AI / ML Engineering Lead

seek.com.au; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

SEEK is hiring an exceptional AI/ML Engineering Lead to set the technical direction, build a high-performing engineering capability, and shape how AI is developed and delivered across the business. We operate with the pace and ambition of a scale-up, offering autonomy to make meaningful technical decisions, influence priorities and establish foundations for long-term AI capability.

You'll work closely with senior leadership, translate opportunities into clear roadmaps and guide hands-on

Qualifications

• Deep experience in AI/ML engineering or software engineering with production systems.
• Strong Python development skills and solid understanding of software architecture.
• Experience leading engineers and setting technical direction.
• Exposure to modern AI technologies (LLMs, RAG, agentic systems) and cloud infrastructure, MLOps, CI/CD, automated testing, and production deployment.
• Ability to work across strategy, architecture and hands-on engineering while delivering commercial outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the AI/ML engineering strategy and technical direction.
• Own architectural direction across ML platforms, AI applications and production systems.
• Lead and develop a team of AI/ML engineers and establish engineering practices.
• Guide development of AI/ML solutions from experimentation to scalable production deployment.
• Collaborate with Data, Software, and Product teams to integrate AI capabilities into existing systems.

Skills

Python development

Leadership experience

AI/ML engineering

Cloud & MLOps

Production deployment

Strategy & architecture

Hands-on engineering

Ownership & curiosity

Job description

We're looking for an exceptional AI / ML Engineering Lead to take ownership of our technical direction, build a high-performing engineering capability and shape how AI is developed and delivered across the business.

This is an opportunity for someone who wants more than simply managing a backlog or overseeing delivery. We want someone who can set a vision, challenge existing approaches and build an engineering environment where talented people can do their best work.

We operate with the pace, autonomy and ambition of a scale-up. You'll have the freedom to make meaningful technical decisions, influence investment priorities and help establish the foundations for long-term AI capability.

You'll be equally comfortable discussing strategy with senior leadership, challenging architectural decisions and getting hands‑on with engineers to solve difficult problems.

The mandate is straightforward: build a great team your way, establish exceptional engineering standards and deliver AI solutions that genuinely work.

What You'll Own

AI/ML Strategy & Technical Direction

• Define and execute the AI/ML engineering strategy, balancing near‑term delivery priorities with long‑term technical capability.
• Own architectural direction and technology decisions across ML platforms, AI applications and production systems.
• Identify opportunities to introduce new capabilities, improve existing solutions and scale AI adoption.
• Work closely with senior leadership to translate business opportunities into clear technical roadmaps.
• Evaluate emerging technologies pragmatically, determining what creates genuine value rather than following industry hype.

We're looking for an exceptional AI / ML Engineering Lead to take ownership of our technical direction, build a high-performing engineering capability and shape how AI is developed and delivered across the business.

This is an opportunity for someone who wants more than simply managing a backlog or overseeing delivery. We want someone who can set a vision, challenge existing approaches and build an engineering environment where talented people can do their best work.

We operate with the pace, autonomy and ambition of a scale‑up. You'll have the freedom to make meaningful technical decisions, influence investment priorities and help establish the foundations for long‑term AI capability.

You'll be equally comfortable discussing strategy with senior leadership, challenging architectural decisions and getting hands‑on with engineers to solve difficult problems.

The mandate is straightforward: build a great team your way, establish exceptional engineering standards and deliver AI solutions that genuinely work.

What You'll Own

AI/ML Strategy & Technical Direction

• Define and execute the AI/ML engineering strategy, balancing near‑term delivery priorities with long‑term technical capability.
• Own architectural direction and technology decisions across ML platforms, AI applications and production systems.
• Identify opportunities to introduce new capabilities, improve existing solutions and scale AI adoption.
• Work closely with senior leadership to translate business opportunities into clear technical roadmaps.
• Evaluate emerging technologies pragmatically, determining what creates genuine value rather than following industry hype.

Engineering Leadership & Quality

• Lead and develop a team of talented AI/ML Engineers, setting a high bar for technical capability, ownership and delivery.
• Establish strong software engineering practices across code quality, testing, architecture, deployment and monitoring.
• Create a culture of technical excellence where engineers challenge assumptions, share knowledge and take pride in their work.
• Remain close to the technology through design reviews, technical problem-solving, mentoring and hands‑on contributions.
• Build the frameworks, processes and engineering foundations needed to scale without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Building & Delivering Production AI

• Guide the development of AI/ML solutions from early experimentation through to scalable production deployment.
• Oversee the design and implementation of machine learning systems, generative AI applications and intelligent automation.
• Establish robust approaches to model evaluation, performance monitoring, reliability and continuous improvement.
• Work across Data Engineering, Software Engineering and Product to ensure AI capabilities integrate effectively into existing systems.
• Balance experimentation and innovation with engineering discipline, security, performance and maintainability.

We're open to different backgrounds. You might already be leading an AI/ML engineering function, operating as a hands‑on Engineering Manager or working as a Principal/Staff Engineer ready for broader ownership.

What matters most is your technical judgement, leadership capability and ability to build.

Ideally, you'll bring:

• Deep experience in AI/ML Engineering, Machine Learning or software engineering, with a track record of delivering production systems.
• Strong Python development skills and a genuine understanding of software architecture, design and engineering principles.
• Experience leading engineers, setting technical direction and raising engineering standards.
• Exposure to modern AI technologies, including LLMs, RAG, agentic systems and traditional ML approaches.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure, MLOps, CI/CD, automated testing and production deployment.
• The ability to operate across strategy, architecture and hands‑on engineering without losing sight of commercial outcomes.
• A strong sense of ownership, intellectual curiosity and the confidence to challenge conventional thinking.
• A pragmatic approach to technology, knowing when to build, buy, simplify or scale.

Why We're Different

Real ownership. You’ll have the autonomy to shape the strategy, architecture, engineering culture and longer‑term technical direction.

Build, don’t just maintain. There’s an opportunity to establish new capabilities, improve how things are done and create something you can genuinely put your name to.

Stay technical. This isn’t a role where leadership means stepping completely away from engineering. We want someone who remains technically credible and enjoys solving complex problems.

Operate with a scale‑up mindset. We value speed, accountability, intelligent experimentation and people who are comfortable making decisions without layers of unnecessary process.

Quality over hype. We’re interested in building AI systems that are reliable, scalable and valuable in production, not simply demonstrating what’s possible.

Why You?

You’ll probably be someone who gets frustrated by slow decision‑making, unnecessary complexity or environments where technical quality takes a back seat.

You enjoy working with talented engineers, have strong opinions about what good engineering looks like and want the autonomy to build something properly.

Most importantly, you want to make an impact. Not just through the systems you build, but through the team, culture and engineering capability you leave behind.