Programme Manager - Space

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

Helsing is building sovereign space-based capabilities for Europe in the fields of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting. This are most consequential programmes the company has undertaken, and it requires a Programme Manager with the experience to lead it.

In this role, you will own end-to-end programme management of one specific programmes within Helsing's Space domain. Helsing runs multiple programmes within this domain. You will be responsible for one of them, and you will be expected to own it fully: its strategy, its governance, and its delivery. You will manage complex stakeholder relationships across industry partners and internal technical teams, and you will ensure that customer requirements translate accurately into delivery plans. The work is high-stakes and the pace is demanding. You will need to have operated in environments like this before.

The day-to-day

Shaping and executing the programme strategy, vision, and roadmap for your assigned Space programme

Organising workstreams across Helsing internally and with industry partners, ensuring clear ownership, sequencing, and accountability at all times

Facilitating key programme meetings, including status reviews, steering committees, and stand-ups, ensuring they are well-prepared, documented, and that actions are tracked through to completion

Supporting external client and partner engagements, representing the programme with credibility in front of senior government and industry counterparts

Acting as the central point of contact for programme information requests, maintaining a single source of truth for all programme data and documentation

Preparing high-quality briefing packs, dashboards, and presentations for senior leadership and key external stakeholders

Engaging with technical delivery teams to understand their progress, challenges, and resource needs, translating this into clear, actionable programme-level insights

Supporting programme governance activities and ensuring compliance with established processes and standards throughout the programme lifecycle

You should apply if you

Significant experience managing complex programmes or projects specifically within the space sector, in roles where you held clear ownership of programme outcomes

Demonstrated experience managing government programmes and coordinating with government stakeholders, ideally within a defence or dual-use context

A track record of translating demanding customer and regulatory requirements into delivery plans that technical teams can execute against

Experience organising multi-party workstreams across internal and external organisations, including commercial partners and government programme offices

Strong business acumen and the ability to engage credibly with market and commercial dynamics alongside programme delivery

Experience operating within competitive, high-accountability environments where delivery against commitments is non-negotiable

English and German language proficiency at a professional working level

Willingness to relocate to or be based in Berlin or Munich

Eligibility for and willingness to undergo clearance process for a German “Ü2” Personal Security Clearance

Willingness to travel for business as the programme requires

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

Direct experience with European Space Agency programmes or ESA procurement and contracting processes

Experience in high-stakes competitive programme bids or captures within the defence or space sector in Germany, especially with Bundeswehr

Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields 

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

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

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

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

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 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.