(Senior) Programme Manager - Land at Helsing in Berlin, Berlin, DE

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

As Senior Programme Manager for Helsing's Land domain, you will lead a complex, high-stakes defence programme. You are the primary interface for military customers, procurement agencies, and defence industry partners (Primes). Because you must navigate the realities of European land defence from day one, an established track record within the defence sector is required. Drawing on your knowledge of military procurement lifecycles and Helsing's capabilities, you will own senior stakeholder relationships and drive technical and commercial delivery. You will align cross-functional teams across multi-year timelines, report performance to leadership, and mitigate risks before they affect mission delivery.

The day-to-day

• Own Defence Relationships: Serve as the primary point of contact for senior military customers, procurement bodies (e.g. BAAINBw), and industry partners, ensuring contractual commitments are met at every milestone
• Drive Governance: Maintain programme roadmaps and steering dashboards, tracking KPIs across engineering milestones, military certification gates, and strict defence contract obligations
• Lead Commercials: Manage commercial engagement within defence procurement frameworks, driving follow-on opportunities, leading proposals, and protecting the programme’s value proposition
• Orchestrate Delivery: Align Helsing's engineering, commercial, and operational teams autonomously across multi-quarter and multi-year lifecycles
• Mitigate Risks: Monitor technical, regulatory, and integration risks, delivering clear course-correction plans to leadership before timelines are impacted

You should apply if you

• Proven Defence Track Record: Multiple years of experience managing end-to-end programme delivery specifically within the defence sector (via a Prime, defence tech, armed forces, or procurement agency)

• Ecosystem Mastery: Proven ability to own senior relationships across MoDs, armed forces, and industrial consortia, navigating multi-party defence environments with commercial and political clarity

• Execution Rigour: Strong track record of building steering mechanisms, risk frameworks, and executive reporting in regulated environments

• Clearance & Languages: Full fluency in English and German (C1 minimum) to negotiate with local (military) stakeholders; Willingness to travel regularly, and ability to immediately obtain (or currently hold) national security clearance

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

• Hold a PMP/PRINCE2 certification (or equivalent)

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

These are the core benefits across all locations; there may be additional benefits in specific sites.

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.