Manager AI QE - Automation and Performance

VicRoads; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

VicRoads is seeking a Manager AI QE to lead AI-augmented quality engineering, automation and performance practices, and to manage vendor partnerships. The role reports to the Head of Quality Engineering & Intelligence and sits at the Melbourne Head Office with flexible working arrangements.

You will define capability roadmaps, governance guardrails, and measurable outcomes for automation, performance, and AI-enabled quality practices.

Qualifications

• 15+ years’ experience in quality engineering, automation, and/or performance testing within large and complex technology environments.
• Proven leadership experience building, leading, and managing enterprise Automation Engineering and Performance Engineering teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading an AI enablement roadmap for Quality Engineering, with a strong focus on embedding agentic testing use cases across automation and performance engineering practices.
• Proven experience taking high-value AI adoption opportunities from ideation and assessment through to implementation, governance, measurement, and continuous improvement within a Quality Engineering environment.
• Experience developing business cases, investment justifications, funding proposals, and benefits-realisation frameworks for technology and quality engineering initiatives.
• Proven ability to define baselines and establish enterprise quality metrics, engineering effectiveness measures, automation ROI, performance engineering success indicators, and executive dashboards.
• Proven ability to manage risks, issues, delivery priorities and outcome measures across Automation and Performance Engineering teams, ensuring transparent reporting, effective escalation and sustained delivery confidence.
• Strong understanding of modern Quality Engineering practices, CI/CD, continuous testing, shift-left and shift-right approaches, DevOps principles, quality intelligence, and responsible AI adoption.
• Experience establishing and governing scalable automation frameworks across web, mobile, API, integration, and data platforms.
• Strong stakeholder and vendor management skills, with the ability to influence executives and partner across Product, Engineering, Architecture, Security, Delivery, Operations, and external delivery ecosystems.
• Exceptional communication, strategic thinking, commercial judgement, people leadership, and change leadership capabilities

Responsibilities

• Lead automation engineering, performance engineering, and AI-enabled testing enablement within the QE function.
• Build baselines and track measurable benefits from automation and AI investments with transparent reporting.
• Scale automation frameworks across web, mobile, API, integration, data, and enterprise platforms.
• Partner with Engineering, DevOps, Architecture, Security, AI and Innovation, Product, Delivery, Operations, and external vendors to embed continuous testing and quality controls into CI/CD pipelines.
• Lead, coach, and develop Automation Engineering and Performance Engineering teams, while building AI capability within the broader QE function.
• Manage vendor relationships, statements of work, delivery expectations, capability transfer, performance measures, and commercial alignment.
• Foster a culture of innovation, responsible AI adoption, continuous improvement, engineering excellence, and evidence-based decision-making

Skills

Automation Engineering

Performance Engineering

AI Enablement

Vendor Management

Quality Engineering Leadership

Executive Communication

Tools

CI/CD Tools

DevOps Practices

Job description

## Manager AI QE - Automation and PerformanceApply: Melbourne - Head Office: Full time: Posted Yesterday: End Date: September 25, 2026 (5 days left to apply): JR102664At VicRoads the work you do has real impact. Our work connects people and communities. We keep Victorians moving safely and smoothly today and help them be ready for tomorrow.VicRoads empowers our people to learn and grow– focusing on impact and innovation. We reflect the diversity of Victoria and foster clever thinking to keep you and the community moving.VicRoads is progressing too. In August 2022, we started on a new chapter when the Victorian State Government partnered with Aware Super, Australian Retirement Trust, and Macquarie Asset Management to operate registration and licensing services on its behalf.We work collaboratively with the Victorian State Government to ensure we fulfill regulatory requirements, deliver State projects and safeguard customer data. The Victorian State Government retains sole responsibility for road access, infrastructure and safety.* **Lead Automation, Performance Engineering, and AI-enabled Quality Engineering capabilities and governance*** **Drive AI adoption, automation ROI, and measurable quality outcomes through data-driven reporting*** **Build high-performing teams and vendor partnerships to embed quality across the delivery lifecycle****About the Role**Reporting to the Head of Quality Engineering & Intelligence, you will lead AI augmentation enablement, automation engineering, performance engineering, and vendor management within the Quality Engineering function. You will support the broader QE strategy by defining practical capability roadmaps, governance guardrails, tooling approaches, partner engagement models, and measurable outcomes for automation, performance, and AI-enabled quality practices.This role will focus on responsible and pragmatic adoption of AI-augmented quality engineering practices, establish value-realisation measures, and provide clear reporting on productivity uplift, automation effectiveness, performance readiness, vendor contribution, risk reduction, and return on investment.**Key Responsibilities*** Lead automation engineering, performance engineering, AI-enabled testing enablement, operating practices, governance, standards, and capability roadmaps within the QE function* Build business cases, investment proposals, funding justifications, and benefits-realisation frameworks for automation, performance engineering, AI augmentation, tooling, and vendor-supported capability initiatives* Define baselines and track measurable benefits from automation, performance engineering, and AI-enabled testing investments, ensuring transparent reporting and continuous optimization* Establish and scale automation frameworks across web, mobile, API, integration, data, and enterprise platforms* Partner with Engineering, DevOps, Architecture, Security, AI and Innovation, Product, Delivery, Operations, and external vendors to embed continuous testing and quality controls into CI/CD pipelines and delivery practices* Lead, coach, and develop Automation Engineering and Performance Engineering teams, while building AI capability within the broader Quality Engineering function* Manage vendor relationships, statements of work, delivery expectations, capability transfer, performance measures, commercial alignment for automation, performance, and AI augmentation services* Foster a culture of innovation, responsible AI adoption, continuous improvement, engineering excellence, and evidence-based decision-making**About You**You are an experience quality engineering leader with deep expertise in Automation, Performance Engineering, AI enablement, and vendor management. You can translate emerging AI capability into pragmatic enablement for QE teams, strengthen automation and performance practices, manage delivery partners effectively, and demonstrate value through clear metrics and measurable outcomes.**You'll bring:*** 15+ years’ experience in quality engineering, automation, and/or performance testing within large and complex technology environments* Proven leadership experience building, leading, and managing enterprise Automation Engineering and Performance Engineering teams and capabilities* Demonstrated experience leading an AI enablement roadmap for Quality Engineering, with a strong focus on embedding agentic testing use cases across automation and performance engineering practices* Proven experience taking high-value AI adoption opportunities from ideation and assessment through to implementation, governance, measurement, and continuous improvement within a Quality Engineering environment* Experience developing business cases, investment justifications, funding proposals, and benefits-realisation frameworks for technology and quality engineering initiatives* Proven ability to define baselines and establish enterprise quality metrics, engineering effectiveness measures, automation ROI, performance engineering success indicators, and executive dashboards* Proven ability to manage risks, issues, delivery priorities and outcome measures across Automation and Performance Engineering teams, ensuring transparent reporting, effective escalation and sustained delivery confidence* Strong understanding of modern Quality Engineering practices, CI/CD, continuous testing, shift-left and shift-right approaches, DevOps principles, quality intelligence, and responsible AI adoption* Experience establishing and governing scalable automation frameworks across web, mobile, API, integration, and data platforms* Strong stakeholder and vendor management skills, with the ability to influence executives and partner across Product, Engineering, Architecture, Security, Delivery, Operations, and external delivery ecosystems* Exceptional communication, strategic thinking, commercial judgement, people leadership, and change leadership capabilities**Why Join Us?**At VicRoads RLS, we're transforming how we deliver critical services to millions of Victorians. This role offers the opportunity to enable AI-augmented Quality Engineering, lead automation and performance engineering capability uplift, manage strategic vendor partnerships, influence investment decisions, and build practical capabilities that deliver measurable customer and business value.**Location**Melbourne Head Office with flexible working arrangements available.**Apply Now**If you're ready to enable practical AI augmentation within Quality Engineering, strengthen automation and performance capability, and manage vendor partnerships that support measurable delivery outcomes, we'd love to hear from you. **Please submit your application via the “Apply” button and help shape the future of quality, automation, performance, and AI at VicRoads!**