AI and IT Lead

About the role

As AI and IT Transformation Lead, you will define and drive how Arkeus uses AI and IT to operate at maximum efficiency. You will own our AI transformation plan end-to-end, bring core IT services in house, stand up IT for our growing US operations, and ensure our cybersecurity posture is compliant with the Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) in Australia and NIST in the US.

This is a senior, hands-on role with real autonomy — you'll set the direction for how Arkeus uses AI and technology, then build the systems, team and vendor relationships to make it real. You'll work across every function to find where AI and automation can remove manual effort, and you'll be the one who actually ships it, not just recommends it. Attitude matters as much as experience: we're looking for someone who is genuinely excited by new technology and ready to change the way things are done.

About you

You get genuinely excited about new technology and are always looking for a smarter way to do things. You don't wait for permission to try something new, and you're comfortable being the person who champions change even when it's unfamiliar to others.

You combine strategic thinking on AI and IT strategy with the hands-on ability to actually implement it — you can define a transformation roadmap and also roll up your sleeves to stand up systems, negotiate with vendors, and bring IT services in house.

You have experience building or transforming IT functions, ideally including standing up operations in a new country, and you understand the compliance rigour required in regulated industries such as defence. Importantly, you treat cybersecurity as a first-class part of the job, not an afterthought.

Key responsibilities

• AI Transformation Plan: Define and implement Arkeus's AI transformation plan, identifying where AI and automation can drive maximum efficiency across the business — from engineering to operations to back-office.
• IT Insourcing: Bring our IT services in house, building the internal capability, systems and processes to replace outsourced or ad hoc IT support.
• US IT Setup: Design and stand up IT infrastructure and support for our growing US presence, matching the standards and reliability of our Australian operations.
• Cybersecurity Compliance: Ensure Arkeus's cybersecurity posture is compliant with the Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) in Australia and NIST standards in the US.
• Technology Change Leadership: Champion a culture of adopting new technology across Arkeus, bringing teams along with change rather than mandating it from above.
• Vendor & Systems Management: Own the selection, implementation and ongoing management of core IT and AI tools and platforms used across the business.

What success looks like

In your first 90 days:

• You have mapped Arkeus's current AI and IT landscape — tools, vendors, gaps and risks — and shared a clear view with leadership.
• You have a draft AI transformation plan with clear priorities for maximum efficiency gains.
• You have assessed what it will take to bring IT services in house and to stand up US IT, with a rough plan and timeline.
• You have reviewed our current cybersecurity posture against DISP and NIST requirements and identified the gaps.

In your first year:

• Arkeus has an AI transformation plan in motion, with visible efficiency gains across multiple functions.
• IT services are run in house, with a reliable, well-supported IT setup in the US.
• Arkeus is compliant with DISP (Australia) and NIST (US) cybersecurity requirements.
• You are recognised as the driving force behind how Arkeus adopts and uses technology.

Your experience and skills

• AI & Technology Leadership: Experience defining and delivering AI or digital transformation initiatives, ideally in a fast-growing or complex organisation.
• IT Operations: Experience building, running or transforming an IT function, including insourcing services and/or standing up IT in a new country or region.
• Cybersecurity & Compliance: Working knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks and standards, ideally DISP (Australia) and/or NIST (US), or a strong ability to get up to speed quickly.
• Change Leadership: A track record of bringing people along through technology change, in organisations where not everyone starts out as an early adopter.
• Right Attitude: Genuine enthusiasm for new technology, comfort with ambiguity, and a bias towards action over perfect planning.
• Stakeholder Fluency: Ability to communicate clearly across engineers, operations teams and leadership.

Why join Arkeus

• You will define how a deep-tech company at the frontier of AI, optics and autonomy runs on AI and technology internally — not just builds it for customers.
• You will collaborate with exceptional leaders who have decades of combined experience in AI, optics and defence. You will be learning from — and contributing to — the best in the field.
• You will become part of a close-knit, ego-free team where ideas compete on merit, not seniority. Low politics, high trust. The kind of team you will still be talking about in ten years.
• You will work hard and be expected to bring your best — and in return you will grow faster than you ever would at a large organisation.
• You will work on technology that is already deployed in real environments — protecting lives and strengthening security across defence and national security applications.
• You will receive a competitive, market-benchmarked salary, structured career pathways built to grow with you, and the opportunity to participate in our Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP).
• You will have the opportunity to mentor bright emerging talent through our highly sought-after intern program and strong connections with leading universities.

We strongly encourage applications from candidates who don't check every box. If this role excites you, please apply.

Who we are

Arkeus builds AI-powered sensing systems that help autonomous platforms see, understand and act in the most complex and contested environments. Our technology is deployed across defence and national security applications — already protecting lives and strengthening security across the U.S. and allied markets.

Backed by QIC, Main Sequence, R+VC, Salus Ventures, Folklore Ventures, DYNE Ventures and Beaten Zone Venture Partners, Arkeus is entering a major growth phase. We are a small, fast-moving company with the energy and ambition of a start-up and the technical credibility of a world-class defence technology provider.

We work at the intersection of optics, autonomy, robotics and real-time AI — and we deploy what we build. If you want to ship technology that matters, not a company that ships PowerPoint decks, this is where you belong.