FP&A Lead

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. Finance at Helsing is being built from first principles. There are no legacy systems, no inherited processes, and no established playbooks. As FP&A Lead, you will be one of the first senior finance hires and will shape the function from the ground up - designing the planning infrastructure, the reporting architecture, the capital model, and the financial narrative that will carry Helsing through its next phase of growth. Working as a financial partner to the CEO and CFO, you will produce the numbers that steer the business and the models that support capital allocation decisions. You will operate at the intersection of defence contract economics - cost-plus, time and materials, fixed-price, government milestone billing - and modern financial architecture. You will need to understand both, model both, and explain both to a Board that includes some of the most sophisticated investors in European technology. The day-to-day Financial Planning & Forecasting Own the annual budget, multi-year long-range plan and rolling 12-month forecast - fully integrated across P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and capital plan Design scenario models (bull / base / bear) that stress-test revenue against contract win rates, programme timelines and geopolitical variables Lead the monthly financial review cycle, delivering clear variance analysis and management commentary against forecast and budget Own overhead cost tracking and cross-functional cost allocation models, ensuring programme margins are correctly stated Capital & Strategic Finance Build and own the capital allocation framework - how Helsing decides which programmes, markets and M&A targets to invest in Model CAPEX vs OPEX trade-offs and evaluate capital optimisation opportunities: lease vs own, build vs buy, and government or subsidised financing (EIB, export credit agencies, national defence industrial funds) Support the CFO on term sheet analysis, financing structures and debt covenant modelling, and own working capital management across programme billing and government payment cyclesSupport the CFO on term sheet analysis, financing structures and debt covenant modelling, and own working capital management across programme billing and government payment cycles Systems, Data & AI-First Finance Lead the selection and implementation of Helsing's FP&A tooling - planning platform through to management reporting stack Build AI-powered forecasting models and deploy AI agents for automated variance analysis and board reporting, reducing manual effort and deepening analytical insight Design the finance data architecture and define the single source of truth for all financial KPIs across the organisation You should apply if you Have built an FP&A function without an inherited team, tools or established processes - and can speak to the planning infrastructure, reporting architecture and ways of working you put in place Have operated in a high-growth, venture-backed or recently listed technology environment and understand the financial complexity of scaling across multiple geographies and contract types Have selected and implemented modern FP&A tooling and take an AI-first approach to forecasting, variance analysis and reporting - consistently prioritising automation and analytical depth over manual process Communicate the financial narrative clearly and concisely to non-financial audiences, including a Board with deep capital markets and valuation expertise Are business-fluent in English and able to operate effectively across Helsing's multi-jurisdiction footprint 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 defence, aerospace, deep tech or dual-use technology environments - including programme accounting, government procurement cycles and the financial complexity of classified programmes
• Experience working closely with a CFO or senior finance leader through a significant capital markets event

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