About the Position

Lead Systems Engineer - Passive RF Sensing

Munich, Germany

About Us

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.

Responsibilities

Direct the integration and performance of passive RF sensors from initial requirements through to flight test to ensure operational readiness
Translate mission threat scenarios into measurable sensor requirements and define antenna architectures for optimal direction-finding
Specify and validate sensor performance, driving direction-finding performance analysis and RF distribution
Oversee library and classification support, managing emitter parameter sets, frequency agility handling, and confidence metrics
Guide co-site and electromagnetic compatibility coordination with onboard transmitters to implement desense protection, blanking, and filtering
Execute verification and test campaigns with a focus on installed sensor performance, coordinating data interfaces with software and avionics teams
Manage technical supplier relationships, reviewing specifications, acceptance tests, and change requests to track issues to objective closure

Requirements

Hold a degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline
Have delivered passive RF sensors for airborne or complex platforms from concept to integration
Understand threat radar phenomenology and can convert scenarios into measurable sensor requirements
Possess practical expertise with direction-finding architectures, error budgeting, and calibration
Can specify and validate receiver performance, interpreting laboratory and flight data accurately
Have implemented electromagnetic compatibility mitigation on platforms with strong transmitters

Nice to Have

Bring established familiarity with emitter libraries and classification workflows
Have practical experience defining interfaces to mission computers and avionics systems

We Offer

Competitive salary and VSOP options
Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation
Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance
Health and 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 and 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

About the Company

Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields. Your contributions will directly protect democratic countries while balancing ethical and geopolitical concerns. We operate in a domain with highly unusual technical requirements and constraints, where robustness, safety, and ethical considerations are vital. Our work frequently takes us to the forefront of technical innovation, from reinforcement learning to distributed systems and generative AI. We encourage healthy, proactive, and diverse debate internally about our work and how we choose to do it. Teams and individual engineers are trusted to practise responsible autonomy and critical thinking, focusing on outcomes, not conformity.

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.

For more information on Helsing's Candidate Privacy and Confidentiality Regime, please visit here.

Lead Systems Engineer - Passive RF Sensing

Job description