Staff AI Engineer

Airtrunk; North Sydney Council; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

AirTrunk in Australia is hiring a Staff AI Engineer to lead the design and delivery of agentic AI applications and the software that brings them into everyday use. You will build systems that plan, use tools and perform multi‑step work, collaborating with Product, Data, Platform and Security teams, mentoring engineers and shaping technical direction for reliable production-grade AI at hyperscale.

This role offers the chance to work across the AirTrunk platform, ensuring secure, scalable AI

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software engineering or AI/ML
• Experience delivering agentic AI systems in production
• Strong Python and automated testing
• Secure cloud apps with CI/CD and observability
• Lead architectural decisions and mentor engineers
• Knowledge of privacy and Responsible AI practices

Responsibilities

• Design and build AI agents that can plan tasks and use tools
• Write and review production code and shape application architecture
• Lead complex technical work and mentor engineers
• Work with Product, Data and Platform teams to deploy in cloud environments
• Establish automated tests, evaluations and controlled release processes

Skills

AI/ML engineering

Agentic AI

Python

CI/CD

Cloud architecture

Leadership

Context engineering

Security & privacy

Tools

Azure

Databricks

Kubernetes

APIs

SQL

Job description

Want to be a part of Asia Pacific & Middle East's (APME) largest, most innovative, and rapidly growing data centre company?

AirTrunk is a hyperscale data centre company with a powerful purpose - to scale and sustain the relentless growth of the region’s digital future. We do this by continuously redefining and delivering the digital infrastructure that meet the needs of our customers - the world’s most transformational companies. And we’re doing so sustainably, for today and tomorrow.

Having opened Australia’s first and largest hyperscale data centres in 2017, we set our eyes on rapid expansion and now operate a platform of hyperscale data centres across the APME region. With backing from our investors, including Blackstone, this is just the beginning…

Come join the A-Team at AirTrunk, where the cloud meets the ground.

Your Impact

As a Staff AI Engineer at AirTrunk, you will lead the design and delivery of agentic AI applications and the software that brings them into everyday use. This hands‑on role combines applied AI, software development and architectural judgement. You will build systems that plan, use tools and carry out multi‑step work, taking them from experimentation to reliable production operation. Working with Product, Data, Platform and Security teams, you will shape technical direction, mentor engineers and improve how our teams work.

What You'll Do

You’ll design and build AI agents that can plan tasks, use tools and adapt to results. You’ll choose the right agent approach, give agents the context and memory they need, connect them securely to enterprise systems, and test them against realistic tasks to improve their reliability. You’ll also write and review production code, shape application architecture, and work with Product and Data teams to turn business needs into useful software.

You’ll take AI applications from early prototypes through to production and ongoing support. You’ll establish automated tests, agent evaluations and controlled release processes, then monitor task success, speed and cost to identify and resolve issues. Working with Platform engineers, you’ll support deployment and operational readiness across Azure, Databricks and related services, making sure applications can recover safely when interrupted and avoid repeating actions.

You’ll build privacy, security and responsible AI controls into agent design, including appropriate access permissions, protected credentials and human review for consequential actions. You’ll work with Security and business teams to assess risks, test for unsafe or unreliable behaviour, and agree practical safeguards. You’ll also lead complex technical work, make architectural decisions, mentor engineers and share reusable tools and lessons with AirTrunk’s Data and AI community.

What You'll Bring

• 10+ years’ experience in software engineering, AI/ML engineering or a related discipline, with hands‑on delivery and operation of complex production systems, including agentic applications using tools, orchestration and context management.
• Strong software architecture skills across APIs, backend services, distributed systems and enterprise integrations, with sound judgement about complexity and trade‑offs.
• Advanced Python skills and strong engineering fundamentals, including automated testing, code review, version control and maintainable design; working knowledge of SQL and data access patterns.
• Practical understanding of context engineering, memory and agent evaluation, including how to assess task completion, tool behaviour and failure recovery.
• Experience delivering secure cloud applications using CI/CD, containers and observability, in partnership with platform teams; understanding of application security, privacy and Responsible AI, including identity, authorisation and risks from model outputs and tool execution.
• Demonstrated technical leadership, including guiding architectural decisions, planning pragmatic delivery, influencing across teams, mentoring engineers and improving quality through reusable patterns and shared practices.

Nice To Have

• Experience with Azure and Databricks, or comparable cloud and AI platforms, is beneficial.
• Experience with agent SDKs, MCP integrations and AI‑assisted software development is beneficial, with strong review and verification practices.

The AirTrunk Culture

Working at AirTrunk is a once in a lifetime opportunity to fast-track your career and amplify your impact. Whilst you’re helping scale our region’s digital future, we’ll help you Grow@Hyperscale and unleash your full potential.

The pace in which we operate means you’ll feel an electric atmosphere at AirTrunk. We are a team of challengers and collaborative problem solvers who break new ground every day. We do this by living our values, going above and beyond, and being dynamic, transparent, and responsive.

Every AirTrunker brings their own unique background and diverse perspective to find solutions to problems that matter. We make sure you have everything you need to make your mark and thrive in a flexible and safe working environment, where everyone feels welcome. Our benefits empower AirTrunkers to stay positively charged.