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.
About The Role
The Head of Channel & Distributor Management is a newly created role responsible for building and operationalising DroneShield's global distributor ecosystem. This person will own the full lifecycle of distributor relationships — from identification and onboarding through to performance governance, tier progression, and exit — across more than 40 active markets.
Reports to: Chief Commercial Officer. Location: Sydney or Amsterdam (with significant international travel). Scope: Global (minus the US) — with immediate priority on Europe, Middle East, Asia and Five Eyes markets.
Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations
* Own and govern the global distributor ecosystem end‐to‐end, including tiering, performance standards, lifecycle management, and structured exits or remediation of underperforming partners.
* Lead onboarding of new distributors from due diligence through activation, ensuring compliance, training, clear go‐to‐market plans, and full readiness before entering the active network.
* Design and deliver a structured enablement programme, ensuring distributors are equipped with up‐to‐date product knowledge, tools and technical capability, while addressing capability gaps across the network.
* Drive performance management and accountability through scorecards, QBRs, revenue targets and CRM discipline, providing clear visibility and reporting to the CCO on partner health and outcomes.
* Own and continuously refine the global coverage map, identifying gaps, eliminating overlaps and ensuring strong, clearly defined market coverage aligned to strategic priorities.
* Lead recruitment of new distributor partners in priority markets, maintaining a forward pipeline of qualified partners aligned with strategic, commercial and compliance requirements.
* Build and maintain the operational infrastructure supporting the channel function, including systems, processes, governance frameworks and Salesforce as the single source of truth.
* Act as the central coordination point between distributors and internal teams, ensuring effective support, alignment with government and marketing initiatives and strong partner engagement globally.
Qualifications, Experience and Skills
* 5-10 years' experience in senior channel, distributor or partner leadership roles in complex B2B environments.
* Proven track record building and governing global distributor networks across multiple regions (EMEA and/or APAC required).
* Background in defence, aerospace, security, government or complex hardware‐led technology businesses where sales involve long cycles, technical products and regulated customers.
* Demonstrated ownership of the full distributor lifecycle: recruitment, onboarding, enablement, performance management, tiering, remediation and exit.
* Experience designing and enforcing tiered partner models, scorecards, KPIs and executive‐level QBRs.
* Strong understanding of indirect sales economics and distributor commercial accountability for hardware or solution‐based offerings.
* Hands‐on experience building process, governance and reporting frameworks in a channel that generates revenue but lacks structure.
* Deep working knowledge of Salesforce (or equivalent CRM) as a system of record for partners, pipeline and performance.
* Ability to manage underperforming or conflicted distributors, including structured exits and partner replacement.
* Executive presence and credibility to operate autonomously and influence senior internal and external stakeholders.
* Familiarity with export controls, trade compliance or regulated supply chains (e.g. ITAR, EAR or equivalents) preferred.
* Willingness to travel internationally and be based in Sydney or Amsterdam.
Remuneration
* Competitive base salary and stock options.
What This Role Is Not
This role does not carry a direct revenue quota, does not replace regional sales owners as the day‐to‐day relationship for distributors in their geography, and does not own end‐customer account strategy. The Head of Channel & Distributor Management owns the system, the standards and the health of the partner network — regional sales owners execute within it.
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