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

Finance at Helsing is being built from first principles. There are no legacy systems, no inherited processes, and no established playbooks. As Principal FP&A, you will be one of the first senior finance hires and will shape the function from the ground up — designing the planning infrastructure, the reporting architecture, the capital model, and the financial narrative that will carry Helsing through its next phase of growth.

Working as a financial partner to the CEO and CFO, you will produce the numbers that steer the business and the models that support capital allocation decisions. You will operate at the intersection of defence contract economics, cost-plus, time and materials, fixed-price, government milestone billing, and modern financial architecture. You will need to understand both, model both, and explain both to a Board that includes some of the most sophisticated investors in European technology.

The day-to-day

Financial Planning & Forecasting

Own the annual budget, multi-year long-range plan and rolling 12-month forecast, fully integrated across P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and capital plan
Design scenario models (bull / base / bear) that stress-test revenue against contract win rates, programme timelines and geopolitical variables
Lead the monthly financial review cycle, delivering clear variance analysis and management commentary against forecast and budget
Own overhead cost tracking and cross-functional cost allocation models, ensuring programme margins are correctly stated

Capital & Strategic Finance

Build and own the capital allocation framework: how Helsing decides which programmes, markets and M&A targets to invest in
Model CAPEX vs OPEX trade-offs and evaluate capital optimisation opportunities: lease vs own, build vs buy, and government or subsidised financing (EIB, export credit agencies, national defence industrial funds)
Support the CFO on term sheet analysis, financing structures and debt covenant modelling, and own working capital management across programme billing and government payment cyclesSupport the CFO on term sheet analysis, financing structures and debt covenant modelling, and own working capital management across programme billing and government payment cycles

Systems, Data & AI-First Finance

Lead the selection and implementation of Helsing's FP&A tooling, planning platform through to management reporting stack
Build AI-powered forecasting models and deploy AI agents for automated variance analysis and board reporting, reducing manual effort and deepening analytical insight
Design the finance data architecture and define the single source of truth for all financial KPIs across the organisation

You should apply if you

Have built an FP&A function without an inherited team, tools or established processes, and can speak to the planning infrastructure, reporting architecture and ways of working you put in place
Have operated in a high-growth, venture-backed or recently listed technology environment and understand the financial complexity of scaling across multiple geographies and contract types
Have selected and implemented modern FP&A tooling and take an AI-first approach to forecasting, variance analysis and reporting, consistently prioritising automation and analytical depth over manual process
Communicate the financial narrative clearly and concisely to non-financial audiences, including a Board with deep capital markets and valuation expertise
Are business-fluent in English and able to operate effectively across Helsing's multi-jurisdiction footprint

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 defence, aerospace, deep tech or dual-use technology environments, including programme accounting, government procurement cycles and the financial complexity of classified programmes
Experience working closely with a CFO or senior finance leader through a significant capital markets event or financing round
Professional qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA), MBA or CFA, particularly where the CFA supports an investor relations remit
Proficiency in SQL, Python or R for financial data work
Working proficiency in English and German or French

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.

Principal FP&A

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About the role