Chief of Staff, S&O (AUS)

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.

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