Chief Engineer

Nearheal; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 350,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonwealth Bank is seeking a Chief Engineer for Institutional Banking Technology in Australia. You will be a senior technical leader with the authority to set direction across architecture, platforms, infrastructure, software and data, guiding AI-enabled engineering at scale.

You will drive large-scale modernisation across a complex tech ecosystem, shaping architectural choices and technology trade-offs behind major decisions in collaboration with senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Deep technical credibility and architectural judgement in large-scale engineering environments.
• Track record transforming complex technology landscapes across cloud, APIs, services and SaaS ecosystems.
• Experience with AI, GenAI and emerging technologies to improve engineering outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Set the engineering vision and technical roadmap for Institutional Banking Technology, shaping platforms for the future.
• Lead modernisation of large platforms, moving from legacy systems to cloud, APIs, microservices and service-domain architectures.
• Raise engineering standards across design, delivery, observability, reliability and production readiness.
• Partner with Product, Architecture, Risk and Delivery to balance pace, quality, customer impact and risk.
• Apply AI and emerging tech to improve engineering, colleague and customer experiences.
• Mentor engineering leaders and foster an inclusive culture that grows capability.

Job description

• Step into one of CBA's most senior technical leadership roles
• Make the big technical calls that shape what comes next
• Harness CBA's advanced AI engineering capability at scale

Do work that matters

Are you driven by complex engineering at scale — someone who stays close to the craft, makes the big technical calls and shapes what comes next?

Technology sits at the heart of how CommBank is building tomorrow’s bank today, and you can help define what that future looks like.

This is a chance to shape engineering at genuine scale. Institutional Banking Technology powers critical services for some of Australia’s largest organisations and those helping drive Australia’s economy. Our platforms span the full client lifecycle, from acquisition and onboarding through to relationship management, money movement, institutional lending, pricing and origination, and trade and working capital.

See yourself in the team

As Chief Engineer for Institutional Banking Technology, one of our most senior technical leaders, you’ll have the reach to shape engineering across an entire technology landscape. You’ll make the big technical calls, challenge what’s possible and set the direction for modern, AI-enabled engineering at scale.

You’ll lead large-scale modernisation across a complex technology ecosystem, harnessing modern technologies to transform how we build and deliver for our customers. Working alongside our most senior leaders, you’ll shape the architectural choices and technology trade-offs behind some of our biggest decisions.

What you’ll be doing

Reporting to the General Manager – Institutional Banking Technology, you’ll have the technical authority and influence to shape the long-term direction, modernisation and health of critical platforms, systems and services.

In this role you'll:

• Set the engineering vision and technical roadmap, making the big architectural calls that shape our platforms for the future.
• Start with the customer, deeply understanding our products and experiences and translating that into technology that delivers better outcomes.
• Lead major platform modernisation, navigating legacy complexity and accelerating towards modern cloud, API, microservices and service-domain aligned architectures.
• Raise the bar for engineering excellence, creating measurable improvements across secure design, delivery, observability, reliability, resilience, developer experience and production readiness.
• Make the hard trade-offs count, partnering across Product, Architecture, Risk and Delivery to balance pace, engineering quality, customer impact and operational risk.
• Put AI and emerging technology to work, identifying where they can materially change engineering, colleague and customer experiences.
• Create clarity in complexity, giving engineering teams the guardrails and technical direction to move with confidence and pace.
• Grow the next generation of engineering leaders, mentoring technical talent, lifting capability and creating an inclusive culture where great engineering can thrive.

We’re interested in hearing from people who:

This is a role for someone deeply technical, who thrives on solving problems at scale — with the breadth to operate across architecture, platforms, infra, software and data, driving AI-empowered engineering excellence. Able to see where technology needs to go, make the tough calls along the way, and inspire engineering teams to lift what's possible.

You’ll be someone who brings:

• Deep technical credibility and architectural judgement, built in large-scale, complex engineering environments, with the confidence to set direction when there’s no obvious answer.
• A track record of transforming complex technology landscapes, moving beyond legacy constraints and shaping modern architectures across cloud, APIs, services, platforms and SaaS ecosystems.
• Real-world impact with AI, GenAI and emerging technologies, cutting through the hype and turning new capabilities into better engineering, colleague and customer experiences.
• An uncompromising standard for engineering excellence, spanning secure design, CI/CD, observability, resilience, reliability, controls and operational readiness.
• Technical range from big-picture strategy to code-level detail, equally comfortable setting a multi-year technology direction, challenging an architecture or demonstrating what great engineering looks like.
• The influence to shift engineering thinking at scale, challenging convention, building momentum behind new approaches and growing the technical leaders and engineering capability around you.

Bring the technical depth to challenge what exists, the vision to see what could be better, and the influence to make it happen.

Working with us:

At CommBank, we're committed to creating an accessible, inclusive and respectful workplace. If you require support or adjustments, please let us know. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and we're particularly committed to making a positive difference for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples. For support please contact 1800 989 696.

If you're already part of the Commonwealth Bank Group (including Bankwest, x15ventures), you'll need to apply through Sidekick to submit a valid application. We’re keen to support you with the next step in your career.

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