Senior Air Programme Manager – Defence AI

EngineersOfAI; Paris; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Helsing, a defence AI company, is expanding its Airteam in France and seeks a Programme Manager to own the delivery of complex programmes spanning engineering, operations and customer engagement. You will bridge Helsing's technological capabilities with French defence acquisition and armed forces, working with DGA, the French Air Force, and Tier 1 partners.

This leadership role requires shaping commitments, translating strategy into executable plans, and delivering outcomes in a high-stakes,

Qualifications

• Own delivery of complex, high-stakes programmes spanning engineering, operations and customer engagement.
• Experience bridging technology capabilities with defence procurement and military contexts.
• Ability to translate strategic intent into executable plans in ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of Air Domain programmes in France, maintaining accountability for scope, schedule, risk and customer commitments across the full programme lifecycle.

Skills

Programme management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

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

Helsing's Airteamin France is expanding, and we are looking for aProgrammeManager tobe at the heart of it.This is a role with genuine scope: you will own the delivery of complex, high-stakesprogrammesthat span engineering,operationsand customer engagement —bridging Helsing's technology capabilities with the realities of Frenchdefenceacquisition and the French Armed Forces.

You will work directly with the DGA, the FrenchAir Force, as well as withTier 1 industrial partners, navigating an ecosystem that rewards deep relationships, institutionalfluencyand structured delivery. You will be the person our partners trust to keep commitments, and the person our internal teams rely on to translate strategic intent into executable plans. The role sits at the boundary between product, engineering and customer — which means you will need to hold all three perspectives simultaneously, push back when necessary and make things happen in an environment where ambiguity is the norm and the stakes are real.

This is not a coordination role. It is a leadership role, accountable forprogrammeoutcomes that matter.

The day-to-day

• Lead end-to-end delivery of Air Domainprogrammesin France,maintainingaccountability for scope, schedule,riskand customer commitments across the fullprogrammelifecycle