New Product Introduction Team Lead

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 counterdrone sector. Our customers are militaries, government agencies, airports, critical infrastructure, law enforcement and many others.

With one of the largest listed defence company market capitalisations in Australia, part of the ASX200 index, 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 380 staff based in the 4,000sqm facility today, scheduled to grow to approximately 500 staff by end of 2026. Overseas on the ground presence includes Virginia (USA), Netherlands, Denmark, Mexico and Dubai, as well as distributors in over 70 countries globally.

About The Role

DroneShield is seeking an NPI (New Product Introduction) Team Lead with relevant experience to join the team in Sydney, NSW.

This role will be responsible for leading the NPI team, coordinating the development of work instructions, coordinating the building of test rigs and fixtures, managing and training contract manufacturers, planning the scaling of new products and responding to issues on the production line.

This role may require infrequent travel within and outside of Australia.

Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations 

• Manage a team of NPI engineers
• Provide DFM and DFT feedback to development teams to ensure business production expectations are met
• Plan and coordinate the development of work instructions for the assembly and test of DroneShield products, and operation of DroneShield rigs
• Take products from prototype stage through to manufacturing stage, collaborating with the Production Automation Team where necessary
• Work with engineering teams within the business to understand how to build and test products and components
• Coordinate training and handover of production to in house Production Team and contract manufacturers in country and abroad
• Coordinate the response to technical issues on the production line, collaborating with the Production Team and Quality Teams

Qualifications, Experience and Skills 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in product development, manufacturing engineering or operations
• Experience managing a team of engineers preferred
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and quality systems
• Experience in manufacture of complex electronic devices preferred
• Strong problem solving and decision-making abilities
• Clear communication and planning skills
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment

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