Programme Procurement and Partnership Manager

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 Programme Procurement & Partnership Manager in Munich, you will own supplier and partner relationships within the CA-1 programme. You will secure timely deliveries and shape the move from a prototype-focused supplier selection to a resilient, sovereign and high-performing supply base ready for series production.

You will also set up in-service support with suppliers and shape supplier engagements for new product variants, including export versions. Working closely with programme and functional teams, you will turn procurement needs into clear plans and secure the supply that lets Helsing deliver defence capabilities to its customers.

The day-to-day

Manage supplier and partner relationships across the CA-1 programme, and secure delivery of supplier and partner commitments against agreed milestones

Transform a prototype-focused supplier selection into a resilient, sovereign and performant supply base for series production

Establish in-service support with suppliers, including performance-based logistics arrangements with clear service levels

Support the development of new product variants, including export versions and additional capabilities, by shaping supplier engagements

Capture procurement needs, align them with programme and functional stakeholders, and track deliveries against scope, cost and time

You should apply if you

Negotiate supplier agreements that balance commercial, technical and delivery requirements

Manage supplier engagements from plan to delivery, tracking scope, cost and time with clear reporting

Apply export control rules to supplier engagements and product variants

Handle security requirements in supply chains, including the protection of sensitive information

Have worked on Defence Aerospace programmes and understand their procurement and assurance demands

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

Experience in Supply Base transition from Development to Production and In Services Phases

Project Management Certification (e.g. PMP)

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
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