development stages and ultimately onto the flying platform. In achieving this goal you will work with a diverse, high-calibre team of experts, strategists and partners.

The day-to-day

• Lead the technical development of system architectures and define requirements for Safety Critical Systems, including flight controls and air vehicle management, in close collaboration with internal teams and partners

• Plan and lead the execution of the systems engineering lifecycle, from requirements development to qualification.

• Plan and lead the preparation of technical deliverables and documentation

• Create the certification and compliance documentation and ensure adherence to aviation and regulatory standards throughout the development lifecycle

• Work closely with internal and external stakeholders

• Provide regular reporting on project status and technical changes to Chief Engineering and Programme Management

You should apply if you

• Hold a relevant degree such as a Bachelor's or Master's in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field

• Have led the design and development of safety critical hardware and software for an airborne platform including tasks related to systems engineering, safety, aircraft certification, and avionics integration

• Have a deep knowledge of the development of avionics complex HW & SW development and have experience in the application of system level (ARP4754 and ARP4761) and SW/HW level (DO-178C and DO-254) standards to safety critical systems

• Have established a successful relationship with at least one civil or military aviation authority

• Have a deep knowledge of Guidance Navigation & Control and air vehicle management

• Possess excellent communication skills and the ability to report and present results clearly and effectively to both internal and external stakeholders.

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

• A focus on outcomes, not time-tracking

• Competitive compensation and VSOP options

• Relocation support

• Social and education allowances

• Regular company events and all-hands to bring together employees as one team across Europe

• 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 .