Defence jobs for software engineers in Australia

30 open roles for software engineers at 10 defence and security companies in Australia. 12 of them are open to candidates of any nationality; the rest ask for citizenship or a government security check.

Rebuilt 15 Nov 2026
open technical roles
30
companies
10
open to any nationality
40%
estimated median pay
$120k

Companies hiring

Newest roles

Anduril Industries

anduril.com
anduril.com · HQ: Costa Mesa, United States · Defense Manufacturing · C4ISR · Military Drones · Defense AI · 5000+ employees · Est. 2017 · Trust B · Hiring 2255, 110 new
HQ: Costa Mesa, United States · Defense Manufacturing · C4ISR · Military Drones · Defense AI · 5000+ employees · Est. 2017 · Trust B · Hiring 2255, 110 new
Anduril Industries is an American defence technology company founded in 2017 that builds autonomous systems and command software for military and border security customers. Rather than bidding on cost-plus programmes, it develops products with its own capital and sells them as finished systems, from surveillance towers and counter-drone interceptors to underwater vehicles and collaborative combat aircraft. Its Lattice software platform fuses sensor data into a single operating picture and controls the hardware family, and the company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California with a large manufacturing site in Ohio.
Verified live · 5 hours ago Sponsors in IE, UK 2 days ago Likely open · 60%

Mission Software Engineer - Vehicle Software

Equity · Middle · 3+ years exp · In office (Melbourne, Australia) · Middle
Rust
C++
JavaScript
Python
AI/ML
Computer Vision
AI Agents
Robotics
Sensor Fusion
Motion Planning
Apply
Verified live · 5 hours ago Sponsors in IE, UK 2 days ago Likely open · 60%

Engineering Lead, Vehicle Software

Equity · Lead · 8+ years exp · In office (Melbourne, Australia) · Bachelor's Degree · Staff
Rust
C++
AI/ML
Computer Vision
AI Agents
DevOps
Linux
Robotics
Sensor Fusion
Motion Planning
Apply

BAE Systems

baesystems.com
baesystems.com · HQ: London, United Kingdom · Naval Systems · Combat Aircraft · Defense Manufacturing · 5000+ employees · Est. 1999 · Trust A · Hiring 286, 58 new
HQ: London, United Kingdom · Naval Systems · Combat Aircraft · Defense Manufacturing · 5000+ employees · Est. 1999 · Trust A · Hiring 286, 58 new
BAE Systems is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, building combat aircraft, warships, submarines, land vehicles, electronic systems and cyber and intelligence products. Formed in 1999 from the merger of British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems, it is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has major operations in the UK, the US, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and works on the Edgewing combat air programme. It hires hardware, software, structures, flight systems and spacecraft engineers, test and manufacturing specialists, project managers, supply chain and procurement staff, and graduates.
Verified live · 3 hours ago Sponsors in US, UK 4 days ago Likely open · 63%

TSPV Software Engineer

Senior · 7+ years exp · In office (Canberra, Australia) · Senior
Java
C#
C#
.NET
DevOps
Configuration Management
Incident Management
Ansible
Terraform
Linux
CI/CD
+1
Apply
Verified live · 3 hours ago Sponsors in US, UK 6 days ago Likely open · 57%

Senior Java Platform Analyst – Engineering Systems

Senior · Hybrid (Melbourne, Australia) · Bachelor's Degree · Nationals only · Citizenship or vetting required · Senior
Java
SQL
Java
Apache Tomcat
DevOps
Linux
SpaceTech
Cameo Systems Modeler
Apply

L3Harris Technologies

l3harris.com
l3harris.com · HQ: Melbourne, United States · C4ISR · Military Satellites · Electronic Warfare · Military Communication · Defense Manufacturing · 5000+ employees · Est. 1895 · Trust A · Hiring 1559, 179 new
HQ: Melbourne, United States · C4ISR · Military Satellites · Electronic Warfare · Military Communication · Defense Manufacturing · 5000+ employees · Est. 1895 · Trust A · Hiring 1559, 179 new
L3Harris Technologies is an American defense contractor formed in 2019 by the merger of L3 Technologies and Harris Corporation. It builds tactical radios and military communication systems, electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, space sensors and satellites, night vision devices, and uncrewed surface vessels, and owns the rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne. Its main customers are the United States Department of Defense and allied governments. The company is headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, United States.
Verified live · 2 hours ago Sponsors in US 4 days ago Hiring now · 90%

Senior Software Engineer

Senior · 7+ years exp · In office (Fremantle, Australia) · Nationals only · Citizenship or vetting required · Senior
C++
PowerShell
C#
Python
C#
.NET
Blazor
Databases
MS SQL
DevOps
GitLab
Azure DevOps
GitHub
Windows
Git
Linux
Azure
+6
Apply

Thales Group

thalesgroup.com
thalesgroup.com · HQ: Paris, France · Electronic Warfare · Satellite Manufacturing · Identity Management · Avionics & Flight Control · C4ISR · 5000+ employees · Est. 1893 · Trust B · Hiring 2564, 219 new
HQ: Paris, France · Electronic Warfare · Satellite Manufacturing · Identity Management · Avionics & Flight Control · C4ISR · 5000+ employees · Est. 1893 · Trust B · Hiring 2564, 219 new
Thales is a French technology group whose lineage runs back to 1893, and it is one of Europe's largest defence and aerospace electronics companies. It builds radar, electronic warfare, sonar and command systems for armed forces, avionics and in-flight entertainment for aircraft, signalling for railways, and satellites through the Thales Alenia Space joint venture with Leonardo. A large cybersecurity and digital identity division, assembled through the Gemalto and Imperva acquisitions, supplies hardware security modules, encryption and the SIM and biometric documents used by banks and governments worldwide.
Verified live · 2 hours ago 11 days ago Likely open · 63%

Software Engineer

Hybrid (Melbourne, Australia) · Full-Time · Citizenship or vetting required
Java
Java
Gradle
DevOps
Bitbucket
Jenkins
Git
Management
Scrum
Agile
Apply
Verified live · 2 hours ago 11 days ago Likely open · 63%

Digital and ERP Manager (Industry)

Hybrid (Bendigo, Australia) · Full-Time · Citizenship or vetting required
Oracle ERP
Apply

Leidos

leidos.com
leidos.com · HQ: Reston, United States · IT Consulting & Digital Transformation · C4ISR · National Security · Engineering Services · Defense Manufacturing · Systems Integrators · 5000+ employees · Est. 2013 · IT services · Trust B · Hiring 1664, 199 new
HQ: Reston, United States · IT Consulting & Digital Transformation · C4ISR · National Security · Engineering Services · Defense Manufacturing · Systems Integrators · 5000+ employees · Est. 2013 · IT services · Trust B · Hiring 1664, 199 new
Leidos is an American technology and engineering services company created in 2013 when Science Applications International Corporation split in two, with Leidos taking the technical services and solutions business. It is one of the largest suppliers to the United States government, working across defence programmes, intelligence systems, civil agencies including the Federal Aviation Administration, and healthcare services for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, the company also builds security detection products for airports and borders, and has concentrated recent investment on trusted artificial intelligence and autonomy for mission environments.
Verified live · 8 hours ago Sponsors in US, NL 26 days ago Likely open · 46%

Senior Service Now Consultant

≈ $52k – $141k per year (Estimated) · Senior · In office (Canberra, Melbourne, Australia) · Bachelor's Degree · Full-Time · Nationals only · Senior
ITSM
ServiceNow
ITIL
Apply
Verified live · 8 hours ago Sponsors in US, NL 26 days ago Fading · 40%

ServiceNow Consultant

In office (Canberra, Australia) · Bachelor's Degree · Full-Time · Nationals only
ITSM
ServiceNow
ITIL
Apply

Saab

saab.com
saab.com · HQ: Linköping, Sweden · Missiles · Naval Systems · C4ISR · Combat Aircraft · Defense Manufacturing · 5000+ employees · Est. 1937 · Trust A · Hiring 370, 84 new
HQ: Linköping, Sweden · Missiles · Naval Systems · C4ISR · Combat Aircraft · Defense Manufacturing · 5000+ employees · Est. 1937 · Trust A · Hiring 370, 84 new
Saab is a Swedish aerospace and defense company headquartered in Linkoping and founded in 1937. The company develops and manufactures advanced products and systems for military defense and civil security, including fighter aircraft, submarines, radar systems, and missiles. It operates globally with a presence in over 30 countries and serves customers in more than 100 nations, focusing on innovation and international partnerships.
Verified live · 7 hours ago Sponsors in UK 27 days ago Likely open · 57%

Space Software Engineer

≈ $48k – $124k per year (Estimated) · Hybrid (Adelaide, Australia) · Full-Time · Nationals only · Citizenship or vetting required
C#
JavaScript
DevOps
Git
CI/CD
Management
Agile
Apply
Verified live · 7 hours ago Sponsors in UK 2 months ago Long shot · 19%

Software Engineer - Multiple Opportunities

≈ $50k – $132k per year (Estimated) · Hybrid (Melbourne, Australia) · Bachelor's Degree · Nationals only · Citizenship or vetting required
C#
C++
Java
Bash
TypeScript
Python
DevOps
Git
Docker
Linux
Robotics
MAVLink
Management
Agile
SpaceTech
IBM DOORS
+4
Apply

Skills these roles ask for

C++ 12Java 9CI/CD 9Linux 8Agile 7Python 6Computer Vision 5Sensor Fusion 5Git 5Windows 4C# 4JavaScript 4Scrum 3SOAP 3Apache Tomcat 3SQL 3

Where the roles are

Melbourne 13Canberra 9Adelaide 5Sydney 2Brisbane 1Bendigo 1Fremantle 1

Other fields in Australia

Questions

Can a foreigner apply for these roles?

12 of the 30 roles here state no citizenship or security-check demand. A role that does - a citizenship, a national security vetting, a US clearance - says so in its advert, and the card marks it.

Which companies hire most?

Leidos (9), Anduril Industries (5), Shield AI (4), Saab (3), BAE Systems (3).

Which employers count as defence companies?

Companies whose main business is defence and security - prime contractors, defence electronics, naval, land and air systems, defence software and the defence tech startups - and the defence divisions of diversified groups. Companies of Russia, Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Iran and North Korea and companies under sanctions are left out.

How fresh is this?

Every role is re-checked on the employer's own careers board at least every 48 hours, and the page is rebuilt every night.

Source: 30 live postings on employers' careers boardsUpdated 15 Nov 2026MethodologyJSONCC BY-SA 4.0