Technical Lead

• Salary breakdown: $106,000 - $130,000 + Superannuation + Salary Packaging ($15, Meal & Entertainment expenses)
• Flexible and Hybrid Working, with access to 9-day fortnight benefit
• Permanent - Full Time (1 FTE)

About the Institute

Located on the lands of the Bidiagal Clan of the Dharawal Nation (Randwick, NSW), Black Dog Institute is the only Medical Research Institute in Australia to investigate mental health across the full lifespan, our aim is to create a mentally healthier world for everyone. For over 20 years, we have been at the forefront of mental health research and have maintained a reputation as the face of mental health research and treatment in Australia.

Through our unique 'translational' research approach, we turn our world-class research into treatments, prevention strategies, clinical services, educational programs, and e-health products. These allow us to continue our work in leading Australia's population health response, and champion the ongoing conversation of mental health in our society.

Our work is used to distributed through the public and is used to drive evidence informed change across the mental health sector, setting the foundation of better mental health for all.

Benefits

• Hybrid work, 1-2 days per week in office (choose your days, consistent team collaboration days where possible)
• 35 hour work week, flexible hours agreements & 9-day fortnights
• Salary Packaging: $15,900.00 of your base salary tax free & up to $ meal & entertainment
• Family first, people first culture, we put our research into action at work to make sure we maintain mental health and wellbeing at work
• Pet friendly workplace
• Leave benefits including public holiday swap, gifted annual leave, and wellbeing leave
• Employee discounts
• A change to define what AI-native product development looks like in Australia's health and research space
• That rare combination: cutting-edge tech and social impact

The Role

At Black Dog Institute we are shaping the future of Mental Health. We turn cutting-edge research into digital products which change lives. Now we are building a new product team, and we are looking for a Tech Lead to shape this future.

The purpose of the Technical Lead is to drive the technical direction and execution of new and existing digital products and services from concept to launch. This includes shaping product architecture, rapidly prototyping MVPs, and integrating emerging AI development tools to accelerate delivery.

Working closely with product managers, designers and 3rd party developers, this role ensures that what we build is not only functional—but scalable, secure, and future-ready. As the primary technical voice in a small, fast-moving team, the Technical Lead balances hands-on development with strategic decision-making, and plays a critical role in bringing innovative, digital products to life.

The Technical Lead will also play a pivotal part in driving the adoption of cutting edge AI tooling to expedite delivery, automate work practices and bring about substantial change in how we deliver future product solutions.

Duties & Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Leadership

• Define and drive a forward-thinking technology strategy aligned with product objectives and the broader organisational mission.

• Champion AI-assisted development and automation as a core capability across the product team, continually evolving our tooling and workflows.

• Ensure architectural decisions support scalability, maintainability, and speed-to-market, especially for rapid MVP development.

• Collaborate with product, design, and research to translate ideas into sound, scalable technical solutions.

End-to-End Technical Delivery

• Lead the full technical lifecycle of product development—from early prototyping to robust production deployment.

• Build MVPs and POCs using AI coding platforms (e.g., Windsurf, Cursor, Replit) and full-stack frameworks.

• Establish engineering practices that balance experimentation with reliability, including clear versioning, testing, and code management.

• Set technical delivery standards that reduce risk, accelerate timelines, and enable sustainable product growth. AI-Native Development & Tooling

• Stay at the forefront of AI-native development practices, identifying emerging tools that streamline or enhance product delivery.

• Train and support cross-functional teams in using AI tooling for automation and more efficient work practices.

• Explore ways AI can be embedded into both internal processes and the end-user product experience.

• Act as the technical centre of excellence for AI use across the digital product function.

Technical Collaboration & Vendor Management

• Work closely with the BDI internal IT team to ensure systems architecture aligns with organisation strategy

• Work closely with external vendors to deliver quality technical outcomes on time and within scope.

• Evaluate third-party platforms, APIs, and development partners to ensure technical fit, data compliance, and scalability.

• Provide clear technical documentation, decision rationale, and support handover for long-term sustainability.

Security, Quality & Deployment Standards

• Implement and maintain best-practice security, performance, and reliability standards in all builds.

• Guide infrastructure choices (e.g., cloud services, DevOps workflows, CI/CD) based on product needs and constraints.

• Ensure all technical solutions meet organisational policies for data privacy, accessibility, and ethical AI use.

Skills & Experience Required

• Tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Engineering, Software Development, or a related field - or equivalent practical experience.

• Minimum 3yrs experience in technical roles across digital product development, with demonstrated ability to take ideas from concept to code.

• A builder's mindset, with previous experience taking products from idea to launch.

• Full-Stack confidence and a love for experimentation.

• Experience with AI-Driven development, and eagerness to make this part of your workflow.

• Ability to zoom out strategically and dive in tactically.

• Strong understanding of modern solution architecture principles, paired with hands-on experience building full-stack web or mobile applications.

• Familiarity with AI coding platforms (e.g., Windsurf, Cursor, Replit) and a strong interest in emerging AI-assisted development practices.

• Ability to work closely with product managers, designers, and external vendors to co-create and deliver high-quality digital products.

• Experience in prototyping and MVP builds using a mix of AI tools, traditional frameworks, and low-code platforms.

• Strong communication skills and an ability to explain technical trade-offs to non-technical audiences.

• Comfortable working in lean, fast-moving environments with a pragmatic, get-it-done attitude.

• Exposure to agile workflows, version control (e.g. Git), and modern CI/CD practices.

• Passion for learning, experimentation, and pushing the boundaries of how software can be built.

EEO Statement

Black Dog Institute is committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects our wider community. We ensure equal employment opportunity for all, regardless of age, appearance, carer status, cultural and/or racial background, disability, gender identity, lived experience, religion or sexual orientation.

How to Apply

To become a part of the Black Dog Institute team, follow the link to ELMO to apply and submit your most up to date resume. If you are shortlisted for the role, we will call you and let you know you are successful. Please do not respond to any suspicious emails requesting you to upload your ID or personal details. We are a 2022 Circle Back Initiative Employer and commit to respond to every applicant.