Technical Consultant

_{28th July, 2026}

Help Shape the Future of Australia's Research Infrastructure as a Technical Consultant
 
Some people are brilliant technologists.
 
Some people are brilliant communicators.
 
Finding someone who's genuinely both? That's much harder.
 
That's exactly why we're excited to be partnering with the Australian Access Federation (AAF) once again.
 
They're looking for a Technical Consultant who can bridge the gap between people and technology. Someone who's comfortable facilitating workshops, translating complex technical concepts into practical solutions, and earning the respect of developers, architects and customers alike.
 
This isn't a role where you'll spend every day writing production code.
 
It's a role where you'll use your technical knowledge to solve problems, influence solutions, build trusted relationships, and help some of Australia's leading universities and research organisations tackle complex identity and access challenges.
 
If that sounds like your sweet spot... keep reading.
 
So, what's the AAF story?
 
The Australian Access Federation (AAF) quietly powers some of Australia's most important research and education infrastructure.
 
Every day, more than 1.5 million researchers, academics and students rely on AAF's technology to securely access systems across universities, CSIRO, medical research institutes, government departments and research organisations throughout Australia and internationally.
 
It's highly technical work, but the impact is very real.
 
By making secure collaboration easier, AAF helps accelerate research, scientific discovery and innovation on a global scale.
 
They're a purpose-driven organisation with a collaborative culture, genuinely interesting technical challenges, and a team of smart people who enjoy solving complex problems together.
 
The Gig
 
This is a newly evolved role.
 
This will be the person that the Business Analysts want sitting beside them in workshops.
 
The person who could listen to a customer's challenge, ask the right questions, sketch out a technical solution, explain it in plain English, and then work alongside engineers to bring it to life.
 
That's the person AAF is looking for.
 
You'll work across the full project lifecycle - meeting with customers, facilitating discovery sessions, designing high-level technical solutions, validating approaches, and supporting delivery teams as projects move into implementation.
 
You'll also spend time building relationships with existing customers, presenting at conferences and industry events, and helping organisations get the most from AAF's technology.
 
If you enjoy variety, collaboration and solving problems with people rather than simply for them, you'll probably love this role.
 
What you'll be doing

• Working directly with customers to understand business and technical requirements.
• Facilitating discovery workshops and technical conversations.
• Designing high-level solution architectures and integration approaches.
• Translating complex technical concepts into language that technical and non-technical stakeholders can understand.
• Producing solution diagrams, technical documentation and recommendations.
• Supporting proofs of concept, pilots and technical evaluations.
• Working closely with Business Analysts, Product, Development and Support teams throughout project delivery.
• Presenting technical concepts at customer meetings, webinars and industry events.
• Helping build long-term relationships with AAF members and partners across Australia and beyond.

• Experience in Technical Consulting, Solutions Architecture, Solution Design, Technical Business Analysis or a similar customer-facing technical role.
• Strong understanding of Identity & Access Management (IAM), authentication, federation, Single Sign-On or related technologies.
• Experience designing technical solutions, integrations or high-level architectures.
• Excellent workshop facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to explain complex technical concepts in a simple, practical way.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Experience working closely with software engineers, architects and delivery teams.
• A collaborative, curious mindset and genuine passion for continuous learning.

• SAML, OpenID Connect (OIDC), OAuth2 or similar authentication protocols.
• Okta, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), Active Directory, Shibboleth, OpenLDAP or other IAM platforms.
• Higher Education, Research, Government or other complex multi-stakeholder environments.
• Technical consulting within SaaS, cloud or enterprise integration environments.
• AWS or cloud-native technologies.

• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.
• Brisbane CBD office, with flexibility by agreement.
• Opportunity to work with some of Australia's leading universities and research organisations.
• Meaningful technical work with real-world impact.
• Supportive, collaborative and genuinely low-ego culture.
• Opportunities to attend conferences, industry events and customer engagements.