About the role

Our client is a Western Australian RPAS/drone capability integrator. They work across the defence, government and commercial sectors, delivering platforms, payloads and operational services through CASA certified operations. This role sits in their spatial team and reports to the Remote Operations Manager.

You'll plan and fly UAV survey missions on multirotor, VTOL and fixed-wing platforms under a ReOC. You'll own the whole UAV survey workflow, from mission planning and data capture through to processing, validation and delivery of accurate, client-ready spatial data. You'll work with a varied sensor stack (LiDAR, photogrammetry and GNSS) and choose the right technology for each project.

You'll split your time between our client's Perth City office and project sites, with some travel interstate and to remote locations. A travel allowance is provided

Key responsibilities

- Plan and fly UAV survey missions on multirotor, VTOL and fixed-wing platforms to project spec, under a ReOC
- Capture LiDAR and photogrammetry data
- Capture RTK/PPK GNSS data with appropriate ground control and check points
- Process and classify point clouds
- Carry out dense matching and strip/boresight adjustment
- Generate DTMs and DSMs, and edit breaklines
- Produce orthomosaics and volume calculations
- Design and validate control, run check point analysis, and produce accuracy statements and conformance reports against project tolerances
- Keep flight logs, GNSS base records, processing reports and safety documents up to audit standard
- Work directly with project managers and clients to scope outputs and explain results in plain language

Essential

- 5+ years in drone-based survey,



with the majority of your time on UAV acquisition and processing
- RePL (25 kg) with demonstrated experience operating under a ReOC
- Solid photogrammetry and LiDAR processing capability you can take a raw dataset to a validated, classified, client-ready deliverable without supervision
- Ability to run the full processing pipeline: dense matching, point cloud classification, strip/boresight adjustment, DTM/DSM generation, breakline editing, orthomosaic production and volumetrics
- GNSS network corrections in practice: RTK and PPK, base/rover setup, and post-processing (e.g., AUSPOS)
- Working command of GDA2020/MGA, AHD, WGS84 and the transformations between them and you can spot a datum error before it ships
- Manual driver's licence
- Australian citizenship (required for our client's Defence related work)
- Tertiary qualification in surveying, spatial science, geomatics or equivalent demonstrated experience

Desirable

- Magnetometer experience
- Processing depth in any of: Pix4D, DJI Terra, Agisoft Metashape, Trimble Business Center, LiDAR360, TerraSolid, CloudCompare, Global Mapper
- CAD/GIS output in Civil 3D, 12D, QGIS or BricsCAD
- Mining/engineering tolerance, conformance and reporting experience
- JSA, risk assessment and safety-management literacy for remote field work
- Defence experience

Why apply

- A real sensor stack, not one airframe: multirotor, fixed-wing, LiDAR, photogrammetry and GNSS, chosen for each mission
- Cross sector work across mining, civil, environmental and Defence
- Upskilling into thermal, bathymetric and AI-assisted processing as the team grows

Veterans are encouraged to apply.

📌 Drone Survey & Geospatial Data Specialist (Perth)
🏢 Safeguard Staffing
📍 Perth