Senior Applied AI Engineer

ctrl:cyber; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Flexible work options

Growth opportunities

Job summary

ctrl:cyber, an Australian cybersecurity firm, seeks a Senior Applied AI Engineer to lead AI-driven capabilities across internal and product systems. You will design intelligent agents, automation workflows, and secure APIs, collaborating with engineering teams to embed AI into the architecture.

You will work with LLMs, RAG, and modern AI frameworks, driving experiments and scaling successful prototypes into production-grade services within Azure-davored cloud environments.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience with exposure to AI/ML or intelligent automation systems.
• Strong programming experience, preferably Python, with production-grade software.
• Experience with large language models (LLMs) and modern AI frameworks.
• Experience building AI-powered applications using prompt engineering, retrieval (RAG), and agent/workflow orchestration.
• Designing AI systems with security, data privacy, and safe AI usage in mind.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of AI-powered agents and intelligent automation workflows for internal operations and customer-facing products.
• Architect and integrate AI features within the product ecosystem, including automated insights, recommendations, and natural language interfaces.
• Design secure, scalable AI services and APIs connecting AI systems with internal platforms and external tools.
• Experiment with emerging AI technologies, scale prototypes into robust production systems.
• Define multi-step AI workflows and agent orchestration strategies for autonomous execution.
• Collaborate with senior engineers and cloud teams to integrate AI into the broader architecture.
• Establish best practices for production-grade AI systems including observability, reliability, and security.
• Mentor the team and contribute to AI strategy and roadmap.
• Shape the future roadmap for AI-driven products and operations.

Skills

Python

AI/ML

LLMs

Prompt engineering

Workflow orchestration

APIs

Tools

Azure

AWS

GCP

Azure AI Foundry

Vector databases

Job description

We are here to find those who strive for excellence, go the extra mile, and crave continuous growth.

We’re an all-Australian cybersecurity firm helping some of the country’s biggest organisations stay ahead of cyber risk. Proudly recognised as a 2026 Great Place to Work, we’ve built a culture that champions growth, celebrates initiative, and supports people who are motivated to make an impact. We’re looking for people who share our drive to learn relentlessly, act with integrity, and raise the bar for our clients and teammates alike – those seeking a place where your drive and expertise are met with equal enthusiasm and opportunity. Dive into a culture that treasures innovation and offers a growth platform that is as limitless as your ambition and work ethic.

The Opportunity

As a Senior Applied AI Engineer, you will lead the design and delivery of AI-powered capabilities that enhance both internal operations and core product functionality. You will design intelligent agents, automation workflows, and AI-driven features such as insights, recommendations, and natural language interactions, while developing secure APIs that connect AI systems with internal platforms and external tools. The role involves experimenting with emerging AI technologies, rapidly prototyping solutions, and scaling successful ideas into production-ready, reliable services. Collaboration with engineering teams is key to embedding AI into the broader system architecture and shaping future AI-driven product direction.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the design and development of AI-powered agents and intelligent automation workflows that drive meaningful improvements across internal operations and customer-facing products.
• Lead the architecture and integration of AI features within the product ecosystem, including advanced capabilities such as automated insights, recommendations, and natural language interfaces.
• Design and deliver secure, scalable AI services and APIs, establishing patterns and standards for how AI systems interact with internal platforms, data systems, and external tools.
• Drive experimentation with emerging AI technologies, models, and frameworks; evaluating trade-offs, guiding adoption decisions, and scaling successful prototypes into robust production systems.
• Define and implement multi-step AI workflows and agent orchestration strategies, enabling reliable autonomous and semi-autonomous task execution.
• Partner closely with senior engineers and cloud teams to ensure AI systems are deeply integrated into the broader architecture, influencing system design and long-term technical direction.
• Support in establishing best practices for building production-grade AI systems, including observability, evaluation frameworks, cost optimisation, reliability, and security.
• Act as a technical mentor and thought partner, elevating team capability in applied AI and contributing to engineering culture.
• Contribute to the organisation’s AI strategy, helping identify high-impact opportunities and shaping the future roadmap for AI-driven products and operations.

What You’ll Bring

• 7+ years of software engineering experience, with exposure to AI/ML or intelligent automation systems.
• Strong programming experience, preferably in Python, with experience developing production-grade software.
• Experience working with large language models (LLMs), generative AI platforms and modern AI development frameworks (e.g., Claude, OpenAI, or similar).
• Experience building AI-powered applications using techniques such as prompt engineering, retrieval (RAG), and agent or workflow orchestration.
• Experience designing AI systems with security, data privacy, and safe AI usage in mind (e.g., prompt injection mitigation, data handling, access control)
• Experience integrating AI services with APIs, databases, and internal platforms.
• Experience building AI solutions using cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP (Azure preferred)
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to prototype, experiment, and iterate quickly on new AI capabilities.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with engineering and product teams to deliver AI-driven features

What's an Asset

• Experience building RAG pipelines and knowledge retrieval systems
• Experience working with vector databases or Azure AI Search
• Experience fine-tuning or deploying custom models using platforms such as Azure AI Foundry
• Experience working with operational data (logs, tickets, alerts) to build AI-driven insights
• Experience designing or working with MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers or similar tool orchestration frameworks to enable AI systems to interact with external tools and services

What You’ll Get

• A technically excellent, collaborative team
• Competitive base salary and flexibility to suit how you work best
• Clear investment in your professional growth and long-term success

Ctrl is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We value diversity and welcome applicants from all backgrounds, encourage anyone who meets most of the criteria to apply – even if you don’t tick every box.

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