Multimodal Sensing Test Engineer

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 You will sit in the Optics Cluster of the Test Department, with a scope that crosses cluster boundaries. Sensing subsystems are not purely optical problems. They sit at the intersection of optics, electronics, embedded software, and mechanical integration. An EO camera in perfect focus but misaligned with the LiDAR produces dangerous data. An LWIR sensor that passes standalone characterisation but fails next to a hot avionics bay tells a different story on the airframe. You will act as a sensing system architect for test. You will translate sensing requirements into structured test cases, specify the optical, electrical, and mechanical ground support equipment (OGSE, EGSE, MGSE) needed to run them, and serve as the department's technical authority on sensor synchronisation, calibration, and multimodal data quality. Your work covers the full lifecycle: prototype characterisation, production acceptance, supplier evaluation, and in-service root cause analysis. The truth is in the field. The day-to-day Characterise EO systems: MTF, SNR, dynamic range, distortion, vignetting, and spectral response, using collimators, integrating spheres, resolution targets, and calibrated light sources. Characterise LWIR systems: NETD, spatial resolution, uniformity, and dynamic range with calibrated blackbodies, including the impact of self-heating across the operational temperature range. Characterise LiDAR systems: range accuracy and precision, angular resolution, detection probability, and false-alarm rate under representative ambient light, target reflectivity, atmospheric, and vibration conditions. Specify, procure, commission, and maintain OGSE, EGSE, and MGSE. Own calibration traceability. Run temporal synchronisation campaigns across EO, LWIR, and LiDAR. Characterise trigger latency, PPS accuracy, and timestamp drift over mission duration. Execute intrinsic, extrinsic, and temporal calibration across modalities. Design multi-modal fiducial targets visible to EO, LWIR, and LiDAR at once. Assess calibration stability after thermal cycling, vibration, and simulated ageing, and set re-calibration intervals for production. Produce first-article characterisation reports for new sensor deliveries. Evaluate alternative sensor configurations to support design trade-offs. Develop and supervise acceptance test procedures for production units within required cycle time. Monitor yield for systematic trends and initiate non-conformance where needed. Assess new sensor suppliers. Review datasheets and qualification reports, characterise engineering samples, define qualification test campaigns, and produce supplier qualification reports. Act as the test department's technical contact for supplier engineering teams. Investigate sensing failures reported from fielded products. Reproduce failures in the lab, isolate root cause across sensor, calibration, software, or integration, and verify corrective actions. Feed validated sensor models, calibration parameters, and timing characterisations to the software team for the sensor fusion pipeline. Coordinate with the Environmental and Electrical clusters to sequence qualification correctly. Keep test firmware and scripts under Git with clear branching, tagging, and release management. Produce validation records for critical test tools used in certification. Write documentation any engineer in the department can use without you present. You should apply if you Must have skills: EO systems: quantitative grasp of MTF, SNR, dynamic range, spectral response, and radiometric calibration, with hands-on MTF measurement using slanted-edge or resolution target methods. LWIR systems: quantitative grasp of NETD, spatial resolution, non-uniformity correction, and radiometric calibration with blackbodies. LiDAR systems: understanding of ToF and FMCW principles, performance metrics, and characterisation methods. Experience with point cloud formats (ROS bag, PCD, or proprietary). Sensor synchronisation and calibration: hands-on time-synchronisation of heterogeneous arrays using hardware triggers, PPS, and s