Field Drone PilotNew

Droneshield; Sydney; On-site; AUD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

DroneShield is seeking an experienced Field Drone Pilot based in Sydney to support engineering, testing, and live demonstrations. The role involves operating a wide range of drones, extensive travel across NSW, and collaboration with engineering teams to meet demanding field requirements.

You will configure and troubleshoot video, telemetry, and RF systems, maintain equipment, and ensure safety and compliance under CASA and ReOC standards.

Qualifications

• Experience operating in dynamic outdoor environments and harsh conditions.
• Hands-on experience with electronic and mechanical drone subsystems.
• Strong troubleshooting skills under field conditions and time pressure.
• Willingness to continuously learn evolving drone technologies.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and shifting priorities.
• High personal accountability and adaptable work ethic.
• Familiarity with drone hardware, telemetry, and radio gear.
• Availability to deploy in-field up to 5 days/week in Sydney.
• Experience operating in complex airspace and EVLOS/BVLOS scenarios.
• Background in building/repairing FPV and multi-rotor aircraft.
• Knowledge of flight control software and configurators.

Responsibilities

• Plan, conduct, and support high-safety standard drone flight operations.
• Travel regularly across NSW for field tests and demonstrations.
• Learn to fly, configure, and troubleshoot a wide range of platforms.
• Configure and manage video, telemetry, and RF transmission systems.
• Pack, transport, deploy, and recover drones and field equipment.
• Collaborate with engineering and technical teams on flight requirements.
• Engage professionally with customers and partners.
• Maintain clean, organized, and mission-ready gear and spaces.
• Develop and improve flight procedures and checklists.
• Take ownership of challenges and resolve issues proactively.
• Undertake training and certifications to meet evolving needs.
• Contribute as a motivated team member in a high-performing unit.

Skills

Outdoor operations

Drone hardware systems

Field troubleshooting

Linux/CLI proficiency

Radio/telemetry knowledge

Flight control software

Team collaboration

Education

Engineering or technical discipline

AROC certificate

Tools

Betaflight

INAV

ArduPilot

Betaflight Configurator

Job description

Work withcutting-edgeAI technology that helps make the world a safer and more secure place. DroneShield (ASX:DRO) develops market-leading counter-drone solutions used by militaryorganisations, government agencies, airports, critical infrastructure operators, and law enforcementoperatingin some of the most challenging and high-stakes environments in the world. Employees work at the forefront of innovation, solving complex technical problems and delivering mission-critical capabilities where performance, reliability, and speed matter. As an ASX200-listed company and theworld'sonly publicly listed pure-play counter-drone business, DroneShield is experiencing rapid growth. Revenue increased from A$57 million in 2024 to more than A$217 million in 2025, supported by record profitability, a global sales pipeline exceeding A$2.5 billion, and annual R&D investment of over A$50 million. Since 2017, DroneShield has grown from 11 employees to more than 550 globally, with operations across Australia, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, supporting customers in over 70 countries. The role is based at DroneShield's Sydney headquarters, which houses corporate, commercial, engineering, and operational teams supporting the company's global growth and customer base.

About the role

DroneShield (ASX:DRO) is seeking an experienced and highly capable Field Drone Pilot to support our engineering, testing, and demonstration activities. You will operate a wide variety of commercial, enterprise, defence, and custom-built drones in real-world conditions to support data capture, system testing and evaluation, and live customer demonstrations.
This Sydney-based position reports to the Drone Operations Manager and will involve regular travel across NSW to our test sites.

Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations

• Plan, conduct, and support RPA flight operations to a high standard of safety, compliance, and efficiency in accordance with CASA regulations, and ReOC requirements.
• Travel regularly (over 80%) across NSW to support field testing, product evaluations, and demonstrations, including regular multi-day deployments.
• Learn to fly, configure, and troubleshoot a very large number of drone platforms covering defence, enterprise, commercial, and custom RPA and a broad range of RPA types, including multirotor, helicopter, aeroplane, and VTOL platforms (250 g to 50+ kg).
• Configure and manage diverse video, telemetry, and RF transmission systems.
• Pack, transport, deploy, and recover drones, emitters, and supporting field equipment.
• Work closely with engineering and technical teams to deliver complex flight requirements.
• Engage professionally with internal and external stakeholders, including customers and partners.
• Maintain clean, organised, and mission-ready aircraft, equipment, vehicles, and workspaces.
• Develop, follow, and continuously improve processes, checklists, and protocols.
• Take ownership of responsibilities and proactively resolve technical and operational challenges.
• Undertake additional training and certifications as required to support evolving business needs.
• Contribute as a motivated member of a high-performing team critical to the output of the company.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• Experience working in dynamic, fast paced outdoor environments.
• Hands-on experience with electronic and mechanical systems.
• Strong technical troubleshooting skills under field conditions.
• Willingness to learn constantly evolving new technologies.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent tasks and projects.
• High personal accountability, strong work ethic, and adaptability.
• Familiarity with drone hardware systems, telemetry, and radio communication equipment.
• Availability to deploy into the field up to 5-days per week, both daily operations and multi-day deployments, and work onsite in Sydney CBD as required.
• Demonstrated experience in operating drones in complex environments (e.g. restricted airspace, controlled aerodromes, EVLOS, BVLOS).
• Experience building, maintaining, and repairing FPV and model aircraft (fixed-wing, multirotor, helicopter, glider).
• Strong working knowledge of flight control software and configurators (e.g. Betaflight, INAV, and ArduPilot).
• Experience in drone racing, system tuning, and competitive configurations.
• Proficiency with hobby radios, video, and telemetry systems.
• Education in engineering or a technical discipline (or equivalent practical experience).
• AROC (Aeronautical Radio Operator Certificate).
• Comfortable working in Linux environments, including command line tools, system monitoring, and networking.

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

Data Privacy

DroneShield Group Pty Ltd collects and processes personal information for recruitment and hiring purposes. Where applicable, personal information is processed on the basis of DroneShield's legitimate interests in assessing and selecting candidates for employment. For further information regarding how we collect, use, disclose, store and retain personal information, including your privacy rights, please refer to our Privacy Policy:https://www.droneshield.com/privacy-policy