Program Engineering Manager

Silentium Defence; City of Salisbury; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Silentium Defence is seeking a Program Engineering Manager to lead the technical direction and governance of Australia's next generation Space products. You will oversee planning, requirements, verification and integration across software, systems and hardware disciplines, while guiding teams toward mature, verified solutions.

The role emphasizes strategic systems thinking, cross‑disciplinary leadership and a focus on delivering high‑quality, technically robust space capability for national

Qualifications

• Degree in engineering or equivalent.
• Significant engineering leadership experience.
• Strong governance and technical assurance experience.
• Experience managing engineering risks and product development.
• Knowledge of engineering lifecycle frameworks.
• Experience in multidisciplinary environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering planning across the complete product lifecycle.
• Coordinate software, systems, hardware and operational engineering activities.
• Drive systems architecture, requirements development and technical decision making.
• Ensure engineering governance, compliance and technical quality.
• Lead integration, verification and validation activities.
• Maintain configuration control and engineering traceability.
• Manage engineering risks, technical issues and product maturity.
• Support design reviews, technical workshops and acceptance activities.
• Mentor engineering teams and strengthen organisational capability.
• Drive continuous improvement through modern Systems Engineering practices.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Systems engineering

Requirements management

Governance

Risk management

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

MBSE

Digital Engineering

Job description

Lead the Engineering Behind Australia's Next Generation of Space Capability

Silentium Defence is continuing to expand our Space portfolio, delivering advanced sensing technologies that support Defence, national security and sovereign capability.

We're seeking an experienced Program Engineering Manager to provide technical leadership across the development, integration and evolution of complex Space products.

This is a senior engineering leadership role where you'll coordinate multidisciplinary engineering activities, influence technical direction, manage engineering governance, and ensure products are delivered to the highest technical standards.

About The Role

As the technical leader for allocated Space programs, you'll be responsible for ensuring engineering activities remain aligned with customer requirements, organisational priorities and product strategy.

You’ll oversee engineering planning, requirements management, verification, integration, technical governance and product readiness while helping develop the next generation of advanced sensing capability.

Success in this role comes from combining strategic systems thinking with practical engineering leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering planning across the complete product lifecycle
• Coordinate software, systems, hardware and operational engineering activities
• Drive systems architecture, requirements development and technical decision making
• Ensure engineering governance, compliance and technical quality
• Lead integration, verification and validation activities
• Maintain configuration control and engineering traceability
• Manage engineering risks, technical issues and product maturity
• Support customer design reviews, technical workshops and acceptance activities
• Mentor engineering teams and strengthen organisational capability
• Drive continuous improvement through modern Systems Engineering practices

What You'll Bring

You’ll have experience leading technically complex engineering programs and be comfortable operating across multiple engineering disciplines.

We’re looking for someone who has:

Essential

• Degree qualifications in Engineering or similar
• Significant Engineering leadership experience
• Strong engineering governance and technical assurance experience
• Experience managing engineering risk and product development
• Knowledge of engineering lifecycle frameworks
• Experience working within multidisciplinary engineering environments

Highly Desirable

• Defence, Space, aerospace or radar systems experience
• Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Digital Engineering environments
• Systems Engineering or Project Management certification
• Current NV1 Security Clearance or eligibility to obtain one

Why Join Us?

This is your opportunity to contribute to technology that delivers real-world impact while working alongside experts across engineering, product and program delivery.

You’ll help shape innovative Space capability while developing your own career in one of Australia's fastest-growing advanced technology companies.

Application Eligibility

Due to the nature of our work within the Defence industry, applicants must be Australian Citizens and eligible to obtain and maintain defence security clearance. Only applicants who meet these mandatory requirements will be considered.