---
title: 'Programme Manager - Space at Helsing'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/programme-manager-space-helsing-munich-x4ahprrgq6pq'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# Programme Manager - Space at Helsing

- **Company:** Helsing
- **Location:** Munich, Germany / Berlin, Germany
- **Posted:** 2026-07-31
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://helsing.ai/jobs/4942502101?gh_jid=4942502101

## Job description

## 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](https://helsing.ai/candidate-privacy-and-confidentiality-regime/).

## About Helsing

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Helsing builds artificial intelligence-driven autonomous systems and defense hardware to protect democratic nations, integrating airborne, maritime, and electronic warfare capabilities.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series D in progress, May 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Munich, Germany
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Torsten Reil, Gundbert Scherf, Niklas Köhler

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Defense technology, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems
- Target customers: NATO-aligned governments, defense ministries, and allied militaries (B2G)
- Mission: "Protect our democracies" – using software and AI to enhance battlefield decision-making, precision engagement, and national security

## Products & Services
- **HX-2**: AI-enabled strike drone, mass-manufactured in “Resilience Factories” (1,000+ per month)
- **HF-1**: AI-powered electronic warfare system (autonomous combat aircraft for electronic attack)
- **SG-1 Fathom**: Underwater autonomous glider for maritime surveillance and infrastructure protection
- **Cirra**: AI for electronic warfare, already flight-tested (Feb 2026)
- **CA-1 Europa**: Joint project with HENSOLDT for advanced electronic attack capabilities
- **Altra**: Recce strike software for battlefield intelligence
- **Centaur**: AI system for autonomous air dominance
- **Lura**: Underwater autonomous mass system

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not disclosed (latest deal $1.2B in progress, May 2026)
- **Total Funding**: ~$1.5B (Series D $694M in July 2025; Series C $489M in July 2024; Series B $222M in Sept 2023; Series A $119M in Nov 2021; Seed in Jan 2021)
- **Key Investors**: Prima Materia (led Series A & D), General Catalyst (led Series B & C), plus 12 total investors
- **Key Partners**: HENSOLDT, EURENCO, Grob Aircraft (subsidiary), Airbus Defence and Space (talent source)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 78.4% YoY (515 employees per LinkedIn; PitchBook reports 900); second German Resilience Factory operational (Feb 2026); expanded to 17 countries; acquired HELSING LIMITED and Helsing Germany GmbH; 192 active job postings (June 2026)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Full-stack defense AI**: Combines software, hardware, and mass manufacturing in-house, unlike traditional primes or pure software firms.
- **Resilience Factories**: Proprietary high-volume production lines for drones (1,000 HX-2/month) with local supply chains, enabling rapid scaling.
- **Ethical commitment**: Publicly emphasizes responsible AI deployment and democratic governance, differentiating from less transparent competitors.
- **Pan-European footprint**: Offices in Munich, London, Paris, Berlin – drawing top talent from across Europe and the US, with strong ties to governments.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling autonomous systems across air, land, sea, and underwater domains.
- Deepening partnerships with European defense ministries and industrial primes (e.g., HENSOLDT, EURENCO).
- Expanding electronic warfare and AI-powered strike capabilities (e.g., CA-1 Europa, Cirra).
- Recruiting heavily for AI research (RL, CV, foundation models, robotics), hardware engineering, and program management.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven**: Explicitly focused on protecting democratic values – attracts talent who want meaningful impact in defense.
- **Culture**: Values include “move fast, act with conviction, do what’s right – even when it’s hard”; ground-up playbook, skeptical of conventional wisdom.
- **Growth**: 78% YoY headcount growth, 192 open roles, and rapid internal advancement.
- **Diverse team**: Combines software engineers, deep learning specialists, program managers from top companies (Palantir, Google, Amazon, BAE Systems, McKinsey).
- **Locations**: Hybrid-friendly offices in Munich, London, Paris, Berlin; also remote or flexible for some roles.
- **Perks**: Not explicitly listed, but significant investment in R&D and manufacturing suggests strong resources for tools and equipment.

## Sources
1. [helsing.ai](https://helsing.ai/)
2. [helsing.ai/careers](https://helsing.ai/careers)
3. [linkedin.com/company/helsing](https://www.linkedin.com/company/helsing)
4. [pitchbook.com/profiles/company/481513-60](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/481513-60)

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