UK Defence Programme Manager – AI & Hardware Delivery

Helsing; Greater London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Relocation support

Learning allowance

Health & wellness

Social events

Enhanced parental leave

Family support

Job summary

Helsing is seeking a Programme Manager (Land domain) to run a workstream within a complex defence programme in the United Kingdom. You will own relationships with customers and partners, coordinate across Helsing's engineering, commercial and operations teams, and drive delivery milestones while maintaining robust risk and reporting practices.

You will manage live trials, field demonstrations, and logistics, ensure safety and regulatory compliance, and lead cross‑functional teams to meet

Qualifications

• Have proven experience delivering into UK defence programmes, with a strong track record in hardware delivery (or hybrid hardware/software systems) on formal Programmes of Record, ideally across multiple complete delivery cycles.
• Possess deep, practical knowledge of the UK MoD Acquisition Lifecycle, including the CADMID cycle, Acquisition System Guidance (ASG), and DE&S gated reviews.
• Have practical experience leading live trials, field demonstrations, or range tests in rigorous operational defence environments.
• Demonstrate solid exposure to Defence Safety Case management and environmental qualification standards (e.g., Def Stan 00-035, MIL-STD-810).
• Have managed complex supply chains, including Tier 1/2 manufacturing partners and hardware subcontractors, with working knowledge of ITAR and UK Export Control Regulations.
• Apply structured project management methodologies to build and manage detailed schedules, Gantt charts, and risk frameworks in high-accountability engineering environments
• Hold an active UK Security Clearance (SC), or are fully eligible and willing to undergo the UK national security vetting process
• Communicate with full fluency in English (written and spoken) and are willing to travel regularly across trials, test ranges, and supplier sites

Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end technical programme delivery using structured project management methods, owning master schedules, Gantt charts, critical path analyses, and milestone tracking.
• Navigate MoD gated review processes (DE&S reviews, CADMID cycle, ASG), ensuring all technical, qualification, and contractual entry/exit criteria are rigorously fulfilled.
• Plan and lead live customer trials, range tests, and field demonstrations, coordinating operational logistics, safety protocols, and cross‑functional engineering support on‑site.
• Oversee Safety Case management and qualification testing workflows, ensuring compliance with standards such as Def Stan 00-035 and MIL-STD-810.
• Manage Tier 1 and Tier 2 hardware subcontractors, fabrication partners, and component suppliers, ensuring on‑time delivery while maintaining strict compliance with ITAR and UK Export Control Regulations.
• Maintain programme risk and opportunity registers, surfacing technical and supply chain bottlenecks early to execute swift, structured mitigation actions.
• Provide clear, data‑driven technical progress reporting and dashboards to senior leadership and technical customer counterparts.

Skills

Programme management

Stakeholder management

Hardware delivery

Risk management

Supply chain

Travel willingness

Structured PM methods

Tools

Gantt charts

MoD processes

Job description

Helsing is seeking a Programme Manager (Land domain) to run a workstream within a complex defence programme in the United Kingdom. You will own relationships with customers and partners, coordinate across Helsing's engineering, commercial and operations teams, and drive delivery milestones while maintaining robust risk and reporting practices.

You will manage live trials, field demonstrations, and logistics, ensure safety and regulatory compliance, and lead cross‑functional teams to meet