Director of Government Relations, Australia

4 hours ago

Canberra, ACT, Australia Shield AI Full time $120,000 - $180,000 per year
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI's technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 
As we expand our strategic footprint in Australia, we're hiring a Director of Government Relations to lead advocacy and stakeholder engagement at the federal, state, and territory levels. This is a senior, high-impact role responsible for advancing Shield AI's policy objectives, strengthening partnerships with key government agencies, and helping shape Australia's defence innovation ecosystem.
If you're a politically astute operator with deep experience in Australian government relations and a passion for emerging tech - this is a rare opportunity to influence at the intersection of AI, autonomy, and national security.
What You'll Do:
  • Lead the design and delivery of comprehensive government relations strategies aligned with Shield AI's mission and growth across Australia.
  • Build and maintain trusted relationships with key officials, MPs, advisors, and senior public servants — particularly within the Department of Defence and ADF leadership.
  • Represent Shield AI at high-level meetings, parliamentary inquiries, and defence forums.
  • Track and interpret legislative and regulatory developments relating to AI, defence tech, export controls, and national security.
  • Prepare policy briefs, position papers and responses to consultations for internal and external audiences.
  • Partner with Business Development, Legal, Product, and Engineering teams to align advocacy with technical and commercial goals.
  • Lead and mentor internal stakeholders while managing external consultants and association partnerships.
What You'll Bring:
  • Deep knowledge of Australian political processes, parliamentary systems, and public sector procurement — ideally within defence or emerging tech.
  • Proven experience shaping public policy, influencing legislative outcomes, and representing complex organisations to senior government audiences.
  • Background in government, parliament, or senior roles in defence contractors/technology firms is highly desirable.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical and regulatory nuance into compelling messages.
  • Political sensitivity, discretion, and the ability to manage relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.
  • Strong leadership presence and collaborative mindset to work across internal and external teams.
Why Shield AI?
  • Help shape the future of defence and autonomy in Australia and beyond.
  • Be a key voice in a mission-led business redefining what's possible with emerging technology.
  • Join a growing, values-led team headquartered in Port Melbourne, with strong global partnerships and local autonomy.
  • Competitive salary, performance-based incentives, and long-term growth opportunities.
  • Hybrid working with regular travel as needed to Canberra and other government hubs.
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.   We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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