Senior Commercial Manager

About the Position

Senior Commercial Manager

London, England, United Kingdom

About the Company

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.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own a commercial strategy that supports active UK defence campaigns, working in close partnership with Campaign Leads, Finance, and senior leadership to ensure commercial positioning is coherent and well-founded
• Lead end-to-end commercial negotiations with defence partners and suppliers, structuring agreements that protect Helsing's interests and accelerate programme delivery
• Manage UK defence tender processes from initiation to award, ensuring full compliance with MoD procurement frameworks and internal governance requirements
• Provide commercial guidance across cross-functional teams, translating complex procurement requirements into clear, actionable advice that enables effective decision-making
• Monitor the UK defence commercial landscape, identifying emerging opportunities and risks and feeding insight into Helsing's broader campaign and growth strategy

Requirements

• Have built and led commercial strategies within the UK defence sector, with direct experience of MoD tender and contracting processes
• Have held a commercial role within or alongside a UK defence procurement agency, such as DE&S or the SDA
• Have led complex, multi-stakeholder commercial negotiations and can demonstrate tangible outcomes from those engagements
• Can operate fluently across government and industry environments, adapting communication style and approach to suit each audience
• Can translate broad campaign objectives into structured commercial plans that align finance, legal, and operational requirements

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

• Familiarity with Maritime domain programmes and the procurement structures that surround them
• Experience supporting naval or maritime defence campaigns in a commercial capacity

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: 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, 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.