Head of Accounting

About the role

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. As Head of Accounting, you will lead Helsing's international accounting function at a pivotal moment in the company's growth. Reporting directly to the Group Financial Director, you will own the full scope of the accounting department - from the integrity of financial records and regulatory compliance, to the design of the processes and systems that underpin reliable reporting across multiple entities and jurisdictions. This is a role with genuine organisational influence: you will shape how Helsing's finance infrastructure scales, partnering with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure that our financial operations are as robust and mission-ready as the technology we build. You will also lead and develop a geographically distributed team, creating the conditions for them to do their best work. The day-to-day Lead, develop, and support an international accounting team, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment across multiple locations Own the timely and accurate preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements, ensuring consistency and reliability of reporting across the group Manage statutory filings under HGB and consolidated accounts under IFRS - including complex areas such as IFRS 15 - in close collaboration with internal and external partners across relevant legal jurisdictions Oversee general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and asset accounting, maintaining the accuracy and integrity of all financial records Architect and continuously improve internal finance workflows, leveraging automation and AI-powered tooling to increase speed, accuracy, and scalability Ensure full compliance with applicable legal, tax, and regulatory obligations, including VAT returns and statistical reporting Serve as the primary point of contact for auditors, tax advisers, banks, and tax authorities, managing these relationships with clarity and rigour Support liquidity planning and monitor payment transactions as part of broader cash management responsibilities Drive the development and optimisation of SAP and other finance-relevant platforms to support a scaling, multi-entity business You should apply if you Have extensive experience in accounting leadership, with a track record of managing and developing international teams through periods of significant organisational change Have delivered multi-entity IFRS consolidations and hold in-depth knowledge of IFRS 15, alongside strong working knowledge of German GAAP (HGB) Have operated within a Big 4 environment, bringing the rigour and breadth of technical accounting expertise that context demands Have navigated the accounting complexities of a pre-IPO or recently listed company, and understand what it takes to build finance infrastructure that can scale at pace Are proficient in SAP and associated sub-tools, and are comfortable working across ERP environments to manage and improve finance operations Are business-fluent in German and fluent in English, enabling seamless collaboration with a distributed, international team and a broad stakeholder group 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.

Requirements

• Familiarity with the defence sector and associated export regulations
• ACA, CPA, or equivalent professional accounting qualification
• Experience implementing new ERP systems or embedding financial AI tooling into existing workflows
• Experience working with Business Intelligence platforms such as Tableau or Power BI for financial data analysis
• A track record of building or restructuring accounting teams and processes during periods of rapid growth
• 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 an

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