- Salary
- €500 – €450
- Location
- Canberra
- Seniority
- Senior
- Education
- Master
- Clearance
- Required
Description
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
As Chief of Staff for Australia & Indo-Pacific, you will be the primary operational partner to our Head of Region, who is intensely focused externally - engaging Defence Ministers, advising flag officers, and driving business-winning campaigns across seven nations: Australia, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, and the Pacific Islands.
You will own the internal machinery that makes this strategy executable - the connective tissue between field strategy, the regional leadership team, and our global headquarters in Europe.
The day-to-day
- Translate regional strategy into concrete operational milestones, rhythms, and cross-functional action plans
- Own internal gate reviews, stage-gate processes, and bid approvals across active campaigns, working closely with Commercial, Finance, and GRC
- Ensure matrixed delivery teams, technical architects, and domain leads are aligned ahead of critical customer milestones and internal decision gates
- Prepare the Head of Region for all high-stakes engagements, removing bottlenecks and shielding them from operational drag
- Serve as the proactive link between the Indo-Pacific theatre and European HQ leadership, ensuring regional initiatives are visible and prioritised globally
- Build trust across global business units and keep a pulse on HQ strategy and organisational shifts to keep the region aligned
- Champion the unique regulatory environment and multi-domain priorities of the Indo-Pacific back to European functions
- Help orchestrate complex, parallel campaigns across seven countries and multiple domains
- Facilitate weekly, monthly, and quarterly business reviews for the Indo-Pacific leadership team
- Lead rapid-turnaround special projects - from regional entity expansion to market-entry analysis and strategic partner integrations
You should apply if you
- 7+ years in high-growth technology, tier-1 consulting, defence/aerospace, or complex multinational environments
- A proven track record as Chief of Staff, Strategic/Business Operations lead, or senior Programme Manager supporting C-level or regional MD-level executives
- Demonstrated success operating in a global matrix structure, where regional execution depends on distributed HQ and functional buy-in
- Exceptional EQ and organisational savvy - you read the room, understand power dynamics, and build consensus across cultural and functional boundaries
- Comfort running governance cadences, pipeline reviews, and bid processes without getting lost in bureaucracy
- The ability to debate strategy with executive peers in the morning and draft a stage-gate submission in the afternoon
- A proactive, independent operating style - you anticipate blind spots and resolve friction before it escalates
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
- Familiarity with defence procurement, military bid gates, or government contracting in Australia/Indo-Pacific is a plus
- Australian citizenship, with eligibility to obtain and maintain an Australian Government Security Clearance (Baseline / NV1 or equivalent)
Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields
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Helsing’s work is important. You’ll be directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Competitive salary and VSOP options
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Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation
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Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance
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Health & wellness: gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health)
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Social: regularly company events and monthly social allowances
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Enhanced parental leave: 22 weeks fully paid for primary caregivers & 6 weeks for secondary caregivers.
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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.
