Director of AI Engineering

Work Initiatives; North Sydney; Híbrido; AUD 200.000 - 250.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Work Initiatives is seeking a Director of AI Engineering to lead Australian AI/ML delivery, guiding architecture, hands-on ML work, and strategic conversations with C-suite.

Based in Sydney or Melbourne, the role is hybrid and offers responsibility to build and scale a multidisciplinary team, while aligning technical direction with commercial goals across the region.

Formación

• Proven experience leading the design and delivery of complex AI/ML solutions.
• Experience building and scaling multidisciplinary teams of data scientists and engineers.
• Strong commercial acumen and executive presence to advise C-suite stakeholders.

Responsabilidades

• Lead the architecture, design and delivery of AI/ML solutions across Australia.
• Hire, mentor and scale a multidisciplinary team of data scientists and ML engineers.
• Engage with CIOs/CTOs and executives to shape AI strategy and investment.

Conocimientos

AI/ML leadership

MLOps

System design

Executive communications

Team building

Educación

Master's or PhD in Computer Science / AI / ML

Herramientas

MLOps tooling

Cloud platforms

Descripción del empleo

Director of AI EngineeringLocations: Sydney or Melbourne (hybrid)Package: Up to $250K base + super The Opportunity:Most senior AI & Engineering leadership roles eventually force a choice. Stay close to the technology and lose influence, or move into leadership and lose the depth that got you there.

This role demands both. You’ll join a global AI company renowned for designing, engineering and deploying advanced AI systems, long before AI became a priority in every boardroom. Their focus has always been on production: systems that solve hard problems, run reliably at scale and deliver measurable results well beyond the proof of concept.

The Role:As Director of AI Engineering, you’ll own technical delivery across Australia, moving between architectural decisions, hands‑on ML work and executive conversations about where AI can make the biggest commercial impact. It's a chance to shape the technical direction of a growing Australian business, with the autonomy to build the team and the backing of an established global organisation. What you’ll be doing:Lead technical delivery: Own the architecture, design and delivery of AI/ML solutions, setting the engineering standard across Australian engagements.

Stay close to the technology: Guide modelling decisions, MLOps, systems design and production engineering on high-priority projects. Shape AI strategy: Work directly with CIOs, CTOs and senior executives to turn business problems into technically sound, commercially viable AI solutions. Build the capability: Hire, mentor and scale a multidisciplinary team of data scientists and ML engineers, and set the practices that underpin delivery.

Drive commercial growth: Lead technical scoping, solution proposals and pre‑sales, while building the business’s profile in the AI engineering community. What you’ll bring:Proven experience leading the design and delivery of complex AI/ML solutions, with commercially valuable systems running in production. Deep technical expertise across machine learning, generative AI, ML architecture, MLOps and software engineering, with the ability to challenge technical decisions and guide complex implementations.

Experience building and scaling multidisciplinary teams of data scientists, ML engineers and software engineers. Strong commercial acumen and executive presence, with the ability to advise C-suite stakeholders, shape technical strategy and influence investment decisions. Experience in consulting or client-facing technical leadership, including solution design, scoping, technical proposals and pre‑sales.

A degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Mathematics or a related technical discipline, with a Master's or PhD highly regarded. Experience scaling technical teams, alongside conference speaking, published research or contributions to the AI engineering community.