Executive Manager - AI Science, Digital & Channels

Westpac; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 260,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Westpac is seeking an AI Science leader to drive practical, responsible AI across digital channels, CCaaS and branches in a hybrid Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane setting. You will guide evaluation, design and deployment of conversational AI, agent assist, and customer-context features while ensuring risk controls and regulatory compliance.

You will build capability, mentor teams, and partner with executives to translate business needs into scalable AI solutions, shaping the customer journeys across

Qualifications

• 10+ years in data science and applied AI, including senior leadership.
• Experience with LLMs, retrieval, agent orchestration and evaluation methods for conversational AI.
• Experience delivering AI in regulated financial services environments.
• Experience in digital servicing, contact centre or branch operations.
• Executive influence and ability to translate customer needs into business value while managing risk.

Responsibilities

• Own the cross-channel AI strategy and technical roadmap with channel product leaders.
• Partner with Digital, contact centre, branch, Product, Technology, Data and Risk leaders to frame use cases with clear problems and data needs.
• Lead technical direction for conversational AI, real-time agent assist, and customer-context integration.
• Own end-to-end solution quality from evaluation to controlled release and retirement.
• Ensure solutions meet Group AI risk policies including privacy, security, and explainability.
• Define architecture, interfaces and ownership across teams.
• Lead transition of AI capabilities to production services with Technology.
• Monitor adoption, quality, latency, risk controls and realised value across channels.
• Build and lead a team of AI professionals and contribute reusable patterns.

Skills

Data science leadership

Applied AI

LLMs

Agent orchestration

Executive communication

Financial services experience

Tools

LLMs

Retrieval

Agent orchestration

Responsible AI

Job description

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Job Description

• Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane Location
• Hybrid Working

The opportunity

Join Westpac in a newly created AI Science leadership role focused on practical, responsible AI that improves customer journeys and helps frontline colleagues deliver better service. Reporting to the Head of AI, you will lead the cross-channel AI agenda across Digital, Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) and assisted channels: digital servicing, contact centres and branches.

You will shape the next generation of intelligent servicing: conversational AI, real-time agent assist and customer-context integration that make every channel more helpful. This is a hands-on leadership role. We are looking for a credible data science and applied AI expert who can move comfortably from executive conversations to model, retrieval, evaluation and agent-design decisions.

You will set technical direction, prioritise valuable use cases and lead solutions from evaluation through controlled release, monitoring and retirement, partnering with the Lead AI Scientist, Knowledge Agents so frontline teams draw on one reusable Consumer capability. Just as importantly, you will build capability: hiring, coaching and creating the conditions for your team to do its best work.

What you will be doing …

• Own the cross-channel AI strategy and technical roadmap with channel product leaders, aligned to divisional and enterprise AI strategies and a reusable target-state capability.
• Partner with Digital, contact centre, branch, Product, Technology, Design, Data and Risk leaders to frame and prioritise use cases with clear problems, users, benefits, data needs, owners and risk classification.
• Lead technical direction for conversational AI, real-time agent assist, intelligent servicing and customer-context integration, and advise on investment decisions.
• Own end-to-end solution quality, from evaluation and validation through controlled release, monitoring and retirement, so AI responses are reliable across channels.
• Ensure every solution meets Group AI risk policies, embedding privacy, security, model risk, Responsible AI, explainability, fairness, human oversight and operational resilience.
• Agree shared architecture, interfaces, acceptance criteria and accountable owners across business, Technology and AI teams.
• Lead the controlled transition of proven AI capabilities from experimentation into secure, supported production services with Technology and Operations.
• Monitor adoption, response quality, latency, risk controls and realised value across channels, intervening or escalating early when outcomes, controls or timelines are at risk.
• Build and lead a team of AI professionals, develop future technical leaders, and contribute reusable patterns, evaluation methods and operational controls to the wider AI Science practice.

What you bring to the table …

• 10+ years in data science and applied AI, including senior leadership, with recent hands-on practice in complex, highly regulated financial services environments.
• Deep practical experience with LLMs, retrieval, agent orchestration and evaluation methods for conversational AI and real-time agent assist.
• A record of delivering AI beyond experimentation into reliable, monitored and supportable production services.
• Experience designing AI architecture that integrates customer context across channels and supports frontline employees with trusted, relevant information.
• Practical command of evaluation, Responsible AI and production controls for customer-facing and employee-facing AI.
• People leadership experience including building teams, hiring capability, coaching specialists and creating clear direction.
• Executive influence and the ability to translate between customer needs, business value, technical constraints and risk obligations.
• Experience in digital servicing, contact centre (CCaaS) or branch operations.
• A collaborative approach that respects enterprise standards, governance decision rights and multidisciplinary delivery.

Does this sound like you?

We’re all about creating a supportive and inclusive community. We welcome everyone – no matter your age, gender, background, or abilities. We also provide added support to welcome our veterans, Indigenous Australians, and neurodiverse community.

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, you can find out more information and additional contact details by visiting the "People with Disability and/or needing Accessibility Requirements" page on our website .