Work with cutting edge technology, making the world a safer and more secure place. DroneShield (ASX:DRO) offers an opportunity to solve some of the world’s most challenging technical problems in Electronic Warfare, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, RF sensing, Sensor Fusion and distributed systems. Working with high profile customers across militaries, government agencies, airports, critical infrastructure, law enforcement and many others.
With one of the largest listed defence company market capitalisations in Australia and having raised approximately $250m in 2024 alone, DroneShield is undergoing hypergrowth stage, fuelled by rapidly increasing use of drones for nefarious applications, from battlefield, to terrorism, to contraband delivery and commercial espionage.
This role is in the DroneShield Sydney headquarters in Sydney CBD. There are approximately 320 staff based in the 4,000sqm facility today, scheduled to grow to approximately 400 staff by end of 2025. Overseas on the ground presence includes USA, Denmark, Mexico, and UAE, as well as distributors in over 70 countries globally.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant Engineering discipline (Communications, Computer, Electronics, Mechanical, Mechatronics or equivalent), similar technical field of study or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years proven experience as a Systems Engineer in a technology-driven Software environment
• 2+ years proven experience as Systems Engineering Lead
• Strong experience in requirements elicitation and maintenance
• Strong experience in architecture maintenance, system/sub-system development
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Experience in conducting and leading product demonstrations and feedback sessions.
• Experience in an agile systems engineering environment, involving fast time to market and high velocity development
• Experience with the growth and development of systems engineering processes across businesses
• Excellent technical documentation skills
• Translation of technical concepts and features to business and product stakeholders
• Proficient in using tools such as Jira, Confluence, and other project management and documentation software
• Ability to work effectively in dynamic, fast-paced environments and adapt to changing project needs and deadlines
• Ability to work under pressure and time constraints.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a detail-oriented mindset
• Excellent organizational and communication skills, capable of managing multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.

WHO YOU ARE

• You are passionate about an evolving technical domain
• You enjoy liaising with multiple stakeholders to ensure timely completion of complex software features
• You are a self-driven learner, always seeking to improve and stay at the forefront of your field.
• You are comfortable working in a high-pressure, fast paced environment, and are motivated to help DroneShield scale globally
• You think ‘out of the box’ and adapt to changing business needs
• You employ strong systems engineering practices
  Note for recruitment agencies: We do not accept unsolicited candidates from external recruiters unless specifically instructed.

ABOUT THE ROLE

DroneShield is seeking an AI Systems Engineering Team Lead to join our innovative development team in Sydney. Reporting directly to the Systems Engineering Manager, this role offers an exceptional opportunity for a results-driven professional to make a significant impact in a rapidly growing, niche market.
This role comprises product / project management, requirements gathering and management, design, verification/validation, architecture maintenance, documentation of various engineering projects and features, coupled with the opportunity to lead and guide systems engineers in the Sensor Fusion and VisionAI space.
These responsibilities are crucial for both the development of internal tools and the creation of customer-facing features. Ideal for a lifelong learner, this position encourages continuous personal and professional development and proactive engagement with the latest industry practices. Thrive in a supportive team environment that values autonomy and offers competitive remuneration.

RESPONSIBILITIES, DUTIES AND EXPECTATIONS

• Engage with stakeholders across various departments, including Sales, Engineering, Product, Customer Support, to gather detailed requirements and understand the customer needs and market trends
• Serve as a liaison between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders, translating business needs into actionable engineering tasks and ensuring that requirements are clearly understood
• Overseeing software feature development and evolution at the technical level, ensuring completion within sprint timeframes and roadmap quarters
• Participate in product demonstrations and promotional events to gather feedback and understand user responses to existing and upcoming product features
• Facilitate requirement gathering, review sessions, and workshops to address detailed business / customer needs and objectives from Product
• Decomposition of business and customer needs into system level requirements for developers to work against
• Collaborate closely with engineers and developers to refine system level requirements, ensuring technical feasibility and alignment with business goals
• Support and deliver training sessions of product features
• Manage and massage sprint backlogs, adjusting and refining requirements and tasks as projects evolve and new priorities are defined
• Documentation of software features and supporting artefacts, including requirements, feedback, user stories, acceptance criteria, business objectives, process flows, architecture, test cases, ensuring consistency and clarity across all documentation
• Support QA with verification and validation of software features
• Software architecture development and maintenance
• Establish and maintain strong, transparent communication channels with all stakeholders, providing regular updates on project status and developments
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by analysing the outcomes of projects and suggesting enhancements to streamline processes.
• Respond to Request for Information (RFIs) in a timely manner
• Manage, lead and coordinate the Systems Engineering team in the AI space, providing technical guidance and support
• Liaise with the Systems Engineering manager to facilitate the introduction of new systems, processes, methodologies, and tools
• Contribute to hiring strategies in the Systems Engineering space
• Contribute to aligning Systems Engineering processes business wide
• Assist Product Stakeholders with roadmap planning and feature delivery
• Assist data engineers in development of data collection plans for model training and development
• Assist data engineers with data collection activities and coordination
• Assist in triaging Sensor Fusion and VisionAI feedback and issues from product demonstrations and Field Service Engineers (FSEs) for timely resolution