AI Engineering Lead

We're on a mission to bring new and uplifting experiences to our guests, transforming flying from simply 'nice', to something wonderful.

Like any good mission, this one starts with our people.

Which is why we encourage our team to embody the fun, laid back, authentic spirit we've become famous for. Because when they're free to be themselves, they're better able to own their personal responsibilities and go the extra mile to help our guests.

Hello. We’re Virgin Australia. We’re the airline that’s always done things a little different. Our way. The Virgin way. We’re on a mission to make flying better than ‘nice’. And to do that, it takes a team of talented people who are passionate about customer experience, doing the right thing always, with a focus on safety – in the air, on the ground and in our workplaces. A team who values real diversity and inclusion, in a big brand with big ambitions.

What you’ll be doing:

You’ll be at the forefront of shaping how AI transforms our business. In this role, you’ll take ideas from concept to reality partnering with stakeholders to uncover opportunities designing intelligent systems that solve complex problems and building solutions that scale. From architecting non-deterministic systems to crafting the “last mile” of data science and engineering, you’ll work across the full stack and lifecycle. You’ll also lead the integration and operation of advanced AI models, including LLMs and agents, ensuring they deliver real impact in commercial environments.

You’ll be great in this role if you:

- Hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering or Data Science or have equivalent applied experience
- Bring 5+ years of experience designing, building and operating production‑grade AI systems
- Have 2+ years of experience leading engineering teams
- Delivered hands on solutions with LLMs and agentic systems (RAG, tool/function calling, planning)
- Implemented MLOps/LLMOps practices: CI/CD for models/prompts, registries, automated evaluations, observability
- Worked cross functionally with Product, Engineering, Security, Legal/Privacy and Operations teams.
- Are fluent in Python and frameworks like FastAPI / FastMCP
- Have experience with LangGraph / LangChain, Databricks, pgvector, and AWS Cognitive Search (or equivalents)
- Understand advanced RAG techniques, retrieval strategies, context packing, tool orchestration, safety/guardrails
- Know observability practices (metrics, logs, traces) and security/privacy fundamentals (IAM, secrets, network isolation, PII handling)
- Thrive in Agile delivery environments owning roadmaps, estimation and stakeholder communication across technical and executive audiences

It’s even better if you also:

- Hold certifications in AWS, Databricks, Kubernetes, Terraform/IaC, security or Responsible AI
- Have deployed AI solutions on AWS and Databricks (including MLflow/Mosaic)
- Bring experience in airline/travel operations or high-growth tech environments
- Understand optimisation, operations research, reinforcement learning or simulation
- Are familiar with React, TypeScript, experimentation platforms, A/B testing and causal inference at scale
- Know FinOps strategies for managing model/LLM usage efficiently
- Understand agent-based architectures, embeddings and vector databases
- Apply MLOps/LLMOps patterns like CI/CD, registries, automated evaluations and canary/shadow deployments
- Have knowledge of AWS cloud concepts for secure, scalable AI workloads
- Follow software engineering best practices: testing strategies, CI/CD, code health, design reviews
- Understand modern data lakehouse patterns and event-streaming concepts
- Stay informed on Responsible AI, safety patterns, model governance and privacy law/data residency considerations

What you’ll get from us:

We’re committed to looking after you, with some of the best benefits and conditions in the industry – including (but not limited to):

- Heavily discounted air travel for you and your loved ones (including $1000 worth of travel credits per year)
- Flexible working arrangements (including work hours and work from home)
- Discounts on travel insurance, car hire, accommodation and experiences worldwide
- Hospitality, retail, technology, beauty services and wellness discounts
- Wellness support, including the Converge digital wellbeing platform
- A comprehensive Employee Assistance Program, which offers confidential coaching and support from qualified professionals for all aspects of life – physical, mental, social and financial
- Dress for Your Day – enjoy the freedom to wear whatever is appropriate for the type of work you do and the day you have ahead of you

Equality rules:

We’re all individuals. We love that. That’s why we encourage applications from Indigenous Australians, people with disability, those from diverse cultural backgrounds, our friends in the LGBTQIA+ community, and anyone else who wants to join our family.

Ready to apply?

We’re ready to hear from you. Apply now.

Lead the AI revolution and turn ideas into scalable solutions, design intelligent systems and integrate advanced models that transform our business.

Join a team that looks out for one another, where no two days are the same.

Help guests at the very beginning of their journey with outstanding customer service.

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