Product Manager, Autonomous Systems Command & Control at Helsing

Munich - BerlinFull-timeMarketPosted about 2 months ago

About the Role

<h2>Who we are</h2> <div> 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.  </div> <h2>The role</h2> <div> We are looking for a Product Manager to own the product vision and roadmap for the Command & Control (C2) systems and Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) that operators use to task, monitor, and collaborate with autonomous combat air systems. You will define how a single operator commands complex, multi-platform autonomy—turning high-level operator intent into effective, mission-ready capability. You will sit at the intersection of operators, engineers, and designers, translating real operational needs into a coherent product. This is a role for someone who understands both the mission and the software, and who can bring clarity and pace to an ambitious, fast-evolving C2 landscape. </div> <h2>The day-to-day</h2> <ul class="ak-ul" data-local-id="bbb55a72-6745-4ba9-8bbd-c7391b984c0e" data-indent-level="1"> <li> Own the C2 and HMI product roadmap: Define, prioritize, and drive the roadmap for command & control workflows and operator interfaces. Balance operational impact, technical feasibility, and programme milestones into a clear, executable plan. </li> <li> Ground the product in operational reality: Work directly with operators and domain experts to capture mission workflows, tasking concepts, and human-autonomy teaming requirements. Translate these into crisp product requirements and user stories. </li> <li> Partner with engineering and design: Work day-to-day with engineers and UX designers to shape intuitive, high-tempo interfaces for supervising autonomous behavior, managing mission state, and maintaining operator situational awareness. </li> <li> Drive C2 interoperability: Own the product strategy for integrating with upstream air C2 systems and mission planning tools used by air forces, ensuring our capability plugs cleanly into existing command chains and data flows. </li> <li> Manage stakeholders and delivery: Align internal teams, external partners, and customers around a shared vision. Communicate roadmap, trade-offs, and progress clearly to both technical and operational audiences. </li> </ul> <h2 id="You’ll-do-great-if-you….3" data-renderer-start-pos="15247">You should apply if you</h2> <ul class="ak-ul" data-local-id="295e1f9a-e730-4625-84ac-ece5ca4e32d8" data-indent-level="1"> <li> Have shipped complex software products: You bring 5+ years of product management experience delivering technically demanding software, ideally involving real-time systems, operator-facing HMIs, or mission-critical workflows. </li> <li> Translate user needs into product: You have a strong track record of working directly with users and experts to turn ambiguous operational problems into well-defined, high-impact product requirements. </li> <li> Work fluently with engineering and design: You are comfortable in deep technical discussions and can partner effectively with engineers and designers to make sharp trade-offs on scope, architecture, and UX. </li> <li> Think in systems and interoperability: You understand how software integrates into a broader ecosystem and can drive product decisions around interfaces, data exchange, and upstream/downstream dependencies. </li> <li> Bring clarity to ambiguity: You are a first-principles thinker who thrives in fast-moving environments where established playbooks do not yet exist. </li> <li> Are fluent in English and German. </li> <li> Are based in or willing to relocate to Munich, with the flexibility to travel to operator, partner, and customer sites. </li> <li> Hold a valid work permit for Germany and are able and willing to obtain a German government security clearance (SÜ2). </li> </ul> 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. <h2>Nice to Have</h2> <ul class="ak-ul" data-local-id="632ff112-1eb9-4a22-9485-7d525c1c95e6" data-indent-level="1"> <li> Familiarity with C2 interoperability standards such as UCI (Universal Command and Control Interface) or STANAG-4586. </li> <li> Prior experience in the defense or aerospace domain, or working closely with military operators. </li> <li> Understanding of autonomy, human-autonomy teaming, or manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) concepts. </li> </ul> <h2>Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields </h2> <ul> <li> Helsing’s work is important. You’ll be directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns </li> <li> 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 </li> <li> 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 </li> <li> 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 </li> <li> 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 </li> </ul> <h2 id="What-we-offer" data-renderer-start-pos="3238">What we offer</h2> <ul> <li> Competitive salary and VSOP options </li> <li> Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation </li> <li> Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance </li> <li> Health & wellness: gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health) </li> <li> Social: regularly company events and monthly social allowances </li> <li> Enhanced parental leave: 22 weeks fully paid for primary caregivers & 6 weeks for secondary caregivers. </li> <li> Family support: 5 days of paid family emergency leave, 100% remote work option during pregnancy and phased return to work </li> </ul> 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.<div class="content-conclusion"><div> </div> <div>Helsing's Candidate Privacy and Confidentiality Regime can be found <a href="https://helsing.ai/candidate-privacy-and-confidentiality-regime/" target="_blank">here</a>. </div> <div> </div> <div> </div></div>

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