Workplace Planning Lead

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

Helsing is growing fast, and our offices must keep pace. As Workplace Planning Lead, you will apply your interior architecture expertise to shape our global office footprint. You will turn headcount plans into seating, space and capacity models across Munich, Berlin and our wider network of sites. Using CAD and capacity planning tools, you will guide expansions, relocations and consolidations. You will work with Workplace Managers, Real Estate colleagues and senior stakeholders so that teams have the space they need to deliver. This is the first global planning layer within our Workplace team, so you will also set the standards, data and ways of working that the function will scale with.

The day-to-day

• Design and maintain CAD space plans and seat and capacity models that keep every office aligned with headcount growth, and deliver space changes at pace across existing locations

• Forecast workplace demand across all sites, setting the workplace standards, seating strategies and design principles that teams plan against

• Shape real estate decisions on lease renewals, expansions and consolidations, supplying the occupancy data and capacity insights that inform negotiations and location strategy

• Plan and deliver new office openings, relocations, fit-outs and closures together with Workplace Managers, so that transitions happen with minimal disruption to teams

• Create occupancy dashboards and planning models that give leadership a clear view of utilisation, and surface opportunities to use space more efficiently

You should apply if you

• Design and plan workspaces as an interior architect, with proven expertise in space, workplace and real estate planning in an international high-growth environment

• Use CAD tools such as AutoCAD, alongside other capacity planning tools, on a daily basis

• Deliver office expansions, relocations or workplace transformations from planning through to occupation, adjusting plans quickly as priorities shift

• Translate business growth and headcount forecasts into practical space requirements, using data and simple models to support well-evidenced decisions

• Communicate clearly in German and English, and work effectively with stakeholders at every level across multiple locations

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

• Have applied LLMs or AI-enabled workflows to corporate real estate, planning or operational tasks

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 and constraints, and where robustness, safety, and ethical considerations are vital. You will face unique Engineering and AI challenges that make a meaningful impact in the world

• Our work frequently takes us right up to the state of the art in technical innovation, be it reinforcement learning, distributed systems, generative AI, or deployment infrastructure. The defence industry is entering the most exciting phase of the technological development curve. Advances in our field of world are not incremental: Helsing is part of, and often leading, historic leaps forward

• In our domain, success is a matter of order-of-magnitude improvements and novel capabilities. This means we take bets, aim high, and focus on big opportunities. Despite being a relatively young company, Helsing has already been selected for multiple significant government contracts

• We actively encourage healthy, proactive, and diverse debate internally about what we do and how we choose to do it. Teams and individual engineers are trusted (and encouraged) to practise responsible autonomy and critical thinking, and to focus on outcomes, not conformity. At Helsing you will have a say in how we (and you!) work, the opportunity to engage on what does and doesn't work, and to take ownership of aspects of our culture that you care deeply about

What we offer

• Competitive salary and VSOP options

• Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation

• Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance

• Health & wellness: gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health)

• Social: regularly company events and monthly social allowances

• Enhanced parental leave: 22 weeks fully paid for primary caregivers & 6 weeks for secondary caregivers.

• Family support: 5 days of paid family emergency leave, 100% remote work option during pregnancy and phased return to work

These are the core benefits across all locations, there may be additional benefits in certain locations.

Helsing is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. Please do not submit personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning your health, or data concerning your sexual orientation.

  Helsing's Candidate Privacy and Confidentiality Regime can be found here.