Software Developer

Whizdom; Canberra; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contract extension option

Job summary

Whizdom is seeking a Software Developer with 5 years of full-stack experience for critical government projects in Canberra. You will design and build AI-enabled systems, exposing production-ready APIs for external integration and inference using Python, FastAPI, and React.

You will collaborate across data science and engineering teams while adhering to security policies, coding standards, and best practices.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of full-stack development experience in a government environment with high security networks.
• Experience with AI integration, OpenAI tool calling, and ML lifecycle concepts.
• Demonstrated SFIA Level 4-5 programming capability with tangible outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Design, code, and unit-test AI-enabled systems or features, exposing scalable API endpoints.
• Diagnose defects, refactor for readability, performance, and security in existing apps.
• Produce API specs and user guides to enable knowledge transfer and maintenance.
• Manage Git repos, branching, and CI/CD pipelines; participate in code reviews and mentoring.
• Apply secure-coding practices, threat analyses, and ensure compliance with security standards.
• Collaborate with data scientists, analysts, engineers, and stakeholders to deliver robust AI solutions.
• Identify opportunities for tooling upgrades and process improvements.

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

GitLab

Bitbucket

CI/CD

Elastic Stack

Prometheus

Grafana

AWS

Job description

Seeking a Software Developer with 5 years full-stack development experience in a government environment and deploying to high security networks.

Role Description The Software Developer will be a key member of the AI Capabilities (AIC) team delivering high-quality Al based applications and services across the organisation. The role requires a blend of technical expertise, disciplined engineering practice, and the ability to collaborate across a diverse, multidisciplinary group. All work must adhere to the organisation’s coding standards, security policies, and industry best- practice guidelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Design & Development: Design, code, and unit-test new Al-enabled systems or new features to existing systems, including scalable, production-ready API endpoints that expose our A! models for external integration and inference, using one or more of the supported languages/frameworks (Python, FastAPI, React).
• Maintenance & Refactoring: Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve defects in existing applications; refactor legacy code to improve readability, performance, and security.
• Documentation: Produce clear technical documentation, API specifications, and user guides that enable knowledge transfer and future maintenance.
• Version Control & Cl/CD: Manage source-code repositories (GitLab, BitBucket), create and maintain branching strategies, and contribute to automated build, test, and deployment pipelines.Code Review & Mentoring: Participate in peer reviews, provide constructive feedback, and support junior team members in adopting best practices.
• Security & Compliance: Apply secure-coding principles, perform threat analyses, and ensure all deliverables meet organisational security standards.
• Collaboration: Work with cross-functional teams, including data scientists, data analysts, data engineers and project stakeholders to deliver robust, production-grade AI solutions and mentor junior developers when required.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities for process optimisation, tooling upgrades, and adoption of emerging technologies.

Mandatory Qualifications

• Professional Experience: Minimum 5 years of full-stack development experience in a government environment and deploying to high security networks.
• Experience developing solutions that leverage artificial intelligence, including experience with the OpenAI Specification (tool calling, reasoning, structured output), Al integration protocols (MCP, AGUI) and the ML lifecycle (e.g. model evaluations, deployment)
• SFIA Responsibility Level: Proven capability at SFIA Level4-5 (Programming - PROG) with demonstrable outcomes at the appropriate level.

Desirable Qualifications

• Cloud-native / Containerisation: Experience building Docker-based or Kubernetes-orchestrated services.
• Software observability tooling (Elastic stack, Prometheus+Grafana), their integration into software applications, and the ability to use these tools to effectively debug issues in production systems.
• Additional Certifications: Relevant industry certifications (e.g. AWS Certified Developer, Certified Kubernetes Administrator, etc.).

Required Knowledge/Experience and tools

• Coding skills and experience in one or more languages/frameworks, e.g. Python, FastAPI, React
• Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC): Requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Version Control & Collaboration: Branching strategies, pull-request workflows, and code-review etiquette.
• Testing Practices: Unit, integration, and automated testing frameworks appropriate to the stack.
• Security Fundamentals: Secure coding guidelines, threat modelling, and vulnerability mitigation.

Contract

12 Months Contract with 2 x 12 months extension option

Security Required

TSPV Security clearance required

Location

Canberra

Closing date

Friday 20 November 2026

Call Joanne Finchett on 0480 002*** or email ******@whizdom.com.au for any further information