VP of Software (AU) at DroneShield Group Pty Ltd – Sydney, New South Wales

Work with cutting edge AI technology, making the world a safer and more secure place. DroneShield (ASX:DRO) offers an opportunity to solve some of world’s most challenging technical problems in the rapidly growing counter-drone sector.

Our customers operate in some of the most challenging and high-stakes environments in the world, including military organisations, government agencies, airports, critical infrastructure operators, and law enforcement. Protecting airspace in these settings requires technology that performs under pressure and teams that understand what’s at stake. At DroneShield, employees work at the leading edge of counter-drone innovation, helping to address real-world security challenges as drone threats continue to evolve globally.

With one of the largest listed defence company market capitalisations in Australia, now part of the ASX200 index, DroneShield is experiencing a period of hypergrowth. Revenue has surged from A$57 million in 2024 to over A$190 million in 2025, representing growth of more than 400% year-on-year, with record profitability and cashflow. The total addressable global market for counter-drone is assessed at approximately $100 billion, and is currently at the nascent stage with much of the growth still to come, with DroneShield well positioned as a global market leader, and the only public listed pure-play business in this sector.

The company has grown from 11 employees in 2017 to over 450 staff globally today, and is on track to reach around 550 by the end of 2026. This expansion includes investment of over A$50 million annually in R&D, a global pipeline exceeding A$2.5 billion, and continuous scaling of production capacity to meet accelerating demand.

The role is based at DroneShield’s central Sydney headquarters. Overseas on-the-ground presence includes Virginia (USA), Netherlands, Denmark, Mexico and Dubai, as well as distributors in over 70 countries worldwide.

About the role

DroneShield is seeking a Vice President of Software Engineering with relevant experience to join the team in Sydney, Australia.

The position will report to Chief Technology Officer.

The role is primarily focused on the development of DroneShield C2 platform, DroneSentry-C2. The C2 platform combines data from different deployed sensor types and displays this information to the user in a meaningful way. Key technical challenges of the role include distributed system management, air-gapped systems, high data processing rate, cloud infrastructure and implementation of ML based services.

Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations

• Execute on the Application Software engineering projects against the Technology roadmap strategy, leading teams of ML/AI (Data Science) and Software Development
• Manage a team of 38 Engineers, working with the Talent Acquisition team to grow the team to 60+ within the next 12 months
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing engineering team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Oversee the development and implementation of scalable, high-performance solutions that enhance user engagement and experience
• Work across teams, collaborating with Sales, Marketing, Operations and Finance teams to generate results. Within the Technology team you will work with the VPs of Program Management, Design, Embedded Systems and Systems, Data and Infrastructure
• Designs and implements best practices in software development, testing, and deployment in partnership with teams across the organisation
• Oversee project timelines and resource allocation to ensure timely and efficient delivery of engineering programs
• Implement agile methodologies and frameworks to streamline development processes and enhance team productivity
• Work with the Talent Acquisition team to develop and execute strategies to attract, hire, and retain top engineering talent

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• BS degree in Computer Science, similar technical field of study or equivalent practical experience
• 10+ years of Software development with at least 5 years in leadership roles
• Proven track record of successful project delivery with demonstratable business outcomes
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills equally comfortable discussing complex technical concepts with a team or presenting to executive leadership
• Experience working with two or more from the following: web application development, Unix/Linux environments, distributed and parallel systems, developing large software systems, and/or security software development
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities effectively
• Previous Defence/security experience is ideal
• Experience in Golang, Python and/or JavaScript (React) is ideal

Note for recruitment agencies: We do not accept unsolicited candidates from external recruiters unless specifically instructed.