Legal Counsel Contracts & Commercial

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

As Legal Counsel Contracts & Commercial, you will serve as a trusted legal partner to Helsing's business teams, providing clear, pragmatic advice across a broad range of commercial matters. Working closely with sales, partnerships, and product teams, you will structure, negotiate, and close deals at the frontier of defence technology. Reporting to the Lead Counsel Germany, you will sit at the heart of Helsing's go-to-market engine, bringing legal clarity to complex, multi-jurisdictional transactions. You will also contribute to the development of a next-generation, AI-powered legal operating system, helping to shape how the legal function scales alongside Helsing's mission.

The day-to-day

Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts, including sales and supplier contracts, software licensing agreements, SaaS agreements, framework contracts, NDAs, teaming agreements, and MoUs with government and defence customers

Advise business stakeholders on contractual risk, liability exposure, IP ownership, data protection, regulatory questions (especially public procurement law) and export control implications, translating legal complexity into clear, actionable guidance

Support deal structuring in complex, multi-jurisdictional and government procurement contexts, ensuring legal alignment across Finance, Export Control, and Product teams

Build and maintain contract templates, playbooks, and standard terms that enable scalable, efficient contracting processes across the business

Contribute actively to Helsing Legal's adoption of AI-powered tools, helping to construct a next-generation legal operating system that raises the standard for in-house legal practice

You should apply if you

Hold a law degree (first or second state exam, or an equivalent qualification) and have built a strong track record in drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts

Have gained substantial post-qualified experience in commercial law, optimally with a combination of law firm and in-house exposure

Communicate with clarity, translating nuanced legal risk into practical business guidance for non-legal stakeholders across sales, product, and finance functions

Bring sound commercial judgement and the ability to navigate complex, multi-jurisdictional matters with considered, well-reasoned decisions, working effectively without close supervision

Are fluent in both German and English to a professional standard, written and spoken

Note: We operate in an industry where women, as well as other minority groups, are systematically   under-represented. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the listed qualifications; ability and impact cannot be summarised in a few bullet points.

Nice to Have

Have experience in software or SaaS licensing, government contracting, or defence-adjacent industries, with working knowledge of export control frameworks (AWG/AWV, EAR/ITAR)

Have worked with legal technology tools or AI-driven contract review platforms

Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields  

Helsing’s work is important. You’ll be directly …