People Experience Manager, APAC (R3549) - Shield AI

Job Title: People Experience Manager, APAC (R3549)
Job Location: Melbourne
Job Listing URL: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/6e56051c-741a-4fa2-b779-c54a76ac02ea
Job Description: Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn,X, YouTubeand Instagram.

As we continue to expand in Australia, we're looking for a hands-on, people-first People Experience Manager to lead our local HR efforts and ensure our growing team in Port Melbourne is supported, empowered and set up to thrive.

This is initially a sole-charge HR role in Australia, working closely with our global PX team and partnering day-to-day with a dedicated recruiter on all things hiring, onboarding and retention.

You’ll play a key role in embedding Shield AI’s values, supporting leaders, and building the frameworks and experiences that help us scale successfully.

What you'll do:
People Strategy & Culture
Act as a trusted advisor to leaders, driving initiatives that support morale, engagement and retention.
Champion Shield AI’s values and embed a culture of performance, inclusion, and continuous development.
Collaborate with global PX and local leadership to tailor global policies for the Australian context.

Employee Lifecycle & HR Operations
Own the onboarding experience to ensure a seamless and engaging start for new hires.
Manage core HR processes including offboarding, HRIS updates, leave admin, and compliance with local legislation.
Be the first point of contact for day-to-day employee support and issue resolution.

Career Development & Performance
Design and implement career development frameworks to support employee growth.
Coach managers through performance conversations, feedback and progression planning.
Identify L&D needs and help roll out internal development programs.

Workforce Planning & Collaboration
Work alongside the local recruiter to align hiring, onboarding and retention strategies.
Provide input on workforce planning, team design, compensation, and market trends.
Lead or contribute to regional HR projects that improve employee experience and operational effectiveness.
What You'll Bring:
Significant recent experience in a People/HR generalist or business partner role, ideally in tech, defence or high-growth environments.
Deep understanding of Australian employment law and HR best practices.
Experience leading or implementing onboarding, engagement, and retention strategies.
A coaching mindset – able to support and influence both managers and employees.
A hands-on approach – comfortable working autonomously in a sole-charge capacity while collaborating with global teams.
Strong communication, stakeholder management and problem-solving skills.
Experience working across the broader APAC region (e.g., Singapore, India, Japan) is a bonus, but not required.
Bonus Points For:
Experience working for a global company with a distributed workforce.
Exposure to tech platforms, UKG Pro and Costpoint.
Why Shield AI?
High-impact, career-defining opportunity to shape the people function in a cutting-edge defence tech company.
Work on meaningful challenges that blend tech, autonomy and national security.
Hybrid role based in Port Melbourne, with salary + equity and support from a global team.
Join a genuinely collaborative team that values trust, transparency and kindness.

Help us redefine what’s possible in autonomous defence — apply today.