Engineer - AI Operations

About Thomas Foods International

Family owned since 1988, Thomas Foods International (TFI) is one of Australia's largest food businesses. With teams across Australia, the US, Canada, China, Japan and Europe, the Thomas Foods brands and business partnerships grow, supply, and distribute premium meat and seafood all over the world. TFI is an organisation that truly embodies its values-driven philosophy and positive working culture. Now is the perfect time to join this innovative, growing global business.

Our mission is to feed families globally, through premium quality products, exceptional service and sustainable practices.

About The Role

This is a role for someone who sites where technology meets the business.  You're a hands-on engineer, but you think in outcomes, not just code.  You'll design and build the AI systems that run our operations, and you'll actively seek out the manual, repetitive and slow parts of the business that AI can fix.

One day you'll be writing and shipping real systems, the next you'll sit with our sales or admin teams to work out where an AI agent could save them hours.  If you love the technical depth of engineering but get restless when it doesn't change how the business actually works, this one's for you.

Based on-site at our Head Office in Rose Park, Adelaide, and reporting to the Applications & Analytics Manager, you'll lead our AI initiatives and work closely with IT and the wider business to deliver real, measurable results.

What You'll Do

·       Architect and build our AI systems - own the technical roadmap, and prove your choices through prototyping, not slideware.

·       Turn requirements into working solutions - scope what people actually need and lead the build from first sketch to production.

·       Find and fix operational friction - spot where AI agents and custom tools can take the grind out of work across the business.

·       Keep systems healthy and trustworthy - monitor performance, cost and reliability, with responsible AI (privacy, security, fairness) built in from the start.

·       Set the standard - establish engineering practices and judgement to keep quality high as we grow.

What You'll Bring

·       A degree in Computer Science, IT or a related field.

·       Strong software engineering skills with experience shipping real systems.

·       Hands-on experience with AI or machine learning - LLMS, AI agents, or automation.

·       A genuine interest in the business - you ask "what problem does this solve?" first.

·       Sound judgement on trade-offs, a practical grasp of responsible AI, and clear communication with technical and non-technical people alike.

To Apply

Click apply with your resume and a short cover letter.  Applicants must have full Australian working rights.

The successful person will need to complete a pre-employment Medical Examination, including Q Fever vaccination, fitness, drug and alcohol testing.