Principal Data Scientist - Responsible AI, Agentic AI

Commonwealth Bank of Australia; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonwealth Bank of Australia seeks a Principal Data Scientist, Responsible AI, to shape and deliver capabilities across evaluations, runtime assurance and monitoring. You will lead technical architecture, partner with risk and policy teams, and advance reliable AI at scale across the group.

You will work with data scientists, engineers and risk professionals to translate complex AI concepts into practical, governed solutions and drive responsible AI adoption with strong delivery practices.

Qualifications

• Proven commercial experience in leading the design, build and deployment of production AI systems, including Generative and Agentic AI.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership in the design, development and implementation of world-class evaluation and assurance capabilities for Generative and Agentic AI that support data scientists across the Group

Skills

Generative AI

Agentic AI

Python

SQL

Deep Learning

AWS

Azure

CI/CD

Containerization

Observability

Communication

Tools

Jira

Job description

Principal Data Scientist - Responsible AI, Agentic AI

Shape and deliver key Responsible AI capabilities across evaluations, runtime assurance and ongoing monitoring, and embed them in processes and risk controls

Solve complex challenges to influence high-priority initiatives that drive Responsible AI across the Group

Work with data scientist and engineering tech teams to build, deploy and manage Responsible AI capability

Do work that matters

At CommBank, we are investing in AI to create better customer experiences and meaningful value for the communities we serve. Within the Responsible AI Domain, advanced data science and risk management come together to set the direction for Responsible AI across the Group.

As Principal Data Scientist, Responsible AI you will provide technical leadership in shaping the technical direction and delivering capabilities that are used across the Group, guide architecture and design decisions, and strengthen delivery practices.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will help move ideas from ambiguity through to build, testing and delivery to give AI developers across the Group the tools they need to put Responsible AI into practise at scale.

See yourself in our team

You will join a highly technical data science team developing and managing key Responsible AI capabilities across evaluations, runtime assurance and ongoing monitoring. The team works closely with risk and policy teams, data scientists from across the Group, engineering teams and others to ensure Responsible AI is built-in and operating seamlessly and at scale.

We value curiosity, pragmatism, inclusion and continuous improvement. We share knowledge, test emerging methods thoughtfully and maintain a strong focus on outcomes and technical quality.

We support flexible ways of working, with a balance between time in the office and remote work. Talk to us about arrangements that work for you.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership in the design, development and implementation of world-class evaluation and assurance capabilities for Generative and Agentic AI that support data scientists across the Group
• Partner with engineering, data science, risk and policy teams in designing and delivering Responsible AI capabilities
• Partner with risk and policy teams also in building and operating formal risk controls which formalise and standardise responsible AI practises
• Establish executive risk reporting which gives appropriate visibility of responsible AI outcomes to senior leadership
• Apply statistical methods and structured problem solving to complex and ambiguous challenges in Responsible AI
• Work closely with data scientists and developers across the Group to understand requirements for Responsible AI capabilities and identify enhancement opportunities
• Keep up to date with industry developments and best practise in Generative and Agentic AI, and responsible AI
• Establish strong technical and delivery practices across data science and engineering

We're interested in hearing from people who:

• Are experienced data science or machine learning leaders that combine their strong technical judgement with a people-first approach
• Enjoy solving complex problems, developing others and turning emerging technologies into reliable, practical outcomes
• Communicate clearly, build trusted relationships and can operate effectively across technical, business and risk contexts

Tehcnical skills and qualifications:

• Proven commercial experience in leading the design, build and deployment of production AI systems, including Generative and Agentic AI systems.
• Detailed practical experience in evaluation and managing the risk of Generative and Agentic AI systems.
• A strong foundation in Statistics, Probability and Machine Learning with the ability to interpret, evaluate and explain model behaviour.
• Advanced Python, SQL and relevant Deep Learning frameworks.
• Practical knowledge of cloud environments such as AWS or Azure, version control, continuous integration and delivery, containerization, monitoring and observability
• Experience applying responsible AI, model governance, risk management and documentation requirements in a regulated or similarly complex environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence senior stakeholders and explain technical decisions to varied audiences
• A tertiary qualification in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics or a related discipline is beneficial
• Strong background in Machine Learning and Software Engineering is a big plus!

Working with us

At CommBank, we foster a culture of inclusion and respect, celebrating diversity across cultures, abilities, genders, gender expressions and sexual orientations. If this role excites you but you don't meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the right fit for this role or another opportunity with us.

We're committed to making a meaningful difference for Australia