Category Manager (AU)

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 operate in some of the most challenging and high-stakes environments in the world, including military organisations, government agencies, airports, critical infrastructure operators, and law enforcement. Protecting airspace in these settings requires technology that performs under pressure and teams that understand what’s at stake. At DroneShield, employees work at the leading edge of counter-drone innovation, helping to address real-world security challenges as drone threats continue to evolve globally.

With one of the largest listed defence company market capitalisations in Australia, now part of the ASX200 index, DroneShield is experiencing a period of hypergrowth. Revenue has surged from A$57 million in 2024 to over A$217 million in 2025, representing growth of more than 400% year-on-year, with record profitability and cashflow. The total addressable global market for counter-drone is assessed at approximately $100 billion, and is currently at the nascent stage with much of the growth still to come, with DroneShield well positioned as a global market leader, and the only public listed pure-play business in this sector.

The company has grown from 11 employees in 2017 to over 450 staff globally today, and is on track to reach around 550 by the end of 2026. This expansion includes investment of over A$50 million annually in R&D, a global pipeline exceeding A$2.5 billion, and continuous scaling of production capacity to meet accelerating demand.

The role is based at DroneShield’s central Sydney headquarters. Overseas on-the-ground presence includes Virginia (USA), Netherlands, Denmark, Mexico and Dubai, as well as distributors in over 70 countries worldwide.

About the role DroneShield is seeking a Category Manager with relevant experience to join the team in Sydney, NSW. The position will report to the Head of Procurement.

The Category Manager is responsible for securing reliable, timely, and compliant supply within their assigned category to support high tech manufacturing operations. The role ensures that critical components, manufacturing capacity, and services are available exactly when needed, while managing supplier risk, supporting innovation, and meeting defence regulatory requirements.

This role balances speed, resilience, and commercial discipline, working closely with Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Programs to enable execution at scale.

Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations

Category Strategy & Planning

• Develop and execute category strategies aligned to manufacturing demand, technology roadmaps, and risk profiles.
• Identify supply risks, capacity constraints, and single‑source exposure within the category.
• Support build‑vs‑buy decisions and sourcing strategies for new and scaling products.

Supplier Evaluation & Selection

• Lead supplier evaluation, selection, and onboarding within the category.
• Assess suppliers against technical capability, quality, delivery performance, capacity, security, and compliance requirements.
• Partner with Engineering, Quality, and Operations to validate supplier readiness.

Procurement Execution & Contracting

• Own sourcing and negotiation activities through to contract award.
• Ensure contracts clearly define scope, performance, delivery, pricing, risk allocation, IP protection, and compliance obligations.
• Balance commercial outcomes with delivery certainty and operational criticality.

Supplier Performance & Relationship Management

• Manage ongoing supplier performance against delivery, quality, responsiveness, and risk metrics.
• Actively resolve supply issues and escalate risks early to protect manufacturing continuity.
• Drive corrective actions and continuous improvement with key suppliers.

Innovation & Early Supplier Engagement

• Enable early supplier involvement to support design‑for‑manufacture, cost reduction, and innovation.
• Identify suppliers with differentiated technologies or scalable capabilities.
• Support rapid introduction of new components or services where required.

Risk, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure procurement activities comply with defence, export control, security, and ethical sourcing requirements.
• Maintain accurate records and support audits related to supplier selection and contracting.
• Apply consistent sourcing and approval frameworks.

Measurement & Reporting

• Track and report category KPIs including delivery performance, supplier risk, responsiveness, and commercial outcomes.
• Use data to identify improvement opportunities. and inform category strategy.

Measures of Success

• On‑time availability of category components and services.
• Reduced supply risk and disruption.
• Strong supplier delivery and quality performance.
• Efficient sourcing cycles that support operational speed.
• Contracts that balance cost, risk, and scalability.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• Experience in procurement or category management in manufacturing or regulated environments.
• Strong supplier negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working with technical or engineering‑driven requirements.
• Defence, aerospace, electronics, or high‑tech manufacturing background.
• Experience with contract manufacturers or critical component suppliers.
• Tertiary qualification in Supply Chain, Engineering or Business.

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