Prototyping Engineer
On-siteLondon, England, United Kingdom
Job Summary
Design, fabricate, and assemble flight-ready prototypes for Helsing's advanced drone platforms, translating incomplete designs into testable hardware on short timescales. Modify airframes, build custom wiring harnesses, and integrate power distribution systems to sustain rapid iteration across the developmental fleet. Integrate and configure flight control platforms, flash firmware, calibrate onboard sensors, and resolve system anomalies during bench and pre-flight testing. Plan and execute functional test campaigns in the field, using telemetry data to refine CAD models and mature prototypes through successive iterations. Collaborate with design and test engineers to surface integration risks early and deliver targeted hardware solutions.
Required Qualifications
- 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 stations to build, modify, and reinforce structures.
- Have practical experience integrating and troubleshooting flight control platforms, payload electronics, and power distribution systems on UAV or similarly complex platforms.
- Are comfortable working with incomplete documentation and evolving requirements, taking end-to-end ownership of outcomes and applying sound engineering judgement to keep work moving forward.
Desired Qualifications
- Practical background flying, testing, and operating drones in field environments (multicopter, fixed-wing, or FPV), including familiarity with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test environments and automated telemetry or data-logging hardware.
- Hands-on knowledge of structural composites, including carbon fibre layup and vacuum bagging, and experience with advanced aerospace materials.
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