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 Aerodynamic UAV Simulation Engineer, you will own the aerodynamic analysis and characterisation of current and future drone platforms, combining high-fidelity CFD with fast-running low-fidelity methods to support design decisions across the full development cycle. You will generate and maintain aerodynamic databases that feed directly into flight dynamics, control law and simulation workflows, and validate simulation outputs against physical test data. Working at the intersection of computational analysis and hands-on test, your work shapes airframe design from early concept through to flight-ready hardware.

The day-to-day

Build, calibrate and run low-fidelity aerodynamic models using Panel Methods, Vortex Lattice Methods and 2D boundary layer tools to rapidly evaluate early-stage concept designs, while executing high-fidelity 3D CFD simulations to resolve complex flow behaviours including rotor-wing interactions and fuselage drag

Generate, maintain and deliver comprehensive aerodynamic databases to Flight Dynamics, Control Law and Simulation teams, ensuring data quality and traceability meet programme requirements at each design milestone

Define and plan physical test setups, including wind tunnel campaigns, ground benches and flight test manoeuvres, executing validation tests in close collaboration with the Test Department and correlating sensor data back to simulation models to improve solver accuracy

Participate in airframe design reviews, providing quantitative aerodynamic feedback and guidance to Mechanical and Systems Engineering teams that directly informs structural and configuration trade-off decisions

Contribute to the automation of the simulation pipeline by scripting CAD-to-solver workflows in Python or MATLAB, reducing manual effort and accelerating design iteration cycles

You should apply if you

Have analysed and characterised aerodynamic performance of UAVs or light aerospace systems using both low-fidelity tools such as OpenVSP/VSPAERO, XFLR5/XFOIL and AVL, and commercial CFD packages such as ANSYS Fluent, StarCCM+ or OpenFOAM

Have planned and executed physical validation test campaigns, including sensor instrumentation setup and post-test data correlation, bridging simulation outputs and measured results into improved solver accuracy

Apply a strong working understanding of subsonic flight mechanics, boundary layer physics, wing design and rotorcraft-induced flow fields to inform practical design decisions

Write scripting workflows in Python or MATLAB that automate simulation processing, geometric parametrisation and data visualisation across complex aerodynamic analyses

Act decisively with minimal guidance, own outcomes end-to-end and initiate solutions without waiting for direction

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 contributing to conceptual airframe design trade studies, translating aerodynamic data into configuration-level recommendations for multidisciplinary engineering teams

Familiarity with rotor-airframe interaction modelling and the specific aerodynamic challenges of hybrid or transitioning UAV configurations

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: regular 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
A hands-on onboarding program (affectionately labelled “Infraduction”), in which you will be building tooling and applications to be used across the company. This is your opportunity to learn our tech stack, explore the company, and learn how we get things done - all whilst working with other engineering teams from day one

Aerodynamic UAV Simulation Engineer