Chief Mission Systems Engineer - Space - DE

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

The Chief Mission Systems Engineer will serve as the technical authority for the entire mission, providing leadership and expertise across all system segments of our reconnaissance satellite constellation. This role involves steering the design, integration, verification, and operation of the end-to-end mission architecture, including the satellite, launch, ground, and operations segments.

As a Chief Systems Engineer, you will play a crucial role in connecting business development, solution design, and system realization. You will lead the design and implementation of systems engineering practices for Helsing’s programmes. This includes creating innovative solutions, defining requirements and architectures aligned with industry standards and best practices, and managing the technical execution of projects.

You will collaborate with internal teams industry partners and procurement agencies to transform business opportunities into actionable engineering solutions. Furthermore you will align projects with customer needs and ensure efficient execution, serving as a vital link between commercial and realization teams. This role emphasizes a proactive and strategic approach to systems engineering, ensuring high-quality, timely, and cost-effective delivery of activities while promoting collaboration across interdisciplinary teams.

The day-to-day

• Hold overall technical responsibility for the design, integration, and execution of the complete mission system, ensuring seamless cooperation between the space segment and various industry partners for ground, launch, and operations.

• Lead the development of the end-to-end mission architecture, ensuring all segments are cohesively integrated to meet the Concept of Operations (CONOPS).

• Translate high-level Customer and mission objectives into a unified set of system and segment-level requirements (for satellite, ground, launch, etc.).

• Define and manage the technical interfaces between the satellite, launch vehicle, ground network, and operations teams.

• Conduct in-depth, system-of-systems analysis, modelling, and simulation, including link budgets, data throughput analysis, latency studies, and operational concept validation.

• Lead the definition and maintenance of the Mission Concept of Operations (CONOPS) throughout the project lifecycle.

• Collaborate closely with project managers to ensure the integrated mission system is delivered on schedule and within budget.

• Lead and support mission-level technical reviews (Mission SRR, PDR, CDR, etc.) with both the Customer and industrial partners.

• Oversee the development and execution of test plans for system-level, end-to-end validation, including integrated ground/space tests and operational readiness campaigns.

• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance to teams across all mission segments, nurturing a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.

• Prepare and present technical documentation for the integrated mission system to both internal teams and external stakeholders.

You should apply if you

• Extensive hands on experience in space systems engineering with high-level knowledge of satellite bus and payload subsystems.

• Demonstrated experience across multiple mission segments, such as ground systems, launch services, and satellite operations.

• Demonstrated experience in a technical leadership role, guiding multi-disciplinary engineering teams.

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills, with a proven ability to manage complex technical trade-offs.

• Proficiency in systems engineering principles, especially as applied to a "system-of-systems" environment.

• Experience in system-of-systems integration and end-to-end testing.

• Proficiency with engineering software and simulation tools (e.g., STK for orbital analysis, link budget tools, system modelling software).

• Familiarity with industry standards such as ECSS and systems engineering processes.

• Experience with requirements management tools.

• Must be eligible for and willing to undergo clearance process for a German “Ü2” Personal Security Clearance.

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

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Helsing’s work is important. You’ll be directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns

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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

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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

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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

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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 stock options (ESOP)

• Occupational Pension and Disability Insurance

• Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation

• Learning: €500 yearly allowance

• Health & wellness: gym membership, mental health support (Nilo.health) and cycle scheme

• 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, remote work option during pregnancy and phased return to work at full pay.

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.