Senior IT & Security Engineer (USA)

About the role

The Senior IT & Security Engineer is the primary local owner for the Warrenton office’s IT operations and security engineering, with responsibility for supporting CMMC / NIST 800-171 control implementation and audit readiness. This role is hands-on and spans end-user support, identity and endpoint administration, network and security operations, local incident response, and compliance execution. The position works closely with DroneShield’s global IT and Security teams in Sydney, which provide broader governance, shared services, and partnership on global initiatives.

This is a high-ownership, hands-on role requiring strong technical depth, sound judgment, clear prioritization, and the ability to operate across IT operations, security engineering, and compliance.

The anticipated salary range for this role is $150,000 - $170,000 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not limited to relevant experience, skills, certifications and location. This hire will be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.

Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations 

• Partner with global IT and Security teams to deliver reliable, secure IT services for the U.S. office and support the company’s broader security and compliance strategy.
• Own local IT service delivery, including ticket intake, prioritization, escalation, user communication, and SLA performance. Provide hands-on support for hardware, software, collaboration tools, and access issues, and serve as the primary escalation point for complex local IT and security incidents.
• Administer identity and access controls across users, devices, and applications using Microsoft Entra ID, including SSO, Conditional Access, MFA, and role-based access controls.
• Integrate business applications into the identity and security stack using SSO, MFA, Conditional Access, and modern authentication mechanisms such as FIDO2 passwordless authentication.
• Administer and continuously improve endpoint security controls, including device compliance, patching, system hardening, vulnerability remediation, encryption, and EDR / MDM tooling.
• Support and manage network security, including firewall management, secure network integrations, VPNs, and segmentation.
• In coordination with the Global Security Team, lead local incident triage and response activities for the U.S. office, including investigation, containment, remediation, evidence gathering, lessons learned, and post-incident reporting.
• Partner with the Global Security Team, business stakeholders, vendors, and external assessors to support CMMC / NIST 800-171 readiness activities, including technical control implementation, evidence collection, remediation tracking, and audit support.
• Help plan and manage the local IT and security budget, including tooling, hardware lifecycle, vendor services, and investment recommendations aligned to business and compliance priorities.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills 

• 7+ years of experience across IT infrastructure, service management, and security-conscious operational environments.
• Hands-on experience in a security operations, systems security, or security engineering role, including incident response and control implementation.
• Working knowledge of CMMC 2.0 / NIST SP 800-171 requirements, with practical experience supporting implementation, evidence collection, remediation, or assessment readiness activities.
• Hands-on experience with security and device-management platforms such as EDR, SIEM, vulnerability management, and MDM / Intune.
• Experience managing firewalls, VPNs, network security, and secure system integrations.
• Proven hands-on experience with identity and access management using Microsoft Entra ID, including SSO, Conditional Access, MFA, group / role-based access, and application integration.
• Strong background in endpoint security, patch management, and system hardening using Mobile Device Management (MDM) platforms such as Microsoft Intune.
• Experience participating in or leading incident response, investigation, containment, and remediation activities.
• Comfort working across both hands-on user support and higher-order security / compliance priorities in a small-team, high-accountability environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Experience

• Experience updating policies, procedures, standards, and technical documentation to support audit readiness and operational consistency.
• Experience working in the United States Defense Industrial Base.
• Experience supporting organizations requiring facility clearances.
• Experience with Microsoft Government Community Cloud (GCC) platforms.
• Security or IT certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM, Security+, CMMC-RP, ITIL).
• Experience developing and maintaining IT and security budgets.
• Practical understanding of governance, risk, and compliance concepts and how they translate into technical and operational controls.

Note for recruitment agencies: We do not accept unsolicited candidates from external recruiters unless specifically instructed.

Work with cutting-edge AI technology, making the world a safer and more secure place. DroneShield (ASX:DRO) offers an opportunity to solve some of world’s most challenging technical problems in the rapidly growing counter drone sector.

Our customers are some of the most demanding in the world, including militaries, government agencies, airports, critical infrastructure, law enforcement and many others. The counter drone sector is rapidly changing, with DroneShield being in an arms race against state-backed drone manufacturers globally.

DroneShield’s American operations are headquartered in Washington DC / Northern VA area, home to a growing team of approximately 40 highly skilled professionals. This office plays a critical role in the company’s global success, leading U.S.-focused R&D, sales, and customer support, and working closely with American defense and security stakeholders to deliver mission-critical counter drone solutions tailored to local operational needs.

As one of Australia’s largest publicly listed defense companies and a member of the ASX200, DroneShield is experiencing sustained hypergrowth. Global revenue increased from approximately US$38 million in 2024 to over US$125 million in 2025, representing growth of more than 400% year over year, alongside record profitability and cash flow. The global counter-UAS market is estimated at approximately US$100 billion and remains at an early stage, positioning DroneShield as a global market leader and the only publicly listed pure-play counter drone company worldwide.

DroneShield has grown from just 11 employees in 2017 to more than 450 employees globally today, with continued expansion planned across the United States, Europe, and APAC. The company invests over US$33 million annually in R&D, maintains a global sales pipeline exceeding US$1.65 billion, and continues to scale manufacturing and deployment capacity to meet accelerating demand.

The Washington DC / Northern Virginia office is central to DroneShield’s long-term U.S. strategy - bringing innovation closer to the customer, strengthening domestic capability, and supporting national security, public safety, and critical infrastructure protection outcomes across the United States