Head of Special Aviation Missions

Company Overview

Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refuelling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats.

Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service – spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.

At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack – from the lab to the field – we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It's a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Group Overview

Metrea is actively building its presence in Australia as part of a deliberate, globally coordinated expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. Our Asia-Pacific Market Group, headquartered in Brisbane with an additional office in Perth, is the enterprise's dedicated regional interface — connecting Australia's national security community with Metrea's full suite of capabilities across three core domains: Aerospace, Electromagnetic & Cyber, and Digital & Synthetic. Metrea is now bringing that same depth of mission expertise and proven operating model to Australia.

Underpinning these capabilities is a global network of Support Groups spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement — ensuring that as we grow in Australia, we do so with the full weight of an established global enterprise behind us.

Position Summary

The Head of Special Air Missions (Australia) is a newly created senior leadership role responsible for shaping and leading Metrea’s Australia SAM organisation. This leader will define the structure, capabilities, and culture (we call it FIRMWARE) of our aviation organization while ensuring operational excellence and safety across high-value aerospace programs in Australia. 

This is a builder-and-operator role: someone who can design and build scalable systems, frameworks, and teams (“working on the Group”), while being deeply engaged in delivering results day-to-day (“in the Group”). The Head of SAM (Australia) will scale a team, influence the wider business, and operate effectively in ambiguity, all while cultivating a culture aligned with Metrea’s FIRMWARE. 

This role leads through collaboration rather than hierarchy, building trust and influence across geographies and functions. It requires identifying and developing top talent while driving alignment across the enterprise, and is central to achieving Metrea’s vision of safe, assured, and scalable global aviation operations. 

What You'll Do

• Design and implement the Australia SAM organization, creating a scalable and efficient structure that supports long-term growth across a range of complex aviation missions


• Collaborate with Metrea’s other SAM groups to maximise alignment despite regulatory differences


• Build frameworks, financial models, and digital systems—working with Operations—to streamline workflows and meet government contracting requirements


• Identify capability, skills, and cultural gaps; lead professional development and targeted hiring to build a high-performing, resilient team


• Foster a unified One Team culture grounded in humility and aligned with Metrea’s core attributes: entrepreneurial, systematic, discerning, and over-delivering


• Provide decision support and guidance to enable effective leadership across the organization


• Lead execution of the Group’s strategy through the annual Enterprise Value Case cycle, delivering strategic milestones and measurable objectives across SAM Capability Areas


• Contribute to enterprise planning, including campaign, capability, and marketing plans relevant to Special Air Missions


• Be responsible for the delivery of safe, effective and efficient aviation operations under the CASA regulatory environment


• Oversee performance management across Australia SAM capability areas, ensuring progress against OKRs and KPIs and taking corrective action when necessary


• Support reporting with strategic insight, risk analysis, and mitigation planning


• Manage risk and opportunity across the portfolio including aviation and business risk, influencing internal programs and supporting acquisition considerations


• Apply market and customer expertise to de-risk current programs and validate new opportunities

What You Bring

• Senior leadership experience in aerospace and defense, with proven experience building and scaling teams across geographies


• Track record of identifying, developing, and retaining top talent


• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and complexity, with the ability to drive results without relying on hierarchy


• Strong understanding of aviation regulations: CASA essential; hands-on experience in an operational CASA environment, prior accountable executive responsibility preferred


• Extensive special mission aircrew experience; ISR background preferred


• Working knowledge of CASA airworthiness and maintenance requirements


• Proven ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders across functions, geographies, and external partners


• Experience leading teams, managing budgets, and delivering measurable results


• Familiarity with Australian government budget cycles and procurement processes


• Strong judgment, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills; adaptable and intellectually curious 


• Highly organized, execution-focused, and collaborative across boundaries, inspiring teams and aligning stakeholders to shared goals


• Emotionally intelligent, humble, and able to challenge assumptions constructively


• Willingness to travel frequently, often on short notice

Benefits

• Private healthcare


• Generous PTO


• Superannuation


• Annual incentive plan


• Fully paid parental leave for all new parents


• Life and disability insurance


• Long-term and Short-term disability coverage


• Employee Assistance Program

Work Authorization / Security Clearance

Role may require adherence to export control regulations (ITAR/EAR and equivalent). Employment is contingent on meeting all clearance and adjudication requirements.

Inclusion Statement

We are committed to building a team that reflects a broad range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and make hiring decisions based on capability, potential and alignment with our values. If you require any adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please let us know.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position with typical working hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hours and work shifts may change in accordance with department and business needs.

Work Environment

Whilst this job primarily operates in an office setting must be flexible to operate in aviation operations, maintenance and other environment as required. 

Travel

30% of your time will be spent travelling both internationally and domestically.