Forward Deployed Engineer

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 JOB

Chaos1 is seeking Forward Deployed Engineers to join our Mission Operations business line. This is a single role advertised across every engineering discipline we field: systems integration, autonomy and robotics, and field operations. You can expect to integrate uncrewed systems, sensors, effectors and C2 into working mission systems, deploy them alongside the end-user in operationally relevant environments, and hold them together under test.

This is an opportunity to operate forward alongside the warfighter, delivering engineering expertise where the decision gets made, with direct impact on fielded capability inside months.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Build and integrate uncrewed and counter-uncrewed systems, sensors, effectors, radios and C2 into working mission systems, from the bench to the field
• Build and maintain the hardware, software, autonomy and networking that hold those systems together, including TAK and Cursor on Target, SAPIENT, MAVLink and ROS 2 based stacks, and the tactical networks that carry them
• Deploy forward with the end-user on Defence ranges and at allied activities: stand the system up, keep it running through the serial, and fix what breaks on the spot
• Write and hold the engineering record: interface control documents, configuration baselines, integration test procedures and the change log, with configuration under test
• Support test and evaluation events by instrumenting systems and capturing data with the Test & Evaluation team, so the evidence is decision-grade
• Train and support Chaos1 operators and end-users on the systems you field
• Contribute to Chaos1's engineering standards, tooling and workshop practices as the team grows

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science or a related technical discipline. Equivalent experience may substitute, including a trade or technician background with demonstrated integration work.
• Over 3 years of hands-on engineering across at least two of: systems integration, software development, autonomy and robotics, RF and tactical networks, or field operations of uncrewed systems
• Working proficiency in Linux and in Python or C++, with Git and the command line as everyday tools
• IP networking fundamentals, including radios and datalinks, and the ability to diagnose a link that has dropped in the field
• Experience integrating sensors, payloads, radios or effectors with a C2 or mission system, and testing the result end to end
• Ability to take a problem from symptom to root cause to fix, and to document it so the next engineer does not repeat it
• Clear written and spoken communication with operators, end-users and customers
• 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. This is an onsite and field role.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Autonomy and robotics Experience incl. ROS 2, MAVLink, PX4 or ArduPilot, flight controller tuning, mission planning and simulation
• An understanding of Tactical networks and C2: TAK and Cursor on Target, SAPIENT, MANET radios, and authorship of interface control documents
• Software: containers (Docker, Kubernetes), CI/CD, embedded Linux, and tooling for data capture and log reduction
• RF and electronic warfare: spectrum analysis, antenna and link budget fundamentals, and time on EW-contested trials
• Hands-on with uncrewed aircraft: build, repair, tuning and ground test. A CASA Remote Pilot Licence, or willingness to obtain one
• Counter-UAS sensors and effectors (radar, RF detection, EO/IR) and their integration into a common operating picture
• Familiarity with the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) and configuration management
• Time on UAS, counter-UAS or autonomy trials, including live-fire or electronic warfare events
• Trade or technician qualification in electronics, avionics, communications or mechatronics
• 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 careers@chaos1.au before you act on it
• Report an approach made fraudulently in Chaos1's name to careers@chaos1.au 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.