Prototyping Engineer

EngineersOfAI; Greater London, Oxford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Helsing seeks a Rapid Prototyping Engineer to join its defence AI hardware team in the UK. You will translate concepts into flight-ready prototypes for Helsing's advanced drone platforms and own the full build cycle from concept through field testing.

You will collaborate with design and test engineers to identify integration risks, iterate quickly, and keep the developmental fleet mission-ready with hands-on fabrication and wiring, integrating power and avionics systems.

Qualifications

• Experience with unmanned aerial systems through full lifecycle from concept to field testing.
• Strong proficiency in 3D CAD and GD&T principles.
• Hands-on fabrication, assembly, and testing of aerospace hardware.
• Experience integrating flight control platforms and avionics systems.
• Ability to work with evolving requirements and make end-to-end engineering decisions.

Responsibilities

• Design, fabricate and assemble flight‑ready prototypes for complex drone platforms.
• Modify airframes and build wiring harnesses to support rapid iteration.
• Integrate flight controllers (PX4/ArduPilot or equivalents), calibrate sensors and troubleshoot during tests.
• Plan and execute functional and lifetime test campaigns in field environments and use telemetry data to refine CAD models.
• Collaborate with design/test engineers to identify integration risks early and deliver hardware solutions.

Skills

Unmanned aerial systems experience

3D CAD proficiency

Flight control integration

Tools

SolidWorks/PDM

Siemens NX/Teamcenter

FEA software

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

As a Rapid Prototyping Engineer, you will sit at the intersection of mechanical design, electrical integration, and hardware iteration. You will translate complex concepts and incomplete designs into functional, flight-ready physical prototypes for Helsing's advanced drone platforms. Working closely with design and test engineers, you will own the full build cycle from concept through to field testing, identifying integration bottlenecks, developing custom hardware solutions, and keeping Helsing's developmental fleet operational and ready for flight. Your work directly enables faster learning cycles and more capable platforms, with tangible impact on the pace and quality of Helsing's hardware development programme.

The day-to-day

• Design, fabricate, and assemble flight-ready prototypes, covering complex folding structures, deployment mechanisms, and integrated avionics bays, translating incomplete or evolving designs into testable hardware on short timescales.
• Modify airframes, build custom electrical wiring harnesses, and integrate power distribution and avionics systems to sustain rapid iteration across Helsing's developmental drone fleet.
• Integrate and configure flight control platforms (PX4, ArduPilot, or equivalent autopilots), flash firmware, calibrate onboard sensors, and resolve system anomalies during bench and pre-flight testing.
• Plan and execute functional and lifetime test campaigns in the field, using telemetry data to close the loop between physical results and CAD model refinement, maturing prototypes through successive iterations.
• Collaborate with design and test engineers to surface integration risks early, delivering targeted hardware solutions that keep the developmental fleet on schedule and mission-ready.

You should apply if you

• Have taken unmanned aerial systems (multicopter, fixed-wing, FPV, or ISR platforms) or highly complex mechanical or robotic systems through the full cycle from concept to physical assembly to field testing.
• Are proficient in 3D CAD (SolidWorks/PDM or Siemens NX/Teamcenter) and have applied structural validation techniques, including FEA, to aerospace or UAV hardware, with a solid understanding of GD&T.
• Are skilled in workshop fabrication, with hands-on experience working with composites, metals, 3D printers, precision hand tools, and soldering stations to build, modify, and reinforce structures.
• Have practical experience integrating and troubleshooting flight control platforms, payload electronics, and power distribution systems on UAV or similarly complex platforms.
• Are comfortable working with incomplete documentation and evolving requirements, taking end-to-end ownership of outcomes and applying sound engineering judgement to keep work moving forward.

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

• Practical background flying, testing, and operating drones in field environments (multicopter, fixed-wing, or FPV), including familiarity with Hardware-in-the-Loop