Lead Technical Architect - Microservices & AI

Mane Consulting; Canberra; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Mane Consulting is guiding a major business application transformation to establish enterprise microservices foundations and AI-enabled engineering practices across the software delivery lifecycle. The role requires senior architectural leadership to design and govern cloud-native, microservices-based platforms that align with security and business goals.

Ideal candidates will bring deep expertise in AI engineering, modern SDLC practices, and enterprise-scale modernization, with a track record

Qualifications

• Cloud-native microservices architecture in large enterprises.
• AI engineering including semantic search and ML deployment.
• DevSecOps, CI/CD, observability, and security-by-design.
• Enterprise modernization initiatives with measurable improvements.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and leadership across teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical & architectural leadership for cloud-native platforms.
• Set up AI-enabled SDLC, automated testing, and platform engineering standards.
• Drive system integration, containerization, and reusable design patterns.
• Uplift team maturity through governance and knowledge transfer.

Skills

Microservices Architecture

AI Solution Delivery

Software & Platform Engineering

Technology Modernization

Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership

Job description

Program Context & Team

• Division: CIO Division
• The Project: Supporting a major business application transformation program to establish Department's first enterprise Microservices and Event-Driven Architecture foundations while embedding AI-enabled engineering practices across the software delivery lifecycle.
• Organizational Mission: Drives sustainable growth, innovation, and productivity across Australian industries through enterprise technology and policy delivery.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Technical & Architectural Leadership: Serve as the architectural authority for designing, governing, and evolving cloud-native, microservices-based, and AI-enabled platforms aligned with security and business goals.
• SDLC & AI Practices: Establish modern engineering standards including AI-enabled SDLC, DevSecOps, CI/CD, observability, platform engineering, and automated testing.
• Modernization & Adoption: Drive system integration, containerization, microservices enhancements, and reusable design patterns to improve resilience and scalability.
• Capability Building: Uplift team maturity and foster engineering excellence through knowledge transfer, governance, and technical leadership across multidisciplinary teams.

Essential Criteria

1. Microservices Architecture: Extensive experience designing, implementing, and governing cloud-native, microservices, and event-driven architectures in complex enterprise environments.
2. AI Solution Delivery: Demonstrated expertise in AI engineering, including semantic search, machine learning solutions, responsible AI practices, and enterprise deployment.
3. Software & Platform Engineering: Strong technical foundation in modern frameworks, DevSecOps, CI/CD, automated testing, observability, and security-by-design.
4. Technology Modernization: Proven track record leading enterprise transformation initiatives, influencing architectural decisions, and delivering measurable performance improvements.
5. Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership: Exceptional communication and leadership capabilities, with proven experience collaborating with delivery partners, multidisciplinary teams, and senior executives.

Desirable Criteria

1. Container Platforms: Hands-on experience designing and operating container platforms (Kubernetes, OpenShift, AKS, EKS, or GKE), including platform automation and workload management.
2. SRE & Cloud Modernization: Background in Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), platform engineering, enterprise-scale automation, and observability tools.
3. Agile & Team Coaching: Experience leading Agile delivery, coaching geographically dispersed teams, and driving capability uplift across an organization.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Essential Criteria
• Microservices Architecture
• AI Solution Delivery
• Software & Platform Engineering
• Technology Modernization
• Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership
• Desirable Criteria
• Container Platforms
• SRE & Cloud Modernization
• Agile & Team Coaching