AI Infrastructure Engineer

DroneShield; Sydney; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

DroneShield is seeking an Infrastructure Engineer to manage a globally distributed Kubernetes infrastructure, operating on bare-metal Linux across multiple data centres. You will contribute to ML pipelines, data engineering, and system resilience while collaborating with AI platform teams.

The role focuses on building scalable, high-performance infrastructure and supporting petabyte-scale data processing in a mixed on-prem and cloud environment.

Qualifications

• Degree in CS, Software Eng, or equivalent.
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Responsibilities

• Architect, implement, and operate multi-node Kubernetes cluster.
• Build and scale on-prem infrastructure including GPU worker banks, storage arrays, and compute nodes.
• Collaborate to build and improve MLOps infrastructure and tooling.
• Resolve complex distributed systems challenges and real-time service integration.
• Maintain hybrid on-prem and cloud environments.

Skills

Kubernetes ops

Automation

Performance tuning

System thinking

Collaboration

Education

Degree in Computer Science

Tools

Kubernetes

Linux

GitLab

Ansible

Puppet

Chef

Job description

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

We are looking for an Infrastructure Engineer with experience operating Kubernetes at scale, CICD and automation of internal ML and Data Engineering applications, to join our growing infrastructure team. In this role, you will work on managing and expanding our globally distributed Kubernetes infrastructure running on bare-metal Linux across multiple data centres.

You will work at the forefront of high-performance infrastructure, supporting petabyte-scale systems and enabling advanced MLOps capabilities. This includes contributing to MLops Pipelines, data engineering, system resilience, and the integration of machine learning services.

You’ll report to the AI Infrastructure Lead and work closely with senior engineers across the infrastructure and AI platform teams.

Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations

• Contribute to the architecture, implementation, and operations of a multi-node, distributed Kubernetes cluster
• Assist in building and scaling the physical infrastructure of our on-premises systems, including GPU worker banks, storage arrays, and compute nodes
• Collaborate with the team to build and continuously improve MLOps infrastructure and tooling
• Solve complex problems involving distributed systems, high-volume data processing, and real-time service integration
• Maintain and optimise hybrid infrastructure environments spanning on-premises and cloud systems

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or similar technical field, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years’ experience as an infrastructure or platforms engineer, or SRE, or equivalent technical role in production environments
• Experience with Kubernetes, including operating clusters on Linux. CKA/CKS certifications highly desirable
• Advanced knowledge of Linux internals, including L1/L2 networking, system performance, process monitoring, and shell scripting. Experience with server assembly and hardware integration is also desirable
• Familiarity with CI/CD automation, ideally using GitLab
• Strong experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Familiarity with configuration management tools like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef
• Solid understanding of networking and security principles

Who you are

• A systems thinker with a deep understanding of scalable infrastructure
• Passionate about automation, performance, and reliability
• Comfortable working with both development and operations teams to bridge technical gaps
• Curious, self-motivated, and always looking for ways to improve systems and practices
• Excited by working on infrastructure at the intersection of AI, defence, and distributed systems.

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