Manufacturing Engineer - Production

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

The Manufacturing Engineer plays a pivotal, strategic role at the intersection of product design and production reality. This position is central to defining how products will be manufactured, ensuring their robust and efficient realization from concept through to scalable production. The Manufacturing Engineer proactively collaborates with design engineering to guarantee manufacturability (DFM/DFA) from the earliest stages, meticulously plans and optimizes manufacturing processes, defines optimal cycle times, identifies and mitigates potential bottlenecks, and oversees the successful implementation of new production lines and technologies. Their expertise ensures that innovative designs can be transformed into high-quality, cost-effective, and scalable products.

The day-to-day

• Strategic Process Definition & Realization: Lead the definition, design, and realization of new and optimized manufacturing processes for new product introductions (NPI) or significant design changes. This includes selecting appropriate manufacturing technologies, developing process flows, and defining specific operational sequences.

• Design for Manufacturability (DFM/DFA) Leadership: Serve as the primary manufacturing interface with Design Engineering from the conceptual phase onwards. Provide critical and proactive input on Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) to ensure product designs are inherently optimized for efficient, high-quality, and cost-effective production before release.

• Capacity & Cycle Time Planning: Conduct detailed analysis and planning for manufacturing capacities, define optimal cycle times (Taktzeiten) for new production steps or lines, and perform line balancing to achieve target throughput and efficiency.

• Bottleneck Identification & Mitigation: Proactively identify potential bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and risks in planned manufacturing processes and line layouts. Develop and propose alternative solutions, process improvements, or equipment strategies to prevent future production constraints.

• Tooling, Equipment & Automation Specification: Define the requirements for, and support the design, procurement, and qualification of new manufacturing tools, fixtures, jigs, and production equipment, including automation solutions tailored to the defined processes.

• New Product Introduction (NPI) & Ramp-up: Develop comprehensive manufacturing plans for NPI, oversee the setup and validation of new production lines, manage pilot runs, and support the successful ramp-up to full-scale production, ensuring process stability and yield targets are met.

• Process Validation & Control: Establish robust process control plans and conduct thorough validation activities (e.g., IQ/OQ/PQ) and statistical process capability studies (CpK, PpK) for new and modified processes to ensure consistent quality and performance.

• Documentation & Standardization: Create and maintain precise manufacturing documentation, including detailed work instructions, process flow diagrams, routings, process specifications, and technical reports, ensuring standardized and reproducible manufacturing operations.

• Continuous Improvement & Lean Application: Apply Lean Manufacturing principles (e.g., Value Stream Mapping, SMED, Poka-Yoke) and Six Sigma methodologies to continuously refine and optimize newly implemented or existing processes, focusing on waste reduction and efficiency gains.

• Technical Expertise & Collaboration: Provide expert technical guidance and support during the implem