ABOUT THE JOB

As a Technical Project Manager on the Connected Warfare team, you will be a technical leader spearheading initiatives into a new market. Your work will span the entire lifecycle of our efforts from engaging with customers, shaping technical requirements, integrating third party systems, and final delivery. This will require solving a wide variety of technical problems and making pragmatic engineering versus programmatic tradeoffs along the way. You will often be expected to self-direct, and to be comfortable navigating ambiguity. Above all, our engineers are driven by a “Whatever It Takes” mindset—executing in an expedient, scalable, and pragmatic way while keeping the mission top-of-mind and making sound engineering & programmatic decisions to deliver successful outcomes correctly, on-time, and with high quality.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

1. Technical Ownership: Own technical outcomes from end to end. Iterate on core data mesh technology to make optimal use of degraded networks. Develop connectors and APIs for legacy and cutting edge systems to integrate with Lattice. Create data flow pipelines that span horizontally and vertically across disparate networked systems and security domains. Mentor junior engineers from differing backgrounds.
2. Technical Execution: Develop the technical path for success of new efforts from conception onwards by writing & reviewing project plans and design documents, before spinning up the broader team to execute. Regularly engage with external stakeholders, particularly customers, to surface and clarify pain points and solve problems related to both day-to-day execution and overall technical programmatics.
3. Navigating Ambiguity: Execute on broad, ambiguous, and ambitious requirements from external customers. Seize the opportunity to shape requirements in favor of the optimal product for the client and the company. Demonstrate high ownership on all pieces of work.
4. Shape Growth Opportunities: Support the drafting of technical proposals, ensuring that potential projects and scaling opportunities are accurately scoped, resourced, and aligned with the organization's capabilities and strategic goals.
5. Stakeholder Management: Act as the primary technical liaison for the client, go deep into understanding their specific mission challenges and advocate for their needs within the engineering organization and ensure their feedback directly influences the engineering roadmap. Resolves technical conflicts between the team, internal stakeholders and the customer.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Proven customer-facing technical program management experience, preferably in the defense, national security, or aerospace domains. With the ability to create and maintain professional relationships with senior level Japanese customers and partners.
• Solid technical aptitude and an ability to understand technical designs, software development lifecycle, challenges and risks; ability to work closely and effectively with engineering teams.
• Ability to work with internal and external stakeholders, across a wide range of technical comfort
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to travel to client sites (50%)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or an Engineering discipline
• Experience managing mission critical systems in operational environments
• Between 1-2 years previous experience as a technical lead or technical program manager
• Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams to successful completion of projects
• Desire to grow into a Tech-Lead-Manager role, with responsibility for line management of engineers, in addition to delivery

The Roles:

We have opportunities across the Senior Consultant and Manager levels for people with outstanding Engineering skills and experience in the Defence Maritime Industry to join our team on a full-time permanent capacity. Preferred location for these roles is in Canberra (however will also consider Sydney for the right person). These roles sit within our Maritime Capability segment and will see you delivering specialist services to our clients in engagements that develop/support Capability for Navy.

We are open to a diversity of skill levels in this speciality, and while consulting experience would be great, we can help you develop those skills.

Our Ideal Candidate:

You are experienced in delivering systems engineering services in the Defence Maritime environment within the One Defence Capability System. If you have delivered these types of services in, or to, Navy, Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Group (NSSG), or other Defence clients in the past, we would love to have a chat.

As a Defence consultancy, we also need you to be an Australian Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain an AGSVA Security Clearance.

Required skills and attributes include:

• A Bachelor or equivalent level qualification in Engineering
• Experience working within the Defence Maritime environment
• Comfortable working with ambiguity and complexity, including within sensitive environments while under limited guidance
• Effective communication skills and proven ability to deliver high-quality written products
• High level of emotional intelligence and a humanistic approach to everything you do

Having these other abilities would also be awesome (but not mandatory):

• Delivering “Above the Line” consulting / contracting services to Defence
• Supporting Capability through the early stages of the One Defence Capability System
• Developing engineering policy / processes
• Authoring Defence Capability definition artefacts
• System integration / combat and weapons systems
• Providing ILS support / management

Our Engineering Standards

Balance Speed and Quality

Engineers are expected to balance delivery speed with a strong commitment to quality, meeting agreed timelines while producing reliable, maintainable, and well-tested solutions. Sound judgment in making trade-offs between velocity and long-term sustainability is essential.

Collaborate Effectively

Engineering is collaborative by default. Team members are expected to contribute constructively in design discussions, reviews, and planning, communicate clearly about progress and risks, and support shared team outcomes in both hybrid and distributed environments.

Build and Maintain Systems

Engineers are responsible for building new capabilities while maintaining and improving existing systems. This includes designing scalable solutions, reducing technical debt, supporting operational stability, and contributing to continuous improvement.

Operate with Autonomy

A high degree of autonomy is expected. Given clear objectives, engineers should independently translate problems into actionable technical approaches, proactively identify improvements, and continuously expand relevant technical expertise.

Ownership and Accountability

Ownership is fundamental. Engineers are accountable for the quality, performance, and customer impact of their work from design through post-release support, and are expected to follow through on commitments.

AI-Enabled Engineering

AI is reshaping how software is built, and we are committed to leveraging it as a force multiplier for creativity, impact, and capability. Engineers are expected to confidently apply strong technical fundamentals while embracing AI tools and approaches to enhance productivity, problem-solving, and innovation. Curiosity, adaptability, and enthusiasm for integrating AI into meaningful product development are essential.

Contribute to Team Culture

Engineers contribute positively to a culture of professionalism, transparency, low bureaucracy, and mutual respect, strengthening team performance through authenticity, curiosity, and collaboration.

About the Role!

You'll own and drive the quality engineering strategy across the Karbon application, leading the transformation from a QA gatekeeping model to a developer-led quality culture where squads ship confidently without dedicated QA gatekeepers. This role sits at the intersection of technology, people, and process — building the foundations that enable every engineer to own quality.

We're in a significant transition. Our test automation stack needs uplift, our quality team needs strong technical leadership, and our developers need better tools and enablement to embed quality into their daily workflow. You'll lead this transformation end-to-end.

AI is central to how we want to work. We expect this role to actively embrace and champion AI tooling as a force multiplier for quality engineering — from AI-assisted test generation and intelligent data provisioning to AI-powered defect detection and code quality analysis. You'll set the standard for how AI is integrated into quality workflows and coach the wider engineering organisation to do the same.

What You'll Own

Strategy & Vision

• Owning and driving the Karbon Quality Engineering Strategy across its phased roadmap — from stabilisation through to optimisation and acceleration.
• Defining and championing architectural quality principles: fast feedback, deterministic tests, testing at the lowest viable layer, and shift-left practices.
• Establishing and tracking quality success metrics (release confidence, hotfix rates, developer satisfaction, coverage trends) with fully-automated, repeatable measurement.

People Leadership

• Leading and growing a team of 5+ quality engineers — providing coaching, mentorship, and career development while reshaping the function from inspection-focused to enablement-focused.
• Designing the QE engagement model across squads — determining where embedded QEs add value versus where squads operate independently with QE enablement support.
• Recruiting and developing developer-caliber senior quality engineers who lead by example and advocate for quality within engineering teams.

Developer Enablement & Quality Culture

• Driving a quality-first development culture — making it easier for developers to write, run, and trust tests by improving frameworks, documentation, tooling, and developer experience across all test layers.
• Championing the rebalancing of the test pyramid — shifting coverage down from E2E UI tests to unit, component, and integration layers where feedback is faster and more reliable.
• Leading collaborative quality practices (mob testing, testing parties, three-amigos sessions) and running the QE guild to ensure best practices are documented in-repo as living markdown.

Technical Leadership & AI

• Evaluating and making strategic tooling decisions (e.g. Cypress vs Playwright, Bruno vs .NET-based API testing) and defining the quality engineering approach for the Argo microservices migration.
• Driving improvements to CI/CD test execution — faster feedback loops, tests running on PRs, and reduced pipeline runtimes.
• Actively leveraging AI tools to accelerate quality engineering outcomes — including AI-assisted test generation, intelligent test data provisioning, automated quality analysis, and AI-powered code review.

This position description is intended merely as a guideline of the responsibilities involved in the position. The employee is expected to perform any other duties as reasonably required by their Manager.

What Sets You Apart (Must-Haves)

• Significant professional experience in quality engineering or software engineering, with a track record of building and leading quality functions in complex, enterprise-scale environments.
• Proven people leadership experience managing and growing teams of 5+ quality engineers or SDETs.
• Deep expertise in test automation strategy and implementation across multiple layers: unit, integration, API, and E2E UI testing, with hands-on experience in modern frameworks (Cypress, Playwright, or similar).
• Experience driving the transition from QA-as-gatekeeper to developer-owned quality models, with a developer advocate mindset — you see your role as making every engineer more effective at quality.
• Demonstrated enthusiasm for AI-assisted development and quality engineering. You actively use AI tools in your workflow and can articulate how AI enhances testing, code quality, and engineering productivity.
• Experience defining quality metrics and dashboards that drive engineering decision-making, with strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions preferred) and test execution optimisation.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and align stakeholders across a globally distributed engineering organisation.

Nice to Have

• Experience with .NET/C# ecosystems and testing patterns within layered or service-oriented architectures.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Azure and observability tools such as Datadog or Application Insights.
• Experience in environments transitioning from monolithic to microservices architectures.
• Experience with frontend testing frameworks in Ember or React ecosystems.
• Background as a Senior+ individual contributor before moving into leadership.

Ideal for quality engineering leaders who thrive in transformation environments, enjoy complex domain systems, and are energised by building quality culture and capability from the ground up.

Our Core Technology Stack

We build modern, scalable software on a thoughtfully designed stack:

• Frontend: TypeScript and JavaScript across Ember (today), React, and React Native.
• Backend: .NET / C# (Web API, .NET Core) powering distributed services.
• Data: SQL Server with performance and integrity at scale.
• Cloud: Microsoft Azure.
• Observability: Datadog — metrics, logging, alerting, and dashboards.
• Test Automation: Cypress (E2E UI), Bruno (API), C# .NET integration tests, with an evolving strategy across all layers.

Our architecture continues to evolve as we scale — event-driven systems, well-defined microservices, and containerized deployments (Azure Container Apps) to build resilient, decoupled, and high-performing software.

Why Work at Karbon?

• Gain global experience across the USA, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada and the Philippines
• 4 weeks annual leave plus 5 extra "Karbon Days" off a year
• Flexible working environment
• Work with (and learn from) an experienced, high-performing team
• Be part of a fast-growing company that firmly believes in promoting high performers from within
• A collaborative, team-oriented culture that embraces diversity, invests in development, and provides consistent feedback
• Generous parental leave

The Roles

We have opportunities at the Consultant through to Manager levels for people with strong Defence capability analysis and strategic planning experience to join our Maritime Capability team in Canberra.

As a Capability Analyst, you will support the development and delivery of capability outcomes for Navy and other Defence clients. You’ll apply structured analysis, systems thinking, and strategic insight to shape options, assess risks, and guide investment decisions across complex Defence programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct capability analysis and contribute to the development of options, requirements, and risk assessments across Defence capability programs.
• Prepare high-quality strategic documentation including briefs, submissions, policy papers, and capability proposals.
• Ensure all written material aligns with Defence strategic guidance, policy frameworks, and capability investment priorities.
• Translate complex operational, technical, and strategic information into clear, concise language for senior audiences.
• Engage with stakeholders across Defence, CASG/NSSG, DSTG, Defence Industry, and other Government agencies to inform and shape capability outcomes.
• Support the preparation of material for senior committees, including capability reviews and investment submissions.
• Contribute to the integration of operational insights, lessons learned, and emerging technologies into capability planning.

Our Ideal Candidate

You bring demonstrated experience in Defence capability development, analysis, or strategic planning, ideally within a Navy or joint environment. You’re a strong strategic writer who can distil complexity into clarity and communicate with influence.

Required skills and attributes include:

• Sound understanding of the One Defence Capability System processes, particularly within the Integrated Investment Program (IIP).
• Ability to apply systems thinking and analytical frameworks to assess capability options and trade-offs.
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement and building consensus across diverse technical and policy groups.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with attention to accuracy, structure, and strategic coherence.
• Experience providing strategic advice and recommendations to senior Defence leaders under tight deadlines.
• Strategic and analytical thinker with sound judgement and high integrity.
• Collaborative, adaptable, and proactive in managing competing priorities.
• Committed to supporting Defence’s mission and broader capability objectives.

Desirable Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in Strategic Studies, Defence Management, Engineering, Policy, or related disciplines.
• Familiarity with Defence project management and capability tools.
• Current NV1 or higher AGSVA Security Clearance (or ability to obtain).
•  Prior experience within Navy, CASG/NSSG, or Defence industry highly regarded.

The Role: 

We are seeking a Senior Consultant or Manager level professional with strong Systems Engineering skills and experience in the Defence Industry to join our Land, Air, National Security and Enabling (LANSE) team in Canberra. 

Our Ideal Candidate:

You're passionate about contributing to Defence capability outcomes and thrive in a collaborative, purpose-driven team. You’re comfortable building strong relationships and networks within the Defence sector and utilising it to tackle complex challenges. You bring a proactive mindset, a commitment to quality, and a drive to make an impact. You’ll also be eager to grow within our LANSE segment with a focus on Land or Air domain capability offerings within Coras, while benefiting from our strong culture of professional development and mutual support.

What You’ll Do:

• Engage your Defence stakeholder network to understand Defence capability challenges.
• Support and lead Defence capability projects as a consultant and member of Coras.
• Benefit from the support of the Coras consulting support framework.
• Contribute to the growth and development of the Coras team, including internal initiatives, mentoring, and operational support.

Required skills and attributes include:

• A bachelor's degree or equivalent level qualification in Engineering.
• Experience working in Defence Systems Engineering.
• Working knowledge of the One Defence Capability System (ODCS). 
• An active NV1 AGSVA Security Clearance (or higher). 
• Comfortable working with ambiguity and complexity, including within sensitive environments under limited guidance. 
• Effective communication skills and proven ability to deliver high-quality written products. 
• High level of emotional intelligence and inter-personal skills.

Desirable (non-mandatory) skills and attributes include:

• Experience in delivering “Above the Line” consulting / contracting services to Defence.
• Experience in authoring Defence Capability definition artefacts.
• Experience or knowledge in Land or Air (or joint) domains.