Senior Software Engineer - Machine Learning

REA Group Melbourne, AUS; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Flexible leave options

Volunteer leave

Community grants

Hackdays

Job summary

REA Group in Melbourne is seeking a Senior Software Engineer - Machine Learning to design and deliver AI/ML products that power property experiences for millions. This permanent, hybrid role allows collaboration across product, ML, engineering and data teams.

You will build reliable ML systems using Python, PyTorch, Airflow and cloud technologies, implement CI/CD, and optimize models for ranking and retrieval. Experience in production ML, MLOps and scalable architectures is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in machine learning across training, evaluation and deployment in production.
• Ability to design and implement high-quality, maintainable software.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL with strong software engineering fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, test, deploy and monitor AI/ML products, pipelines and services.
• Apply CI/CD, observability, and dockerized infrastructure for reliable ML systems.
• Develop and maintain data pipelines using Airflow, SQL, BigQuery and Kafka.
• Establish automated evaluation and monitoring for ML models and features.
• Own model lifecycle management including versioning and deployment.

Skills

Python

SQL

ML engineering

LLMs

MLOps

CI/CD

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related field

Tools

PyTorch

Airflow

BigQuery

Kafka

Docker

Job description

Senior Software Engineer - Machine Learning

Permanent

Hybrid

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

You’ll bring:

• 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.
• Our Because We Care program, offering volunteering leave, community grants, matched payroll giving and a Community Café that donates 100% of revenue to charity.
• Hackdays so you can bring your big ideas to life.

Our values — Re-imagine it, Own it, Do it with heart, Inspire it, Do it as a team and Keep it real — shape how we work, treat each other and make decisions.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We’re committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe teams with diverse ideas and experiences are more creative, more effective and fuel disruptive thinking.

If you’ve got the skills, dedication and enthusiasm to learn but don’t necessarily meet every single point in the job description, please still get in touch.

Join our Talent Neighbourhood

Keen to be part of REA but didn’t find a perfect match with this opportunity? Perhaps the timing isn’t right? Join our Talent Neighbourhood to hear about future opportunities that could be a great fit.