The posting
Own the perception stack that allows our interceptors to find, identify and track threats in real time.
About Praetorian
Praetorian Aeronautics builds autonomous systems that protect defence operators against the rapidly evolving threat of drone warfare. Headquartered in Adelaide, with offices in Melbourne and Darwin, we design and manufacture a sovereign Australian counter-autonomy ecosystem:
Arrow – a man-portable VTOL interceptor for neutralising drone threats beyond visual range. Dagger – a long-range, high-altitude interceptor for larger threats at extended distances. Venator – an autonomous mothership that carries interceptors forward across air, land and maritime missions. Hadrian – a battle management system that lets a single operator detect, decide and defeat complex threats. Cerebrum – a counter-swarm AI plugin for Hadrian that coordinates responses against large drone swarms.
The Role Detection, classification and tracking sit at the core of how our interceptors find and engage a threat. This role owns that capability end to end — from algorithm performance through to integration on physical platforms — and shapes how reliably the system performs under real-world conditions.
We're looking for a Senior Computer Vision Engineer to own the detection, classification and tracking capabilities within our terminal guidance systems. Working versions of these components are already integrated into the system; you'll refine their performance, reliability and testability while leading their integration into simulated and physical platforms. You'll also provide technical leadership to two engineers, with the team expected to grow over time.
What You'll Do
- Own the technical development of our detection, classification and tracking modules
- Lead their integration into the wider guidance system
- Guide and coordinate the engineers working across this area
- Improve testing, evaluation and data-management practices
- Diagnose, resolve and deploy fixes within tight testing timelines
- Collaborate with software, autonomy and hardware engineers
What We're Looking For
- Significant experience in computer vision, perception or robotics, including deploying perception capabilities on physical robotic systems — not solely in a lab environment
- Strong Python skills and experience with relevant computer vision or machine learning frameworks
- Knowledge of traditional and model-based computer vision techniques, including image processing, object detection, classification and real-time tracking
- An understanding of data fusion, dataset management and performance evaluation
- Experience integrating software with sensors, compute hardware and physical platforms, and diagnosing issues across those boundaries under time pressure
- The ability to set technical direction and coordinate the work of others while remaining hands-on
- Clear cross-disciplinary communication and sound judgement in an environment where requirements and priorities evolve quickly
- A bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, engineering or a related field
Nice to Have
- Experience in autonomous systems, robotics, aerospace or defence
What We Offer
- Flexibility that's rare in defence: hybrid work and flexible start and finish times.
- Ownership from day one: no layers of approval between your work and the product, with your code in operators' hands at trials.
- A stake in what you build: access to our Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP).
- Clear growth: your scope grows with the company, backed by a defined engineering career framework.
- Breadth: you'll work alongside specialists in flight sciences, electronics, autonomy and test, with direct access to leadership.
Security & Compliance Requirements
Due to the nature of our work, candidates must have full rights to work in Australia and hold either PR with a pathway to Australian Citizenship in the next 12 months, or citizenship of a Five Eyes nation. This role doesn't currently require a security clearance, but it may in the future.
