Project Manager

Chaos1 Pty; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days of annual leave

Clearance sponsorship

Mobilised from the start

Job summary

Chaos1 is seeking a mission-first Project Manager to run a Defence experimentation campaign day to day within our Mission Operations team. You will own the integrated sprint schedule, move people and kit, maintain action and risk logs, and ensure daily reporting keeps the customer and task force aligned.

Expect base deployment with the team during each sprint. This role offers a clear path toward Campaign Lead as Chaos1 grows its campaigns, with hybrid work and onsite at Chaos1's XFACTORY,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Project Management or related discipline; equivalent experience may substitute.
• Over 5 years managing Defence projects or field activities, with 3+ years on-ground scheduling.
• Experience running trials, exercises, experimentation or capability demonstrations on Defence bases or ranges.
• Demonstrated control of an integrated schedule, action log and risk register on a live project.

Responsibilities

• Run Defence experimentation campaigns day to day as Campaign Manager, owning the sprint schedule from mobilisation to demobilisation.
• Plan and control each sprint; manage battle rhythm, daily plan, action log and decision log.
• Move the task force and equipment for every sprint, planning travel, freight and custody of assets.
• Maintain risk and issues registers and elevate with recommended actions.
• Coordinate forward deployed engineers, flight operations, and test analysts on base; de-conflict access to range and airspace.
• Draft sprint plans, activity orders, site instructions and sprint reports.
• Manage subcontractors and host unit logistics, site access, safety, and cost/schedule tracking.
• Close each sprint with lessons captured and next sprint plans updated.

Skills

Project coordination

Stakeholder management

Communication

Defence domain knowledge

Security clearance readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Project Management

Tools

Microsoft Project

MS Office / 365

ASDEFCON contracts

Job description

Chaos1 is an Australian defence company with a mission to forge a faster path to warfighter capability. Purpose-driven and mission-first, Chaos1 deploys the people, processes and technologies needed to tackle defence's toughest problems. In a world where time is short and the threats are real, Chaos1 is the catalyst that operates forward to rapidly field warfighter capability in months.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Chaos1 delivers through campaigns. A series of experimentation sprints run with a Defence problem owner, on their bases and ranges, that take an emerging technology from concept to fielded capability in months. Each campaign is led by a Program Manager appointed as Campaign Lead and run day to day by a Project Manager appointed as Campaign Manager, with a multi-disciplinary task force drawn from across the Mission Operations business line of forward deployed engineers, flight operations specialists and test and evaluation analysts. The Campaign Manager operates forward with the task force, accountable for every sprint running to plan.

ABOUT THE JOB

Chaos1 is seeking a mission-first Project Manager to run a Defence experimentation campaign day to day within our Mission Operations business line. You will run the campaign day to day for the Campaign Lead and own the execution of every sprint including the integrated schedule, the movement of people and kit, the action and risk registers, and the daily reporting that keeps the customer and the task force on the same page. You can expect to be on the base with the task force through each sprint, and to be the person who knows where everything and everyone is.

This is an opportunity to run the ground truth of deployed, customer-facing delivery, with a visible path to Campaign Lead as Chaos1's campaigns grow.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Run a Defence experimentation campaign day to day as Campaign Manager, owning the integrated sprint schedule from mobilisation to demobilisation
• Plan and control each sprint. You will run the battle rhythm, the daily plan, the action log and the decision log, and keep the Campaign Lead ahead of what is coming
• Move the task force and its kit. You will plan the movement of people and equipment for every sprint, hand the plan to the Mission Support Group to book and consign, and hold custody of Commonwealth and customer assets while they are deployed
• Hold the risk and issues registers for the sprint, and elevate to the Campaign Lead with a recommended course of action
• Coordinate the daily work of forward deployed engineers, flight operations specialists and test and evaluation analysts on the base, and de-conflict their access to the range, the airspace and the system under test
• Prepare and control campaign documents. You will draft sprint plans, activity orders, site instructions and the sprint report for the Campaign Lead's release
• Run the day-to-day with subcontractors and the host unit, including site access, safety briefs and security requirements, and track cost and schedule against the campaign plan each week
• Close each sprint with lessons captured, actions assigned and the next sprint's plan updated

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Project Management or a related discipline. Equivalent experience may substitute.
• Over 5 years managing Defence projects or field activities, with 3+ years as the person running the schedule on the ground
• Experience running trials, exercises, experimentation or capability demonstration activities on Defence bases or ranges
• Demonstrated control of an integrated schedule, an action log and a risk register on a live project
• Experience planning the movement of people and equipment for field activities, including travel, freight and custody of Commonwealth or customer assets
• Clear written and spoken communication with engineers, operators, customers and host units
• A working understanding of uncrewed, counter-uncrewed or autonomous systems
• Willingness to deploy to Defence sites and ranges for extended periods, including irregular hours in campaign windows
• Australian citizenship and ability to obtain a NV1 security clearance
• Ability to be onsite at Chaos1's XFACTORY, Sydney. The role is open to hybrid work.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience with Defence base access, security and safety processes, including working alongside a host unit
• Experience administering ASDEFCON contracts, including data item deliverables and contract change proposals
• PMP, PRINCE2 or AIPM certification, or equivalent Defence project management training
• Experience with cost and schedule control on fixed-price or milestone-paid contracts
• Familiarity with Defence and CASA regulation of uncrewed aircraft trials
• Experience with Defence work health and safety, range safety and security accreditation processes
• Experience coordinating subcontractors and industry partners on a Defence project
• Proficiency with scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project or equivalent, and with Microsoft 365
• Time on UAS, counter-UAS or autonomy trials, including live-fire or electronic warfare events
• A current NV1 security clearance or above

SALARY

A salary benchmarked against the Australian defence market, plus above-mandated superannuation and annual salary reviews. Where you sit depends on your experience and the breadth of your skills across the areas listed.

BENEFITS

• Superannuation above the mandated rate.
• 25 days of annual leave every year, a full week more than the standard four weeks.
• Clearance sponsorship. We sponsor your clearance and pay the vetting costs.
• Mobilised from the start. Your equipment, access and role brief are ready before you arrive, and you’ll be part of live work within your first fortnight.

PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM RECRUITMENT SCAMS

• Chaos1 never asks candidates for money, bank details or identity documents before an offer, and never asks you to buy equipment or pay for training
• We contact candidates only from @chaos1.au addresses and through our applicant tracking system; check anything else with [e-mail] before you act on it
• Report an approach made fraudulently in Chaos1's name to [e-mail] and to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au

DATA PRIVACY

Chaos1 handles your application under Australian privacy law and our applicant privacy notice. Offers are conditional on pre-employment screening, which may be run by a third-party provider and covers identity, right to work, qualifications and licences, references and a national police check. Clearance sponsorship runs through the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency and requires Australian citizenship. The role involves access to technology controlled under Australian export-control law and, on some programs, US ITAR and EAR, with access limited to authorised persons.