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$217 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

Embedded software at DroneShield powers the Linux‑based sensor platforms that underpin our world‑leading RF detection technology. The team builds reliable, high‑performance software that connects RF hardware, signal processing and on‑device intelligence to detect and track drones in demanding real‑world environments. Close collaboration with ML/AI, RF, FPGA and infrastructure teams ensures cutting‑edge capability is delivered efficiently and at scale.

The role itself is a Staff Software Engineer within the embedded software team, with a strong focus on technical leadership and system‑level impact. Rather than purely hands‑on embedded development, this role shapes architecture, sets engineering standards and drives complex cross‑team initiatives, while still contributing to critical technical decisions. It’s a rare opportunity to lead in a fast‑growing, high‑impact field and help evolve technology that is redefining modern counter‑drone systems.

Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations 

• Design and lead the architecture for embedded Linux–based systems
• Own and drive the technical direction of core embedded software platforms
• Balance performance, reliability, security, and maintainability in architectural decisions
• Ensure architectures support long‑term product evolution and extensibility
• Provide technical leadership, guidance, and mentorship across the team
• Mentor engineers at all experience levels through design reviews, code reviews, and day‑to‑day collaboration
• Set clear technical standards and lead by example
• Support the growth of senior and emerging technical leaders
• Encourage best practices across multi‑disciplinary engineering teams
• Promote consistent engineering practices across embedded, systems, hardware, and test teams
• Advocate for clean code, robust design patterns, and pragmatic engineering trade‑offs
• Influence cross‑team alignment on tooling, workflows, and quality expectations
• Drive testable software design from early architectural stages
• Improve unit, integration, and system‑level test coverage and test mechanisms
• Support automation and continuous testing strategies for embedded environments
• Produce and maintain clear documentation of software architecture, processes, and policies
• Document design decisions, trade‑offs, and system behaviours for long‑term maintainability
• Develop and demonstrate proof‑of‑concepts to evaluate technologies and approaches
• De‑risk complex technical problems through targeted prototypes
• Communicate outcomes and recommendations clearly to stakeholders
• Collaborate closely with systems engineering, hardware, product management, and operations
• Translate system requirements into robust software solutions
• Support integration activities and system‑level troubleshooting 

Qualifications, Experience and Skills 

• Minimum 5 years of professional software development experience
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or equivalent practical experience
• Strong experience in software architecture and system design
• Proficiency in multiple programming languages, with strong skills in Python, C++, and Go
• Experience with engineering tools and workflows, including Git, CI/CD pipelines, and issue tracking systems
• Proven ability to design extensible and maintainable software solutions
• Ability to reason about complex systems and long‑term technical impact
• Experience working on production systems with real‑world constraints
• Embedded Linux development experience
• Experience with multi‑process, service‑based architectures
• Strong understanding of inter‑process communication mechanisms
• Ability to select appropriate languages and tools for the problem domain
• Comfortable working within structured development and release processes
• Experience working in complex hardware–software integrated systems
• Exposure to RF, FPGA, or DSP technologies is advantageous
• Experience in regulated environments

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