Director of Software Solutions

About the role

DroneShield, a counter-drone technology company, is looking for an experienced Director of Software Solutions to lead its engineering teams responsible for software platforms and AI-driven capabilities. Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, the role covers Software Development and ML/AI, with a key focus on developing DroneSentry-C2, the command and control platform. The position is based at the Sydney headquarters.

Key responsibilities

• Lead Software Development and ML/AI (Data Science) teams in delivering engineering programs aligned with the Technology roadmap
• Manage about 7 engineering leaders and managers, with responsibility for an engineering organisation of around 40 software and AI engineers
• Lead, mentor and develop engineering leaders and teams, fostering accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement
• Drive delivery of scalable, reliable, high-performance software meeting customer and business needs
• Partner with Program Management, Design, Embedded Systems, Systems Engineering, Data and Infrastructure teams
• Establish best practices across software architecture, development, quality assurance, release management and operational support
• Oversee engineering planning, prioritisation and resource allocation
• Champion agile ways of working and continuous improvement
• Support recruitment, onboarding, succession planning and professional development
• Update the CTO and executive leadership regularly on delivery, resources and technical risks

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 5 years leading engineering teams and managers
• Demonstrated experience delivering complex software products in fast-paced, engineering-led environments
• Strong people leadership skills, with experience scaling engineering organisations
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience balancing technical excellence with pragmatic delivery; able to manage multiple priorities in a rapidly growing business
• Defence, security or mission-critical technology experience is highly regarded

Required skills

• Experience with distributed systems, cloud platforms, web application development, Linux, high-availability systems, security-focused software, machine learning applications or large-scale platforms
• Experience with Golang, Python and/or JavaScript (React) is highly regarded

What we offer

• Competitive salary package with equity component
• Flexible working arrangements
• High-impact role in a rapidly scaling global business
• Opportunities for professional growth and leadership development