Head of FP&A

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

Finance at Helsing is built from first principles. There are no legacy systems, no inherited processes, and no established playbooks. As our Head of FP&A, you will be a critical senior finance leader shaping the function from the ground up. You will design the global planning infrastructure, the reporting architecture, the capital model, and the financial narrative that will steer Helsing through its next multi-billion-dollar phases of growth.

Working as a strategic financial partner to the CEO, CFO, and Executive Committee, you will produce the models that drive capital allocation decisions across both software and advanced manufacturing domains. You will operate at the intersection of high-growth tech finance and defence-contract economics, modeling and balancing cost-plus, time & materials, fixed-price, and government milestone billing. You will translate complex operational realities into a cohesive financial narrative for a Board that includes some of the world's most sophisticated technology and growth investors.

The day-to-day

• Own the global budget, multi-year strategic plans, and rolling forecast cycles, fully integrated across P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, and capital plans
• Model financial outcomes for Helsing's advanced manufacturing footprints (e.g., "Resilience Factories" across Europe and the US), assessing factory ramp-up costs, supply chain/inventory dynamics, and capital expenditure vs. operating expenditure trade-offs
• Design pricing, revenue recognition, and margin models that accommodate various defence contract types (fixed-price incentive, cost-plus-fixed-fee, milestone-based government billing) under relevant local standards (e.g., German MoD/UK MoD/US GAAP regulations)
• Build robust scenario analyses (bull/base/bear) that stress-test revenue, manufacturing output, supply chain resilience, contract win-rates, and geopolitical/procurement variables
• Lead monthly financial review cycles, delivering clear variance analysis (material cost, labour, overheads) and commercial insight against budgets and forecasts
• Experience working closely with a CFO/executive team through a major corporate event, such as a large capital markets transaction, IPO preparation, or substantial growth-funding round

Capital Allocation & Strategic Finance

• Build and own the capital allocation framework, evaluating ROI and business cases for new hardware programs, R&D initiatives, factory expansions, and potential M&A targets
• Support the CFO in optimizing massive working capital requirements tied to long-term government payment cycles and milestone-based defence contracts
• Assist in evaluating diverse financing structures, debt covenant modeling, and government or subsidised financing opportunities (e.g., European Investment Bank, national export credit agencies, and defence industrial funds)

Systems, Data & AI-First Finance

• Lead the selection, design, and implementation of Helsing's global FP&A platform, connecting it seamlessly with manufacturing ERPs and business intelligence tools
• Spearhead an AI-first approach to corporate finance, deploying AI agents and forecasting models to automate variance commentary and board reporting, moving the team from manual reporting to proactive analytical depth

You should apply if you

• Proven strong experience in FP&A, Strategic Finance, or Corporate Finance, with a clear track record of progressive leadership in high-growth, venture-backed, or recently listed technology/industrial environments
• Proven track record of blending high-level strategic planning with a hands-on approach to monthly reporting, variance analysis
• Proven ability to build an FP&A or corporate finance function from scratch without inherited playbooks or tools, scaling the infrastructure to support highly complex business models. Add implementing system and tools to manage FP&A area
• Direct experience managing financial planning for physical manufacturing (ideally in aerospace, defence, deep tech, or automotive) coupled with complex government contracts (cost-plus, fixed-price, milestone billing)
• A strong passion for