Lead Systems Engineer - LO Emission Control & RF Interoperability

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.

As the Lead Engineer for Low Observability & RF Interoperability, you will spearhead the effort to minimise the system’s electromagnetic signature whilst ensuring all RF systems co‑exist without degradation. Your core responsibilities involve developing low‑signature operational concepts, managing RF deconfliction, and leading system‑level integration and verification. This role is pivotal in guaranteeing mission‑critical performance and resilience, particularly within contested electronic warfare environments.

• Design and own emission control (deconfliction and LPD) for overall system (airborne platform and ground components)
• Own day‑to‑day RF interoperability across airborne payloads (radar/AESA, RWR/ESM, datalinks, SATCOM/LOS radios, GNSS, IFF, telemetry), ensuring co‑existence without mutual degradation.
• Plan and execute EMC/EMI co‑site assessments: interference mapping, blocker/intermod analysis, desense risk, harmonic/spur management, and mitigation recommendations.
• Define and manage frequency plans, channelization, guard bands, time‑sharing concepts, and emission control (EMCON) profiles for mission phases.
• Own LO/signature‑aware EW design for active and passive sensors.
• Establish LPI/LPD and signature‑aware operation concepts: passive‑first tactics, emitter reporting policies, and mission‑level sensor management to reduce detectability.
• Drive interface control between sensors and comms.
• Develop integration concepts for antenna placement, isolation, polarization, and cable routing to meet performance while respecting platform constraints.
• Run system‑level trade studies.
• Create integration and verification test plans.
• Ensure comms and sensing operate under contested EW conditions: resilience analysis (jamming, spoofing, interference), fallback modes, and graceful degradation behaviour.
• Coordinate with LO/structures teams to ensure RF designs support low observability: antenna/aperture treatments, radome effects, edge treatments, cavity resonance controls, and RCS impact trade‑offs.
• Assess and reduce unintentional emissions (spurs, leakage, clock radiation) that could compromise LO signatures; drive mitigation via layout, shielding, filtering, and software controls.
• Define requirements for signature‑aware operation: LPI/LPD waveform constraints (where applicable), transmit power management, directional comms usage, and mission‑dependent RF profiles.
• Perform requirements traceability from platform‑level performance goals (range, sensitivity, datalink margin, LO constraints) to subsystem specs and verification evidence.
• Lead cross‑functional issue resolution: root‑cause RF anomalies, coordinate vendor actions, track corrective actions, and close with verified test results.
• Manage supplier/customer technical exchanges on RF topics: review test reports, negotiate margins, and ensure compliance with platform constraints and standards.

• Hold a relevant degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
• Have experience in delivering RF/EMC co‑site interoperability on airborne platforms.
• Have hands‑on experience with multi‑sensor RF integration (AESA radar, ESM/RWR, datalinks/SATCOM/LOS radios, GNSS, IFF).
• Can run interference/desense/intermod analyses and turn results into practical mitigations (filters, blanking,…