Head of Engineering - AI & Automation

BusinessAI; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive executive salary

Performance incentives tied to deliver

Direct influence over technical 전략 and

Job summary

BusinessAI in Port Melbourne is seeking a Head of Engineering to lead the engineering function, overseeing delivery, systems architecture, and technical strategy. The role combines hands-on coding with leadership, shaping the roadmap and development practices for scalable AI solutions.

You will manage onshore and offshore teams, work with senior leadership, and drive high-impact outcomes that translate AI potential into measurable business results.

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.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering delivery across customer engagements and internal platform development.
• Build and mentor a high-performing engineering team.
• Design scalable AI 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.

Skills

Leadership

AI/ML expertise

Python API development

TDD & CI/CD

REST & GraphQL

Frontend knowledge (React / Vue / Next

Stakeholder management

Tools

React

Vue

Next.js

Python

Job description

Location: Port Melbourne, 3207

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

You don’t need to tick every box.

We know great candidates don’t always apply unless they meet every requirement. If this role excites you and you believe you can make an impact, we’d love to hear from you. We’re committed to building a more diverse team and particularly encourage women in engineering and technology to apply.

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