Senior Software Engineer - Machine Learning

reagroup; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid and flexible work

Flexible leave options

Flexible parental leave

Job summary

REA Group is hiring a Senior Software Engineer, ML, to design and deliver reliable AI/ML products powering property experiences for millions of Australians. You will shape production-grade AI systems and collaborate with cross-functional teams to advance our property platform.

The role is based in Melbourne or Sydney with hybrid work options. You will work alongside product, machine learning, engineering and data teams to build scalable AI solutions that impact how Australians explore and

Qualifications

• Experience designing and delivering AI/ML products in production.
• Strong Python and data engineering skills.
• Ability to work across product, ML, engineering and data teams.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, test, deploy and monitor AI/ML products, pipelines and services.
• Apply engineering best practices including test automation, CI/CD, refactoring, observability, Docker and IaC.
• Develop, test and maintain real-time and batch data pipelines using Airflow, SQL, BigQuery and Kafka.
• Establish automated evaluation and monitoring to track model performance and quality at scale.
• Implement and optimise ML models for ranking, relevance and retrieval using embeddings and LLMs.
• Measure and optimise third-party models through evaluation and optimisation approaches.
• Own model lifecycle management, including versioning and CI/CD for reproducible experimentation.
• Contribute to discussions, design and delivery of ML platform capabilities across teams.

Skills

ML engineering

MLOps

Python

LLMs

Software architecture

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

PyTorch

Docker

Airflow

Kafka

BigQuery

CI/CD

Job description

Design and deliver delightful, reliable AI/ML products that help millions of people experience property in new ways.
Permanent role based in Melbourne or Sydney

We're REA

With bold and ambitious goals, REA Group is changing the way the world experiences property. No matter where you are on your property journey, we're here to help with every step - from finding your next home to financing it.

Our people are the key to our success. At the heart of everything we do is a thriving culture centred on high performance and care. We are purpose-driven and collaborative, which drives innovation and our ability to make a real impact.

We're proud to have been named one of Australia's Best Workplaces four times since 2021 - including third place in 2025 - as well as Best Workplace for Women in 2023 and Best Workplace in Technology in 2024 and 2025. These accolades are testament to every person who helps make REA a great place to work.

Where the team fits in

The AI Enrichment squad sits within the Experiences & Platforms business unit. We're creating new products and solutions that will shape how Australians experience property, today and into the future. You'll work in a multifunctional team across product, machine learning, engineering, data engineering and consumer experience. Together, you'll build data and AI products that power experiences across REA, using techniques including audience segmentation, large language models and multimodal vision-language models.

What the role is all about

This is a unique opportunity to design and deliver delightful, reliable ML products at REA. As our Senior Software Engineer, ML, you'll be instrumental in designing and implementing the intelligent core of our platform.

You’ll tackle complex challenges in building reliable, maintainable and scalable AI/ML systems that directly impact millions of users - helping them discover properties in ways they never thought possible. The systems you and your team develop and maintain will span a range of AI/ML techniques, including audience segmentation, large language models and multimodal vision-language models.

If you're passionate about using AI to solve real-world problems and want to help redefine an entire industry, this role is for you.

You'll:

• Design, implement, test, evaluate, deploy and monitor AI/ML products, pipelines and services using Python, modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch, AWS and cloud-native technologies.
• Apply engineering best practices including test automation, CI/CD, refactoring, observability, Docker and infrastructure as code to build and operate reliable AI/ML products.
• Develop, test and maintain real-time and batch data engineering pipelines using technologies such as Airflow, SQL, BigQuery and Kafka.
• Establish automated evaluation and monitoring systems to track AI product and feature performance, detect drift and ensure quality at scale.
• Implement and optimise ML models for ranking, relevance and retrieval using embeddings, transformers and LLMs in production environments.
• Measure and optimise third-party models through appropriate evaluation and optimisation approaches.
• Own model lifecycle management, including versioning, deployment and CI/CD integration for reproducible experimentation and delivery.
• Contribute to discussions, design and delivery of ML platform capabilities that accelerate delivery across teams.

Who we're looking for

• Proficiency in machine learning, ML engineering, MLOps, software engineering and LLMs in a commercial production environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge and application of machine learning across training, evaluation, inference and observability, using both structured and unstructured data such as image and text.
• Proficiency in Python, SQL and/or other relevant ML technologies. You don't need to know every technology we use, but you do need to be able to design and create high-quality, maintainable software.
• The ability to identify the most appropriate machine learning approaches and tools for a commercial application or opportunity.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across teams and with a range of business stakeholders.
• The ability to independently and collaboratively lead the design, scoping and delivery of key feature slices to a high standard and within agreed timelines.
• A strong motivation to learn - we're constantly learning together, mentoring each other and looking for ways to improve.
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and adapt quickly.

The REA experience

The physical, mental, emotional and financial health of our people is something we'll never stop caring about. This is a place to learn, grow and make a meaningful difference.

Some of our perks and benefits include:

• A hybrid and flexible approach to working.
• Flexible leave options, including birthday leave and the option to purchase additional leave.
• Flexible parental leave for primary and secondary carers.