Director of Finance at Helsing

Washington, DCFull-timeFinancePosted 11 days ago

About the Role

<h2>Who we are</h2> <div> Helsing develops artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities to protect and defend democracies. We are growing our US operations, cultivating an ambitious and committed team of mission-driven professionals to apply their skills to solve challenging problems.  </div> <h2>The role</h2> <div>Are you ready to share the financial future of a company on the forefront of national security innovation? As the Director of Finance for Helsing’s US Business, you will serve as a strategic architect during a pivotal growth phase – building scalable financial infrastructure, driving data-informed decisions, and partnering directly with executive leadership and our European team to build US and global processes and organization. This is more than spreadsheets and forecasts; it’s an opportunity to make a tangible impact in the Defense Tech space while navigating the unique complexities of operating under a Special Security Agreement.  If you thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes environments where your work directly enables breakthrough technologies for the warfighter, we want to hear from you.  </div> <h2>The day-to-day</h2> <ul> <li>Lead all financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management to support rapid scaling and strategic objectives for the US Subsidiary of Helsing </li> <li>Work with the Global Finance team to design scalable processes the foster connectivity and alignment between geographies  </li> <li>Develop and present financial analyses, KPIs, and board-level reporting that drive executive decision-making and investor confidence </li> <li>Ensure full compliance with SSA governance requirements, maintaining appropriate separation protocols while optimizing financial operations across the organization </li> <li>Lead the identification and capture of federal, state, and local incentives tied to manufacturing CAPEX and OPEX—including accelerated depreciation, R&D credits, and NOL strategies </li> <li>Partner with technical and procurement teams to design cost-efficient U.S. supply chain, intercompany, and contracting structures that satisfy federal and/or state procurement requirements, while developing strategies to recover or minimize tariff exposure on imported goods and materials </li> <li>Serve as the financial lead for U.S. manufacturing stand-up, establishing sound CAPEX/OPEX, procurement, and intercompany frameworks from inception </li> <li>Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing finance team capable of supporting our growth trajectory </li> <li>Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Contracts, and Program Management to ensure financial alignment on government and commercial contracts </li> <li>Manage relationships with external auditors, tax advisors, and banking partners; oversee annual audits and regulatory filings </li> <li>Support M&A activities including due diligence, financial modeling, integration planning, and post-acquisition optimization </li> </ul> <h2 id="You’ll-do-great-if-you….3" data-renderer-start-pos="15247">You should apply if you</h2> <ul> <li>You have 10+ years of progressive finance experience, with at least 3 years in a leadership role </li> <li>You have built processes and systems from scratch  </li> <li>You've operated within the Defense, Aerospace, or National Security technology sector and understand the nuances of government contracting </li> <li>Prior experience reporting to a Board of Directors or foreign parent company stakeholders under governance constraints </li> <li>You've built or scaled finance functions at a startup or high-growth company and know how to balance scrappiness with rigor </li> <li>You possess strong command of financial modeling, scenario planning, and capital allocation strategies </li> <li>You communicate complex financial concepts with clarity and influence to technical and non-technical stakeholders alike </li> <li>You're energized by ambiguity, thrive under pressure, and are motivated by mission-driven work </li> </ul> Note: We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the listed qualifications; ability and impact cannot be summarized in a few bullet points.  <h2>Nice to Have</h2> <ul> <li>M&A transaction experience (buy-side or sell-side), including financial due diligence, integration, and synergy realization </li> <li>CPA, CFA, or MBA from a top-tier program </li> <li>Familiarity with FAR/DFARS, DCAA audit requirements, and incurred cost submissions </li> <li>Background working with cleared facilities, FOCI mitigation, and DSS/DCSA interactions </li> <li>Proficiency with ERP systems (NetSuite, Deltek Costpoint, or similar) and FP&A tools </li> <li>You have direct experience working under a Special Security Agreement (SSA) or Proxy Agreement structure with a foreign-owned parent company </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 defense 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 practice 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> A focus on outcomes, not time-tracking </li> <li> A generous compensation and benefits package (in addition to base salary) that includes, but may not be limited to, insurance coverage (medical and travel), flexible paid time off, paid holidays, and remote and/or hybrid work available depending on position. All compensation and benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the underlying plans or programs, as applicable and as may be amended, terminated or superseded from time to time. </li> <li>Growth toward global roles in our Finance organization</li> </ul> The base salary offered to the successful candidate will be determined by a variety of factors including relevant experience, qualifications, education, skill level, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.    Helsing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetics, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.  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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