Senior Commercial Finance Business Partner

The role

You will act as a strategic co-pilot to R&D Directors, Heads of Manufacturing, and Procurement leaders. You will build and challenge business cases, track investment metrics, and manage financial aspects of product unit economics and defense programs.

What you will do

• Lead financial appraisal of new initiatives and build complex business cases
• Model and track investment metrics including IRR, NPV, Payback Period, and ROIC
• Evaluate capital expenditure proposals for manufacturing scale-up
• Lead cross-functional evaluations to determine in-house vs external sourcing
• Partner with engineering teams to track Bill of Materials cost evolution
• Collaborate with Procurement and Supply Chain teams to analyze cost drivers
• Work with supply chain and treasury teams to manage inventory and working capital
• Support Commercial and Business Development teams on major defense bids
• Own financial tracking of major programs and identify margin leakage
• Develop and present commercial KPI dashboards to leadership

Required qualifications

• Recognized professional finance qualification (CIMA, ACCA, ACA, or equivalent)
• Highly advanced Excel and financial modeling capabilities
• Proven track record in commercial finance or business partnering within high-tech manufacturing, aerospace, defense, deep tech, automotive, or capital-intensive engineering
• Experience building, presenting, and defending business cases to senior executives
• Familiarity with European defense procurement processes (e.g., German Bundeswehr, UK MoD)
• Familiarity with commercial auditing requirements of government cost-plus contracts
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in German & English

Benefits

• Competitive salary and VSOP options
• Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation
• Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance
• Gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health)
• Regularly company events and monthly social allowances
• 22 weeks fully paid parental leave for primary caregivers
• 6 weeks fully paid parental leave for secondary caregivers
• 5 days of paid family emergency leave
• 100% remote work option during pregnancy and phased return to work

About the company

Helsing is a defence AI company with a mission to protect democracies. They aim to achieve technological leadership so open societies can continue to make sovereign decisions.