Prototyping Engineer

As a Rapid Prototyping Engineer, you will sit at the intersection of mechanical design, electrical integration, and hardware iteration. You will translate complex concepts and incomplete designs into functional, flight-ready physical prototypes for Helsing's advanced drone platforms. Working closely with design and test engineers, you will own the full build cycle from concept through to field testing, identifying integration bottlenecks, developing custom hardware solutions, and keeping Helsing's developmental fleet operational and ready for flight. Your work directly enables faster learning cycles and more capable platforms, with tangible impact on the pace and quality of Helsing's hardware development programme.

The day-to-day

• Design, fabricate, and assemble flight-ready prototypes, covering complex folding structures, deployment mechanisms, and integrated avionics bays, translating incomplete or evolving designs into testable hardware on short timescales.
• Modify airframes, build custom electrical wiring harnesses, and integrate power distribution and avionics systems to sustain rapid iteration across Helsing's developmental drone fleet.
• Integrate and configure flight control platforms (PX4, ArduPilot, or equivalent autopilots), flash firmware, calibrate onboard sensors, and resolve system anomalies during bench and pre-flight testing.
• Plan and execute functional and lifetime test campaigns in the field, using telemetry data to close the loop between physical results and CAD model refinement, maturing prototypes through successive iterations.
• Collaborate with design and test engineers to surface integration risks early, delivering targeted hardware solutions that keep the developmental fleet on schedule and mission-ready.

You should apply if you

• Have taken unmanned aerial systems (multicopter, fixed-wing, FPV, or ISR platforms) or highly complex mechanical or robotic systems through the full cycle from concept to physical assembly to field testing.
• Are proficient in 3D CAD (SolidWorks/PDM or Siemens NX/Teamcenter) and have applied structural validation techniques, including FEA, to aerospace or UAV hardware, with a solid understanding of GD&T.
• Are skilled in workshop fabrication, with hands-on experience working with composites, metals, 3D printers, precision hand tools, and soldering.