Head of Innovation and AI

Uniting; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Flexible hybrid

Fitness Passport

Extra paid leave

U Rewards discounts

Meaningful work

Job summary

Uniting is seeking a Head of Innovation and AI in Sydney to lead a four-person multidisciplinary team and steer the enterprise AI agenda. You’ll own Buddy’s product vision, roadmap and adoption, expanding its capabilities and impact across the organisation.

You’ll shape AI strategy, governance and delivery, turning challenges into scalable, value-driven solutions while balancing responsible AI, privacy and risk considerations. This role sits within our Digital Technology group in Sydney CBD.

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience leading digital innovation, AI or emerging tech initiatives.
• Experience developing and executing digital or AI strategies within a complex organisation.
• Strong product thinking with end-to-end product lifecycle experience.

Responsibilities

• AI strategy and governance — set direction for responsible AI adoption and enterprise roadmap.
• Innovation and incubation — move ideas from concept to scalable solutions.
• AI development — lead development of agentic AI, digital assistants and automation.
• Buddy product leadership — own Buddy’s vision, roadmap and adoption.
• Buddy commercialisation — pricing, partnerships and go-to-market for broader adoption.
• People leadership — coach a high-performing four-person team.
• Innovation culture — foster experimentation and value-driven outcomes.
• Stakeholder leadership — collaborate with executives to drive adoption.

Skills

AI strategy

Product leadership

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Agile delivery

Human-centred design

Job description

Sydney CBD | Lead a high performing team | Permanent

Lead what’s next for AI and innovation at Uniting

Applications close Wednesday, 16 September.

This is an opportunity to lead Uniting’s enterprise innovation and AI agenda at a genuinely exciting point in our digital journey.

As Head of Innovation and AI, you’ll lead a team of four and work across the organisation to identify, develop and scale digital solutions that make a real difference — improving frontline service delivery, enhancing employee and customer experiences and reducing the administrative burden on our people.

You’ll also take direct product leadership responsibility for Buddy, Uniting’s AI-powered digital assistant. Buddy is already part of our innovation story; your role will be to take it further — expanding its functionality, increasing adoption across Uniting and developing a sustainable pathway to make Buddy available more broadly across the aged care and community services sector.

This is not innovation for innovation’s sake. It’s about finding better ways to solve real problems, using AI and emerging technology to deliver measurable outcomes for our people, customers and communities.

What you’ll lead

You’ll shape and execute Uniting’s AI strategy, identifying where artificial intelligence and emerging technologies can deliver the greatest value across our organisation.

You’ll lead a multidisciplinary AI Development Squad, bringing together specialists across AI, automation, development, design, business analysis and product to turn business challenges into practical, scalable solutions.

Your work will span:

• AI strategy and governance — setting the direction for responsible AI adoption, investment priorities and the enterprise AI roadmap.
• Innovation and incubation — taking ideas from opportunity and proof of concept through to solutions that can operate at scale.
• AI development — leading the development of agentic AI, digital assistants, intelligent automation, generative AI and emerging technology solutions.
• Buddy product leadership — owning Buddy’s product vision, roadmap, development, adoption and continuous improvement.
• Buddy commercialisation — developing the product, pricing, partnership and go-to-market approach to expand Buddy beyond Uniting across the aged care and community services sector.
• People leadership — leading, coaching and developing a high-performing team of four, while building capability in AI, human-centred design, agile delivery and emerging technologies.
• Innovation culture — creating an environment where experimentation, curiosity and new ideas translate into meaningful outcomes.
• Stakeholder leadership — working with executives, business leaders and frontline teams to understand problems, build confidence in new technology and drive adoption.

Why this role is different

You’ll have the opportunity to shape something that is still evolving.

You’ll be working at the intersection of AI, digital product development, innovation and human-centred design, with the scope to influence how technology is used across a large and complex human services organisation.

And you’ll have something particularly tangible to lead: Buddy.

You’ll help determine where Buddy goes next, how it evolves in response to user needs and emerging AI capability, and how it can create value not only within Uniting but across the wider sector.

About you

You’ll typically bring 10+ years’ experience in your field, with a strong track record of leading digital innovation, AI or emerging technology initiatives.

You’re an experienced digital innovation leader who can move comfortably between strategy and delivery. You understand that successful innovation starts with a real problem to solve, and you know how to take an idea from early experimentation through to adoption and measurable business value.

You’ll bring:

• Significant experience leading digital innovation, AI or emerging technology initiatives.
• Experience developing and executing digital or AI strategies within a complex organisation.
• Strong product thinking, with experience taking digital products or solutions from concept through development, adoption and continuous improvement.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and creating the conditions for experimentation and high performance.
• A strong understanding of AI, automation, generative AI and emerging technologies, with the ability to distinguish genuine opportunity from hype.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders and influencing across organisational boundaries.
• A human-centred approach to technology, with an understanding of user research, UX and designing solutions around genuine user needs.
• Experience working in agile environments and taking ideas from proof of concept into practical implementation.
• Strong commercial thinking, ideally including experience with product partnerships, licensing, go-to-market or commercialisation.
• The ability to balance innovation with responsible AI, privacy, cybersecurity, legal, clinical governance and risk considerations.

Experience in aged care, community services or another complex service environment would be highly regarded, as would AI or machine learning qualifications.

Why Uniting?

Uniting is one of Australia’s largest not-for-profit organisations, delivering services and advocating for change across aged care, disability, community services, housing and social justice.

Our purpose is simple: to inspire people, enliven communities and confront injustice.

Technology has an important role to play in that purpose — particularly when it makes life easier for the people delivering and receiving our services.

This is your opportunity to lead that work.

Based in Sydney CBD, you’ll be part of our Digital, Innovation & Experience team within Digital Technology, working alongside people who are passionate about using technology to create better outcomes.

Position Description Head of Innovation and AI

Ready to lead what’s next?

Should you have any questions, please contact Louise Massie at *******@uniting.org or call 0422 154 ***

Applications close Wednesday, 16 September. Please be aware that there are 3 role specific questions to be answered in the application form.

Join morethan12,000+ employeesworking together to inspire people, enliven communities, and confront injustice.

• Access to outstanding not-for-profit salary packaging, helping you pay less tax and take home more of your income. Better still, your full annual benefit is available from 1 April 2026, allowing you to maximise your tax savings from the start of the FBT year.
• Flexible hybrid working.
• Access to Fitness Passport, providing discounted access to hundreds of gyms, pools, and fitness facilities across Australia to help you live your best life.
• Additional paid leave options, including the opportunity to purchase extra annual leave.
• Exclusive employee discounts through our U Rewards program.
• The chance to do meaningful work every day for an organisation committed to inspiring people, enlivening communities, and confronting injustice.

About Uniting

Uniting NSW.ACT contributes to the work and mission of the Uniting Church in NSW and the ACT through social justice advocacy, community services, and spiritual care. We provide care and support for people through all ages and stages of life, with a focus on people experiencing disadvantage and vulnerability. Our purpose is to inspire people, enliven communities, and confront injustice.

Uniting is a Child Safe Organisation committed to promoting the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of children and young people.

Empowered by diversity

At Uniting, inclusion isn’t just something we value, it’s how we work. We welcome people from all backgrounds, experiences, and identities and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, faiths, genders, and sexual orientations.

If you require adjustments to participate in our recruitment process, please let us know.