Chief Software Engineer

TESS Search Partners; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Silentium Defence, a leading Australian defence technology company, seeks a Chief Engineer to shape technical vision and engineering strategy across concept, development, deployment and sustainment. You will guide high-value, low-volume products alongside scalable data platforms and collaborate with executives, PM, and manufacturing partners.

The role requires deep expertise in radar, RF, embedded systems and data analytics, with 15+ years in senior engineering roles within defence or complex

Qualifications

• Requires at least 15 years of progressive engineering experience in defence, aerospace or complex systems.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Software or Systems Engineering; postgraduate qualifications or PhD highly regarded.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and align engineering roadmaps with business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Oversee full engineering lifecycle from concept to deployment and sustainment.
• Define technical roadmaps aligned with customer requirements and geographic expansion.
• Lead innovation across radar, sensing, software and data architectures while ensuring quality and compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Systems engineering

Strategic thinking

Risk management

Education

Electrical Engineering degree

Software/Systems Engineering degree

PhD preferred

Tools

Radar Systems

RF Engineering

Embedded Systems

Data Analytics

Job description

TESS Search Partners is partnering with Silentium Defence, a leading Australian defence technology company specialising in passive radar, sensing and data-driven solutions, to appoint a Chief Engineer. This is a pivotal senior leadership opportunity to shape the organisation’s technical vision and engineering strategy, guiding complex capability from concept through development, deployment and sustainment while supporting continued growth across Australian and global markets.

The Chief Engineer will provide leadership across all engineering functions, balancing the development of high-value, low-volume physical products with scalable data-as-a-service platforms. Working closely with the executive leadership team, Product Management, Business Development and outsourced manufacturing partners, the role will define technical roadmaps aligned with customer requirements, commercial priorities and geographic expansion. It will oversee the full engineering lifecycle, drive innovation across radar, sensing, software and data architectures, and ensure solutions achieve the required standards of reliability, manufacturability, security and performance.

The successful candidate will have at least 15 years of progressive engineering experience, including significant leadership experience as a Chief Engineer or in a comparable senior technical role within defence, aerospace or complex systems. A degree in Electrical, Software, Systems Engineering or a related discipline is required, with postgraduate qualifications or a PhD highly regarded. Deep technical expertise across areas such as radar systems, RF engineering, signal processing, embedded systems, software architecture, data analytics or AI/ML will be highly valued, alongside demonstrated experience taking complex products from concept through deployment and sustainment.

This is ideally suited to a systems-minded engineering leader who combines technical depth with strategic and commercial judgement. The Chief Engineer will build, mentor and develop high-performing multidisciplinary teams, establish engineering KPIs and governance, oversee technical relationships with manufacturing partners and champion Agile, Lean and continuous improvement practices. The role requires the ability to anticipate and manage technical risk, maintain rigorous quality and compliance standards, and use data to inform decisions, validate performance and continuously improve engineering outcomes.

Silentium Defence values technical excellence, systems thinking and collaborative execution, underpinned by integrity, accountability and a commitment to continuous improvement. The Chief Engineer will play an important role in creating an engineering culture where people take ownership, challenge conventional thinking and work across disciplines to deliver robust, innovative capability that meets customer needs and long-term strategic objectives.