Systems Engineer (ISL Expert) - 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

As an Optical Communications Systems Engineer, you will architect, select, and integrate the optical terminal payloads for our satellite constellations. You will ensure our satellites establish and maintain secure, high-bandwidth laser links with one another and compatible relay networks in Low Earth Orbit. Working alongside our payload, spacecraft bus, and security teams, you will guarantee that the optical terminals meet strict military performance and environmental constraints, directly impacting our mission to provide sovereign capabilities to democratic societies.

The day-to-day

• System Architecture & Design: Define the overall optical communications architecture for the SAR constellation, including terminal specifications, data routing concepts, and network topologies

• Link Budget & Performance Analysis: Perform detailed free-space optical (FSO) link budget calculations, atmospheric modelling (if applicable to ground links), and jitter analysis

• Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking (PAT): Drive the requirements and verification for complex PAT subsystems, working closely with the Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) team to ensure the spacecraft bus can support precise optical pointing

• Hardware Integration & SWaP Management: Oversee the physical and electrical integration of the OISL terminals into the satellite bus, strictly managing Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints

• Vendor & Partner Management: Act as the primary technical interface with optical terminal manufacturers and vendors. Evaluate COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) and custom solutions, lead design reviews, and oversee qualification testing

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work alongside the Security Systems Engineering team to ensure the optical links meet stringent military Low Probability of Intercept / Low Probability of Detection (LPI/LPD) and cryptographic requirements

You should apply if you

• Specialized Experience: Proven industry or academic experience specifically focused on Free-Space Optical (FSO) communications, laser physics, or optical payload integration for space applications

• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of optical transceivers, erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), optical modulations (e.g., DPSK, OOK), and PAT control algorithms

• Systems Engineering Thinking: Ability to understand how the optical terminal impacts the rest of the spacecraft (thermal loads, vibration, power consumption, and ADCS requirements)

• Defence Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with military space standards, space environmental testing (MIL-STD, ECSS, …), and interoperability standards (i.p. E-STOL) is highly desired

• Education in Physics, Optics/Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline

• Team Player: Excellent communication and social skills, with a proven ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams and interface professionally with external suppliers

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

• Understand military space standards and space environmental testing methodologies

• Have familiarity with interoperability standards such as E-STOL

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

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Competitive salary and stock options (ESOP)

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

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Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance

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Health & wellness: gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health)

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Social: regularly company events and monthly social allowances

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Enhanced parental leave: 22 weeks fully paid for primary caregivers & 6 weeks for secondary caregivers.

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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.