Director of Operations (USA)

About the Role

The General Manager is the senior leader responsible for overall leadership, performance, and strategic direction of DroneShield’s United States operations. This role provides country-level oversight across delivery, engineering, growth, and operational functions, ensuring the US business operates effectively, compliantly, and in alignment with global strategy. The General Manager drives cross-functional alignment, enables scalable growth, and represents the company with key customers, partners, and stakeholders in the US. This role will report to the President of the US operation. This is a business leadership role, not a functional technical or delivery management position.

Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations 

US Business Leadership

• Provide overall leadership for the US based team
• Ensure alignment between US activities and the Global company strategy
• Drive a strong, performance-oriented culture across all US teams
• Serve as the senior in-country representative for the business

Cross-Functional Integration

• Oversee coordination across:
• • Operations
  • Tech
  • Growth & Commercial functions
• Remove barriers between teams to ensure efficient execution
• Ensure priorities are aligned with customer, operational, and strategic objectives

Operational Oversight

• Provide executive oversight of US delivery and operational performance via the Director of Operations
• Ensure customer commitments are executed effectively and professionally
• Monitor operational capacity, readiness, and scalability

Commercial & Growth Alignment

• Work closely with the Chief Growth Officer (US) to support market expansion and strategic pursuits
• Provide operational and executive support for major customer engagements and partnerships
• Support capture and delivery alignment for key programs

Governance, Compliance & Risk

• Ensure US operations adhere to company policies, legal requirements, and compliance frameworks
• Oversee workplace safety, security, and regulatory obligations at a country level
• Support audit readiness and governance requirements

External Representation

• When required, represent DroneShield with US customers, partners, and government stakeholders
• Support strategic relationship development and executive engagement

Financial & Performance Oversight

• Support budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance oversight for US operations
• Ensure operational performance supports financial targets and growth objectives

Qualifications, Experience and Skills 

• 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience managing multi-functional teams and business units, with the ability to drive performance, accountability, and cross-functional alignment
• Experience operating in high-growth or scaling organisations, building structure, processes, and operational discipline as teams expand
• Background in defence, aerospace, hardware technology, telecommunications, or other regulated or mission-critical environments is strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of operational planning, delivery execution, and capacity management in complex technical or product-driven organisations
• Experience engaging with senior external stakeholders, including government, enterprise, or strategic partners, in complex or high-value environments
• Familiarity with governance, compliance, and quality frameworks, and the ability to manage risk and regulatory requirements
• Sound commercial and financial acumen, including experience supporting budgeting, forecasting, and major customer or partnership engagements
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to represent the company externally and influence senior internal stakeholders