Project Engineering Lead - Protection

Hanwha Defence Australia; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9 Day fortnight

Flexible Working arrangements

Defence Reservist Leave

Professional Development

Health & Wellbeing Platform

Job summary

Hanwha Defence Australia is seeking a Project Engineering Lead – Protection to lead the design and delivery of protection systems within a major Australian land defence project. This role combines technical leadership, stakeholder engagement, and accountability across the engineering lifecycle. Ideal candidates will demonstrate strong systems engineering experience, leadership skills, and the ability to manage technical teams. Benefits include flexible working arrangements, professional development, and a health & wellbeing platform.

Qualifications

• Strong systems engineering experience across requirements, integration and V&V.
• Experience leading engineering teams and complex technical work packages.
• Experience with protection systems is desirable.
• Knowledge of military vehicle development and Defence standards is highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development and integration of protection and survivability systems.
• Define system requirements, architectures and verification strategies.
• Oversee engineering activities ensuring delivery to cost, schedule and quality.
• Drive compliance with Australian Defence standards.
• Lead verification & validation activities including tests.
• Act as the primary technical interface with internal teams and stakeholders.
• Participate in key design reviews and governance forums.
• Mentor and guide engineers.

Skills

Exceptional communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership skills

Proactive work in regulated environments

Ability to manage multiple tasks

Collaboration with technical teams

Adaptability to changing priorities

Education

Tertiary qualifications in Engineering (Mechanical, Materials, Aerospace, Systems or similar)

Job description

Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA) is a comprehensive defence solution provider, building on the strengths of its portfolio, which includes artillery systems, armoured vehicles, air defence systems, and unmanned ground systems.

We are a subsidiary of Hanwha Corporation which has grown to be the largest and the most influential defence corporation in South Korea.

About the Role:

The Project Engineering Lead – Protection is responsible for leading the design, integration, and delivery of protection systems within a major Australian land defence project. This role ensures that survivability solutions, including ballistic, blast protection systems are engineered to meet stringent operational, safety, and regulatory requirements.

The role combines technical leadership, stakeholder engagement, and program delivery accountability across the full engineering lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, development and integration of protection and survivability systems
• Define system requirements, architectures and verification strategies aligned to Defence capability needs
• Oversee engineering activities across the protection domain, ensuring delivery to cost, schedule and quality
• Drive compliance with Australian Defence standards and relevant international standards (MIL‑STD, STANAG)
• Lead verification & validation activities, including ballistic, blast and environmental testing
• Act as the primary technical interface with internal teams, Defence stakeholders and partners
• Participate in key design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR) and governance forums
• Mentor and guide engineers, fostering strong technical performance and collaboration

About you:

• Exceptional communication, stakeholder engagement and leadership skills.
• The ability to work proactively in a regulated, security‑conscious environment.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in fast-paced environments, meeting tight deadlines without compromising quality.
• Ability to coordinate and support diverse teams of technical and functional experts, fostering collaboration and engagement.
• Flexible and adaptable, able to pivot quickly in response to changing priorities and dynamic work environments.

Experience:

• Strong systems engineering experience across requirements, integration and V&V.
• Experience leading engineering teams and complex technical work packages.
• Experience with protection systems (desirable).
• Knowledge of military vehicle development and Defence standards (highly regarded).

Qualifications:

• Tertiary qualifications in Engineering (Mechanical, Materials, Aerospace, Systems or similar).
• To be successful in this role, you will need to be eligible to obtain an Australian Government Security clearance up to NV1 (must be an Australian Citizen). Eligibility criteria can be found at http://www.defence.gov.au/agsva

What we can offer you:

• 9 Day fortnight
• Flexible Working arrangements
• Defence Reservist Leave
• Professional Development
• Health & Wellbeing Platform including an Employee Assistance Program

Hanwha Defence Australia looks for people who can embrace our three core values of ‘Challenge, Dedication, and Integrity’ that were established in the spirit of Trust and Loyalty. If you want to work with us on this exciting journey, now is the time to join.

Hanwha Defence Australia is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to apply. We also welcome applications from individuals with culturally diverse backgrounds.

We are a proud supporter of the Veterans' Employment Program and welcome the interest of ex-service members, veterans and their families.