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Helsing is a defence AI company on a mission to protect democracies through technological leadership. You will be the first Procurement Manager to build Helsing's sourcing playbook for Professional Services, External Workforce, and Marketing from the ground up, working directly with People, Legal, and Marketing leadership.
Your role is to establish radical visibility across global hubs, centralizing how the company engages external talent, negotiates rate cards and statements of work (SOWs), and ensures workforce compliance. Procurement at Helsing is positioned as a catalyst for speed and impact, not bureaucracy.
Day-to-day responsibilities include:
• Define and execute category strategies with end-to-end commercial ownership across Professional Services, Legal, Events, Marketing, and Contingent Workforce
• Lead and independently close high-stakes negotiations in the high six- to seven-figure range (consulting MSAs, executive search terms, exhibition frame agreements)
• Build commercial frameworks including rate-card architectures, clean MSA/SOW structures, capped contingency fee tiers (no-cure-no-pay models), and clear performance KPIs
• Ensure strict compliance with German labor regulations (AÜG), including maximum leasing periods, Equal Pay requirements, and clear demarcation between Werkverträgen (SOWs) and temp labor/freelancing
• Model spend cubes and category baselines independently from raw AP/creditor data exports
• Partner at eye-level with senior stakeholders across Marketing, People/Talent, Legal, and Finance, challenging and collaborating while protecting commercial interests
You will thrive in a greenfield environment, building processes and frameworks without established playbooks or dedicated operational support. The role offers the opportunity to shape how a high-growth, mission-driven defence tech company scales its commercial operations.
REQUIREMENTS:
• 3+ years of experience in strategic procurement or sourcing, with focus on Professional Services, HR, Marketing/Agencies, or Contingent Workforce
• Proven track record of high-stakes negotiations in the high six- to seven-figure range (consulting MSAs, executive search terms, exhibition contracts)
• Strong expertise in commercial deal structuring, including rate card architectures, MSA/SOW frameworks, and capped no-cure-no-pay fee models
• Solid practical understanding of the German labor leasing framework (AÜG), including maximum assignment durations, Equal Pay, and strict demarcation between Werkverträgen and labor leasing
• Comfortable with hands-on data modeling; ability to build clean spend cubes directly from raw AP/creditor exports in Excel
• Strong stakeholder management skills with confidence to push back on Marketing, HR, and Legal on commercial terms while fostering trusted partnerships
• Proven delivery in greenfield, fast-moving environments without established procurement playbooks or dedicated operational support
• Business fluent in both German and English
• Willing and eligible to undergo national security vetting (German Ü2/Ü3 or equivalent)
NICE TO HAVE:
• Experience designing, implementing, or operating VMS/MSP frameworks for contingent workforce management
• Background in strategic sourcing within Defence, Aerospace, or other highly regulated sectors
• Hands-on experience in legal sourcing, panel setups, and fee structures for external counsel
• Familiarity with SAP S/4HANA and modern intake-to-procure/P2P systems (ZIP, Omnea, Lio, Pivot)
• Prior experience driving software rationalization and consolidation across HR-Tech or MarTech license portfolios
