What is the defence industry?

South Australia’s defence industry is made up of hundreds of innovative businesses that maintain and enhance Australia’s Defence Force capabilities and contribute to international Defence contracts.

From constructing the infrastructure to support Australia’s warships and submarines, to manufacturing the components for the country’s future air combat fleet and providing the logistics systems to support our Defence personnel, South Australia’s defence industry is responsible for the research, development and production of materials, equipment and facilities for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

At the heart of South Australia’s defence industry is a strong commitment to keeping the country’s Defence Force at the cutting edge of capability to protect Australia and its national interests.

You don’t need to join the Defence Force or wear a uniform to work in the state’s defence industry; working in the defence industry is no different to other sectors with thousands of roles from admin to finance, contract management to logistics, engineering to project management and everything in between. All you need is the drive and passion to be part of an innovative, exciting and thriving sector.

Growth in the defence industry

The defence industry is one of South Australia’s fastest growing sectors and is crucial to the state’s economic growth and prosperity.

The defence sector currently represents 4.5 per cent of gross state product and accounts for more than 11,000s jobs in South Australia.

With significant growth across areas including naval shipbuilding, systems and cyber and space, thousands of jobs are being created on Defence projects in South Australia.

Read more about the opportunities in South Australia’s defence industry.

Jobs in the defence industry

South Australia’s defence industry offers a variety of job opportunities for people with the necessary trade, technical and science and technology skills.

A broad range of rewarding and life-long careers are on offer in areas such as manufacturing, cyber security, engineering, project management, logistics and software development.

Read more about the types of careers in South Australia’s defence industry.

I get excited about working in the space industry because putting something into space is so difficult. I love the idea of the challenge, that it requires a huge amount of work from so many talented people in a variety of fields all working together to make a project come to fruition.

James, Mechanical & Thermal Engineer, Neumann Space

I love that I’m able to work with others to solve problems that have an impact and make a difference every day while still being able to learn new things.

Georgia, Systems Engineer, BAE Systems Australia

It was exciting moving back to South Australia not only because it’s where I’m from, but because of the emerging space industry. I wanted to help build the space industry in Australia from the ground up, rather than work overseas in an industry that’s already established.

Farisha, Avionics Engineer, Southern Launch

There’s such a variety of opportunities in the defence industry and I’m really excited about the prospect of working on innovative and cutting-edge projects. I have some of the greatest minds around me and these people support me in my growth and development as an engineer.

Jessica, Hardware Engineer, Lockheed Martin Australia

Whilst a larger number of roles in the space industry are in engineering, there are lots of other ways to be involved. Space companies, like ours, still need accountants, lawyers and people in communications and marketing.

Ben, Chief Operating Officer, Inovor Technologies

The best thing about leading a company in South Australia’s defence industry is shining a light on the local skills, talent, and innovation that exists right here, in our own backyard.

Simon, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Silentium Defence

I’m excited for the opportunity to work on massive projects that have a real impact on the future of our Defence Force and the nation’s protection and security.

Jeff, Systems Engineer, Nova Systems

There are a number of projects within South Australia which you can spend your entire career working on and still enjoy what you do.

Dhiren, Commercial Manager, PMB Defence

There’s a misconception that the defence industry is very serious, but the experience I’ve had is that we are a very creative and collaborative group of individuals working towards a common goal.

Jamila, Project Manager, ASC Shipbuilding

This sector is growing fast, which means there are always new and exciting projects on the horizon.

Andrew, General Manager, Precise Manufacturing

If there is something that you want to do, and you want to give back to defence, there is definitely a job out there for you.

Zac, Support Technician, Silentium Defence

What I love most about my job is being able to solve the problems that really matter, knowing that my work contributes to Australia’s national security and economic growth.

Trent, Senior Systems Engineer, Nova Systems

You don’t need to be in the armed forces or necessarily have experience in the defence industry in order to be successful and have a rewarding career. The industry is growing, well-funded and rampant with opportunity…I can’t see myself moving on anytime soon.

Rozanne, Senior Financial Accountant, PMB Defence

A lot of people study engineering and do very little engineering in their day to day role. I wanted to be doing calculations and getting my hands dirty in a work shop. I also wanted to be working at the forefront of technology development. This made defence the obvious choice.

Seth, Mechanical Engineer, PMB Defence

I love the culture of our company and the tech we get to work with. The defence industry as a whole has so much to offer in terms of ground breaking technology. We get to develop really cool products and go out in the field testing them. It’s a really interesting industry with so many different aspects that can be worked on.

Christian, Graduate Software Engineer, Silentium Defence

People should definitely consider a career in the defence industry, it takes all types to do the work that we do and there’s lots of opportunities for growth. Adelaide is not only a really nice place to live it’s a really fantastic place to work especially if you are in the defence industry.

Kyal, Digital Specialist, BAE Systems ASC Shipbuilding