About the Position

Deployed Hardware Engineer

Munich, Germany

About Helsing

Helsing is a defence AI company dedicated to protecting democracies. Our mission is to achieve technological leadership, ensuring open societies can make sovereign decisions and uphold ethical standards. We believe in the responsible development and deployment of powerful technologies like AI.

We are a team of engineers, AI specialists, and programme managers committed to solving complex problems. Our open and transparent culture encourages healthy debates on the use of technology in defence, its benefits, and ethical implications.

The Role

As a Rapid Prototyping Engineer, you will bridge mechanical design, electrical integration, and hardware iteration. You will transform complex concepts and evolving designs into functional, flight-ready prototypes for Helsing's advanced drone platforms. Collaborating with design and test engineers, you will manage the full build cycle from concept to field testing, identifying integration bottlenecks, and developing custom hardware solutions to keep our developmental fleet operational and mission-ready.

Responsibilities

Design, fabricate, and assemble flight-ready prototypes, including complex folding structures, deployment mechanisms, and integrated avionics bays.
Modify airframes, build custom electrical wiring harnesses, and integrate power distribution and avionics systems.
Integrate and configure flight control platforms (PX4, ArduPilot, or equivalent), flash firmware, calibrate onboard sensors, and resolve system anomalies during testing.
Plan and execute functional and lifetime test campaigns in the field, using telemetry data to refine prototypes.
Collaborate with design and test engineers to identify and mitigate integration risks, ensuring the developmental fleet remains on schedule and mission-ready.

Requirements

Experience with unmanned aerial systems (multicopter, fixed-wing, FPV, or ISR platforms) or highly complex mechanical or robotic systems from concept to field testing.
Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks/PDM or Siemens NX/Teamcenter) and structural validation techniques, including FEA, applied to aerospace or UAV hardware, with a solid understanding of GD&T.
Skilled in workshop fabrication, with hands-on experience working with composites, metals, 3D printers, precision hand tools, and soldering stations.
Practical experience integrating and troubleshooting flight control platforms, payload electronics, and power distribution systems on UAV or similarly complex platforms.
Comfortable working with incomplete documentation and evolving requirements, taking end-to-end ownership of outcomes and applying sound engineering judgment.

Note: We operate in an industry where women and other minority groups are under-represented. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the listed qualifications; ability and impact cannot be summarized in a few bullet points.

Nice to Have

Practical background flying, testing, and operating drones in field environments (multicopter, fixed-wing, or FPV), including familiarity with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test environments and automated telemetry or data-logging hardware.
Hands-on knowledge of structural composites, including carbon fibre layup and vacuum bagging, and experience with advanced aerospace materials.

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
A hands-on onboarding program ("Infraduction") where you will build tooling and applications to be used across the company, learning our tech stack, exploring the company, and understanding how we get things done.

Join Helsing

Important Work: Directly contribute to the protection of democratic countries while balancing ethical and geopolitical concerns.
Unique Domain: Operate in a field with highly unusual technical requirements and constraints, where robustness, safety, and ethical considerations are vital.
Cutting-Edge Innovation: Be part of a company at the forefront of technical innovation, from reinforcement learning to distributed systems and generative AI.
Proactive Culture: Engage in healthy, proactive, and diverse debates internally. Teams and individual engineers are trusted to practice responsible autonomy and critical thinking, focusing on outcomes, not conformity.
Ownership: Have a say in how we work, engage on what does and doesn’t work, and take ownership of aspects of our culture that you care deeply about.

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

Deployed Hardware Engineer

Job description