Robotics Software Engineer

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.

Based in Barcelona, you will join a multidisciplinary team of electrical, controls, and software engineers building reliable, observable, and debuggable robotics systems. As the primary owner of firmware across our robotics platforms, you will operate at the boundary between hardware and software, guiding architecture decisions from concept through to validation and long-term maintenance. You will collaborate closely with hardware and software engineers, serving as the technical bridge that enables integrated, high-performing systems. Your work will directly shape the firmware foundations of our robotics platforms, with real scope to advise leadership on technical strategy and drive decisions that matter.

The day-to-day

• Design, implement, and maintain embedded firmware for real-time robotics systems, covering control, sensing, and system health monitoring across our hardware platforms

• Own the complete firmware lifecycle, from architecture and implementation through to testing, deployment, and ongoing maintenance, ensuring reliability and observability at every stage

• Diagnose and resolve complex system-level issues spanning firmware, software, hardware, and component behaviour, using tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analysers, and DMMs to identify root causes across timing, signalling, and electrical faults

• Serve as the technical bridge between hardware and software teams, collaborating with electrical, controls, motion planning, and systems engineers to deliver cohesive, high-performing robotics systems

• Advise leadership on firmware strategy and technical direction, shaping the evolution of our robotics platforms through technically rigorous, hands-on contribution

You should apply if you

• Have built and shipped production-grade embedded firmware for real-time systems, with deep knowledge of MCU internals, peripherals, and real-time constraints

• Are proficient in C/C++ for embedded targets and have delivered projects involving communication protocols such as CANOpenFD, UART, I2C, or equivalent

• Have used hardware debugging tools, including oscilloscopes, logic analysers, and DMMs, to diagnose and resolve complex timing, signalling, and electrical issues

• Have taken full ownership of firmware end-to-end, from initial architecture through to validation and long-term maintenance, operating as the primary technical decision-maker

• Communicate fluently in both English and Spanish, enabling effective collaboration across a multilingual, multidisciplinary team

Note: We operate in an industry where