Commercial Manager

Helsing; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence AI company in the UK is seeking a Commercial Specialist to support their mission of protecting democracies through advanced AI solutions. The role involves drafting and managing supplier contracts, preparing bid documentation, and ensuring compliance with UK Defence standards. Ideal candidates will have experience in commercial functions, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Competitive compensation and relocation support are offered.

Benefits

Competitive compensation and stock options

Relocation support

Social and education allowances

Regular company events

Regular company events

Qualifications

• Experience in supporting commercial and legal functions with contracts.
• Knowledge of UK Defence contracting standards and MoD procurement.
• Ability to track supplier compliance with contractual obligations.
• Experience preparing bid documentation and pricing schedules.
• Skills in liaising with internal teams for project management.
• Ability to prepare performance reports and conduct due diligence.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Draft and maintain supplier contracts and NDAs.
• Track supplier compliance with delivery and quality standards.
• Assist in preparing bid documentation and quotations.
• Liaise with teams to integrate supplier deliverables into plans.
• Support supplier due diligence checks for compliance.
• Prepare reports on supplier performance and risks.
• Maintain accurate supplier records and documentation.

Skills

Experience in managing supplier contracts

Knowledge of UK Defence contracting

Familiarity with security classification

Preparation of bid documentation

Liaising with internal teams

Reporting on supplier performance

Excellent command of English

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.

The role

As a Commercial Specialist, you will be instrumental in navigating the complex world of defence contracting, supporting our commercial leads and legal functions. Your work will directly enable Helsing to secure the necessary resources and collaborations, driving our mission to deliver advanced AI solutions that protect democratic societies.

The day-to-day

• Support commercial leads and the legal function in drafting, formatting, and maintaining supplier contracts, NDAs, and purchase orders in line with UK Defence contracting standards.
• Track supplier compliance with contractual obligations, including milestones, delivery, quality standards, and security clearances, escalating deviations as needed.
• Assist in preparing bid documentation from a commercial perspective, including quotations and pricing schedules for customer and partnership negotiations.
• Liaise with engineering, project, and finance teams to ensure supplier deliverables and risks are factored into wider programme plans.
• Support supplier due diligence checks, including financial health, cyber and security certifications, and export compliance status.
• Prepare reports and trackers on supplier performance and risk issues for senior commercial leads.
• Support the maintenance of accurate supplier records, including IP registers, export control licences, and assurance documentation.

You should apply if you

• Have experience supporting commercial and legal functions in drafting and managing supplier contracts, NDAs, and purchase orders.
• Possess knowledge of UK Defence contracting standards, MoD procurement frameworks, and defence conditions.
• Are familiar with security classification and handling requirements, and can track supplier compliance.
• Can assist in preparing bid documentation, quotations, and pricing schedules for negotiations.
• Have experience liaising with various internal teams to ensure supplier deliverables and risks are integrated into programme plans.
• Are adept at preparing reports and trackers on supplier performance and risk, and conducting due diligence checks.
• Have an excellent command of written and verbal English, and thrive in a fast-paced, flexible environment.

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

• A focus on outcomes, not time-tracking.
• Competitive compensation and stock options.
• Relocation support.
• Social and education allowances.
• Regular company events and all-hands to bring together employees as one team across Europe.

Helsing is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. Please do not submit personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning your health, or data concerning your sexual orientation.

Helsing's Candidate Privacy and Confidentiality Regime can be found here.