Senior Systems Administrator

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Boston, Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI's technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn,X, YouTubeand Instagram.

Shield AI is a venture-backed defence technology company building intelligent autonomous systems for aircraft. Our mission is to protect service members and civilians through AI and autonomy.

As our Australian footprint grows, we're hiring a Senior Systems Administrator to support and enhance our enterprise IT operations.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role spanning systems administration, IT asset management, stakeholder support and continuous improvement. If you thrive in fast-paced, global environments and love streamlining IT operations, we'd love to hear from you.

• Deliver end-to-end support across desktop, server, and enterprise systems (Windows & Linux environments).
• Administer and maintain Active Directory, Azure AD, and user access controls.
• Oversee IT asset lifecycle - procurement, deployment, tracking, and decommissioning.
• Ensure licensing compliance and generate reports for usage, inventory, and audit readiness.
• Lead implementation of internal controls, policies, and technical documentation.
• Support business continuity with incident response, disaster recovery, and after-hours maintenance as needed.
• Mentor junior IT staff and contribute to team capability uplift.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, and global IT teams on projects and system improvements.
• Manage vendor relationships, evaluate tech investments and support IT budget tracking.

• Deep technical proficiency in both Windows and Linux environments.
• Strong understanding of Active Directory, Azure AD, networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP), and endpoint security.
• Experience managing IT assets and systems using tools such as SNIPE, JSM or Jira.
• Strong documentation, communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to work flexibly, including participation in an on-call rotation and after-hours support.
• Experience with hyperscalers and VDI implementation.

• Prior experience in a senior or mentoring role in IT operations.
• Scripting experience (e.g., PowerShell), plus familiarity with Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Intune) and JAMF.
• Exposure to ITIL practices around incident, change, and asset management.
• Industry certifications such as CompTIA, Microsoft, ITIL or Cisco.

• Work on mission-critical AI and autonomy systems solving real-world defence and security challenges.
• Join a collaborative and growing Melbourne-based team in a hybrid working environment (Port Melbourne HQ).
• Contribute directly to the development of scalable systems and infrastructure in a values-led, mission-driven company.
• Competitive salary + equity for permanent roles, with long-term career growth opportunities.

Help us redefine what's possible in autonomous defence - apply today

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.