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, then translate that concept into specifications suppliers can build against. At every stage of development, you will upgrade the system to incorporate new weapons and introduce new features.

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.

• Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations such as MIL-STD-1760, ARP-4754A, or MIL-STD-882.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including hardware, software, and systems integration, to ensure a cohesive and robust system design.

• Author and coordinate ACS specifications for suppliers and interfaces for other systems, as well as description documents and user manuals.

• Act as the technical point of contact in supplier management, ensuring the right delivery of the ACS items.

• Define, model, test and integrate the ACS software, using Matlab Simulink and Speedgoat target machines.

You should apply if you

• Have strong background and experience in the development of complex, safety-critical systems within the aerospace or defence industry.

• Have experience in developing and managing system specifications and interface control documents.

• Proficiency with systems engineering tools for requirements management, modelling, and simulation, such as Jama, Gitlab, Simulink.

• Have applied airworthiness and safety standards, for example ARP4754A, MIL-STD-882 or MIL-STD-1760.

• Communicate technical reasoning clearly in written and spoken English, to customers and suppliers 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

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

• Have a software development experience in aeronautical and military embedded systems (on Real-Time Operating Systems, applying DO-178C standard, with MIL-STD-1553 sequencing, etc.).

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 .