Program Tech Lead - AI & Digital Platform (Google Cloud)

NCS Group Australia; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid parental leave

Wellbeing initiatives

Discounted health insurance

Product/service discounts

Recognition programs

AI-driven learning platform

Job summary

NCS Australia is seeking a Program Tech Lead - AI & Digital Platform to guide high-profile AI and digital transformation programs in enterprise telco environments. You will own technical delivery from architecture to squad execution, focusing on AI agents, ADK, Vertex AI, and cloud-native platforms.

The role requires senior leadership across multi-disciplinary squads, deep GCP experience, and hands-on coding with TypeScript/Angular/Node.js.

Qualifications

• 10–15+ years in software engineering with delivery leadership.
• Proven experience in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and AI agent development.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary delivery squads in enterprise Telco.

Responsibilities

• Program-Level Technical Ownership: drive end-to-end delivery across AI and digital programs.
• Agentic AI & GenAI Platform Engineering: build and deploy AI agents with ADK, Vertex AI, LLM orchestration.
• Full Stack & Microservices Leadership: set standards for cloud-native microservices and front-end solutions.
• Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps: govern Terraform-based IaC, CI/CD across multi-environment GCP pipelines.
• Squad Enablement & Mentorship: coach senior developers, enforce code quality, document runbooks.
• Stakeholder & Pre-Sales Management: collaborate with Portfolio leads and enterprise architects on feasibility and demos.

Skills

Telco Industry Experience

GCP & Cloud Architecture

AI Agent Development

Full Stack Mastery

Infrastructure as Code

Senior Leadership

Location Sydney-based

Tools

Google Agent Development Kit (ADK)

Vertex AI

Terraform

TypeScript

Angular/React

Node.js

Job description

At NCS Australia, we believe in doing technology services better. Our commitment to quality, focus on people, and willingness to challenge traditional thinking set us apart. Our team brings this belief to life by partnering with our clients and communities to make tomorrow together.

We are committed to creating an environment that prioritises innovation, collaboration, and purposeful work. Our diverse team is empowered to make a meaningful impact with curiosity, creativity and resilience to shape better outcomes. Join us and accept the challenge of creating a better tomorrow.

At NCS Australia, we believe in doing technology services better. Our commitment to quality, focus on people, and willingness to challenge traditional thinking set us apart. Our team brings this belief to life by partnering with our clients and communities to make tomorrow together.

We are committed to creating an environment that prioritises innovation, collaboration, and purposeful work. Our diverse team is empowered to make a meaningful impact with curiosity, creativity and resilience to shape better outcomes. Join us and accept the challenge of creating a better tomorrow.

Job Description

We are seeking a Program Tech Lead - AI & Digital Platform to lead high-profile artificial intelligence and digital transformation programs across complex enterprise environments.

Building upon a foundation of deep full-stack and cloud engineering, this role demands a technical leader who can bridge high-level architecture with hands‑on squad delivery. You will take technical ownership of scaling custom AI Agents, Agentic Workflows (using Google ADK and LLM patterns), and cloud-native digital platforms across Commerce, Retail, and Customer Digital channels within the telecommunications sector.

If you are a seasoned Tech Lead or Solution Architect with a passion for Google Cloud, AI agent development, and leading delivery squads in enterprise telco environments, this is your opportunity to drive true innovation at scale.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Program-Level Technical Ownership: Drive end-to-end technical delivery across multiple AI and digital transformation programs, translating complex architectural designs into execution plans, epics, and production-ready software.
• Agentic AI & GenAI Platform Engineering: Architect, build, and deploy custom intelligent bots and AI agents utilizing Google Agent Development Kit (ADK), Vertex AI, and modern Large Language Model (LLM) orchestration frameworks.
• Full Stack & Microservices Leadership: Lead the technical standards for cloud-native microservices, modern front-end web solutions (TypeScript/Angular), and API integrations connecting cloud AI platforms to core backend systems.
• Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps: Drive Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) discipline, automated testing, and CI/CD best practices across multi-environment GCP deployment pipelines.
• Squad Enablement & Mentorship: Lead, unblock, and mentor senior developers and engineers; set code quality benchmarks, conduct reviews, and maintain robust technical documentation and runbooks.
• Stakeholder & Pre-Sales Management: Partner with Portfolio Leads, Product Managers, and enterprise architects to evaluate technical feasibility, estimate delivery effort, manage technical risk, and showcase platform demos.

Qualifications

Core Requirements:

• Telco Industry Experience: Proven track record leading technical delivery or software engineering within a major Telecommunications or large-scale digital/retail enterprise setting.
• GCP & Cloud Architecture: Deep hands-on expertise in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services, including Vertex AI, Cloud Run/GKE, IAM, and cloud networking.
• AI Agent Development: Hands-on experience building intelligent agents and bots, with specific proficiency in Google Agent Development Kit (ADK), GenAI/LLM orchestration, or similar agentic frameworks.
• Full Stack Mastery: Strong engineering background in TypeScript, Angular/React, Node.js, and Microservices architecture.
• Infrastructure as Code: High proficiency in Terraform for provisioned, automated cloud infrastructure.
• Senior Leadership: 10-15+ years in software engineering with demonstrated experience stepping up to manage delivery pressure, technical governance, and cross-team alignment.
• Location: Sydney-based (or willing to relocate) with hybrid working capability.

Highly Regarded

• Google Cloud Certifications (Professional Cloud Architect, Professional Data Engineer, or Professional ML Engineer).
• Exposure to API Management platforms (e.g., Apigee X) or multi-cloud integration patterns.
• Knowledge of test automation (TOSCA/Selenium) and enterprise SAP/ERP integration patterns.

Additional Information

Why join us:

NCS Australia is where you can feel at home, nurturing your talents and skills as we make tomorrow together, one day at a time. Our benefits include paid parental leave, initiatives focused on your well-being and discounted health insurance. You will also enjoy discounts on various products and services and be regularly recognised and rewarded for high performance. We are committed to your career development through our Capability Fingerprint, industry and partner training programs, special interest groups, and an AI-driven learning platform. No matter where you are in your career, we offer meaningful work and opportunities for growth.

NCS Australia is an equal-opportunity employer, and we take pride in our commitment to valuing and supporting our people and the communities we serve. We are dedicated to attracting, retaining and developing our people regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and age. Applications are encouraged from all sectors of the community and we strongly encourage applications from the Veterans, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community.

At NCS Australia, we are committed to supporting adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, as well as during employment. We actively support and encourage people with disability to apply.

Agencies

We’ve got this. We request that you do not contact NCS employees outside of the Talent Acquisition team. NCS exclusively accepts resumes from agencies on our preferred supplier panel through the NCS Agency Portal. Agencies that submit resumes must have a valid fee agreement and be assigned to the particular requisition by the Talent Acquisition team. Any resumes that are submitted outside of this process will become the sole property of NCS. If a candidate is hired outside of this process, no fee or payment will be given.

Work Rights and Background Checks

To be eligible for a position with us, applicants will need to have valid work rights for Australia and be willing to undergo a comprehensive background checking process, including probity and police checks.