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Helsing is a defence AI company focused on protecting democracies through technological leadership. This role leads the entire flight test programme from early development through operational customer acceptance, serving as the strategic and operational manager for all test flight activities.
Key Responsibilities:
You will build, scale, and lead Helsing's Flight Test Management Organization while operationally steering the growing flight test team in close partnership with subsidiary Grob Aircraft. You establish structures, manage budgets and timelines, and orchestrate cross-organizational collaboration. Your primary focus is leadership, negotiation, governance, and stakeholder management.
Specific duties include:
- Joint Leadership & Governance: Build and lead the flight test organization, align roles and crew assignments, establish clear cross-company governance and decision-making frameworks
- Process Standardization & Safety: Standardize rigorous flight testing processes (Test Requests, Test Cards, Readiness Reviews, reporting) for UAVs and mission systems, supporting certification and regulatory requirements
- Campaigns, Ranges & Deployment: Coordinate flight test campaigns and budgets across multiple air programmes, manage range selection, contracting, and approvals for national/international military test ranges and segregated airspaces (ED-Rs). Direct end-to-end domestic and international UAV deployments
- End-User & Contractual Alignment: Manage contractually committed flight test milestones, represent status and deliverables in customer steering boards, coordinate strategically with military command structures
- OT&E & TaaS Development: Integrate Operational Test & Evaluation concepts, translate operational doctrines (CONOPS) into realistic test scenarios, establish Training as a Service (TaaS) concepts for operators
- Schedule Ownership & AOG Reduction: Own the flight test schedule, manage aircraft availability and maintenance downtime, provide clear visibility of planned tests, dependencies, and risks to stakeholders, partners, and customers
You bring requisite technical and flight operations foundation to assess risks and technical challenges with authority, but your day-to-day focus is on leadership, negotiation, governance, and stakeholder management. You represent the organization credibly with customers, partners, and suppliers, handling contractual and operational conversations independently.
Requirements:
- Minimum 6 years of proven track record coordinating flight test campaigns or comparable engineering test programmes in defence, aerospace, or related sectors
- Leadership experience of a flight test or similar multi-disciplinary team
- Ability to represent an organization credibly with customers, partners, and suppliers, handling contractual and operational conversations without close supervision
- Fluent in German and English (written and spoken) with technical and non-technical audiences
- University degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant subject including mechanical, industrial, or aerospace engineering
- High performer who thrives in fast-paced environments
- Collaborative, humble, and problem-solving mindset
- Willingness to travel regularly
- Ability to meet security clearance requirements according to national laws
Nice-to-have:
- Military operational background: significant prior military experience within German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr—preferably Luftwaffe, Army Aviation, or Naval Aviation) or allied armed forces (e.g., Flight Test Manager within military OT&E organization, Operational Pilot, Weapon Systems Officer, or Military Program Manager)
- Previous experience with aircraft maintenance
- Previous experience with logistics of military goods
- Fluency in Spanish
