Head of Engineering

BusinessAI; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Executive salary package

Performance incentives

Own technical strategy and standards

Build engineering function from early

Job summary

BusinessAI is a fast-growing Australian AI automation company recruiting a Head of Engineering to lead delivery, systems architecture, and technical strategy across customer and internal platforms. This hands-on leadership role requires mentoring a high-performing team and shaping engineering culture from the ground up.

You will work directly with the Director of AI & Product to execute the roadmap, design scalable AI components, and drive engineering standards.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on software engineering experience.
• Proven leadership experience managing engineering teams in SaaS or AI environments.
• Demonstrated success delivering production-grade solutions to external customers.
• Strong expertise across modern AI/ML stacks including LLMs, agent frameworks, retrieval systems, and orchestration patterns.
• Advanced Python experience with strong API development capabilities across REST and GraphQL.
• Experience implementing TDD and CI/CD practices across engineering teams.
• Working knowledge of modern front-end frameworks such as React, Vue, or Next.js.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Commercial mindset with the ability to contribute to scoping, pricing, and solution design discussions.
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, high-growth startup environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering delivery across customer engagements and internal platform development.
• Write code, prototype solutions, and establish engineering best practices.
• Design and deliver AI agents, automation systems, APIs, and orchestration frameworks.
• Build scalable delivery models that improve speed, quality, and margin.
• Manage and mentor engineering talent across onshore and offshore teams.
• Implement engineering standards including TDD, CI/CD, and scalable deployment practices.
• Partner with consulting and sales teams during solution scoping and customer workshops.
• Translate business challenges into commercially viable technical solutions.
• Develop reusable technical IP, frameworks, and accelerators that strengthen competitive advantage.
• Ensure engineering quality, governance, reliability, and consistency across all delivered solutions.

Job description

Location: South Melbourne
Reports to: Director of AI & Product
Lead the engineering function of one of Australia’s fastest-growing AI automation companies, building scalable AI solutions that deliver real business impact.

• Competitive executive salary + performance incentives
• Hands-on leadership role with direct influence on company growth
• Opportunity to shape the technical roadmap, delivery systems, and engineering culture from the ground up

About The Company BusinessAI is Australia’s first full-service AI automation partner, helping small and medium businesses unlock efficiency, growth, and scale through practical AI solutions.

• Specialises in AI education, automation strategy, and implementation
• Builds AI agents and automation systems that deliver measurable commercial outcomes
• Focused on turning AI potential into real-world business execution
• Backed by experienced operators with strong growth momentum
• Driven by innovation, customer outcomes, and operational excellence

About The Role This is a full-time Head of Engineering role leading BusinessAI’s engineering capability across delivery, systems architecture, team leadership, and technical strategy.

• Lead engineering delivery across customer and internal AI solutions
• Build and mentor a high-performing engineering team
• Design scalable frameworks, accelerators, and reusable AI components
• Work directly with the Director of AI on roadmap execution and technical strategy
• Act as the senior technical authority in customer-facing engagements

You will operate as a true player-coach, combining hands-on engineering with leadership, commercial input, and strategic decision-making.
What You’ll Do

• Lead engineering delivery across customer engagements and internal platform development
• Write code, prototype solutions, and establish engineering best practices
• Design and deliver AI agents, automation systems, APIs, and orchestration frameworks
• Build scalable delivery models that improve speed, quality, and margin
• Manage and mentor engineering talent across onshore and offshore teams
• Implement engineering standards including TDD, CI/CD, and scalable deployment practices
• Partner with consulting and sales teams during solution scoping and customer workshops
• Translate business challenges into commercially viable technical solutions
• Develop reusable technical IP, frameworks, and accelerators that strengthen competitive advantage
• Ensure engineering quality, governance, reliability, and consistency across all delivered solutions

Skills & Experience We are looking for a highly capable engineering leader with deep technical expertise and strong commercial awareness.

• 8+ years of hands-on software engineering experience
• Proven leadership experience managing engineering teams in SaaS or AI environments
• Demonstrated success delivering production-grade solutions to external customers
• Strong expertise across modern AI/ML stacks including LLMs, agent frameworks, retrieval systems, and orchestration patterns
• Advanced Python experience with strong API development capabilities across REST and GraphQL
• Experience implementing TDD and CI/CD practices across engineering teams
• Working knowledge of modern front-end frameworks such as React, Vue, or Next.js
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Commercial mindset with the ability to contribute to scoping, pricing, and solution design discussions
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, high-growth startup environments

Culture

• High-performance, execution-focused environment
• Strong emphasis on ownership, accountability, and innovation
• Direct collaboration with senior leadership and strategic decision-makers
• Fast-moving startup culture with significant growth opportunities
• Focused on practical AI outcomes and measurable customer impact

Benefits

• Competitive executive salary package
• Performance incentives tied to delivery and business growth
• Direct influence over technical strategy and engineering standards
• Opportunity to build and shape the engineering function from an early stage
• Exposure to cutting-edge AI technologies and enterprise implementations
• Collaborative environment with strong leadership support
• Clear pathway toward long‑term leadership and equity growth opportunities

Key Success Metrics

• On‑time and on‑margin delivery of customer engagements
• Engineering quality and customer satisfaction outcomes
• Scalability and efficiency improvements across delivery systems
• Team capability, retention, and engineering performance
• Growth and leverage of reusable technical IP and frameworks
• Consistency and reliability of solutions delivered under the BusinessAI brand