EL2 Lead Microservices and AI Technical Architect

Reference Number: LH-07526
Client: Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR)
Experience Level: Lead – EL2 Equivalent
Location: ACT / Hybrid – interstate remote candidates may be considered
Estimated Start Date: 1 October 2026
Initial Contract Term: 12 months
Extension Options: Up to 2 x 12-month extensions
Maximum Hours: 40 hours per week
Security Clearance: Must be able to obtain minimum Baseline clearance
Application closing date: 13 September 2026

Role Overview

The Department of Industry, Science and Resources is seeking a Lead Microservices & AI Technical Architect to provide senior technical leadership across a major business application transformation program. The role will provide architectural authority and influence key system design, engineering and platform decisions while guiding the adoption of artificial intelligence across the software delivery lifecycle.

The successful candidate will provide leadership across cloud-native architecture, microservices, event-driven systems, AI-enabled engineering, DevSecOps and platform engineering. A significant focus of the position will be establishing modern technical practices and building organisational capability through engineering governance, knowledge transfer and leadership of multidisciplinary teams. The role will support the establishment of DISR's first enterprise Microservices and Event-Driven Architecture foundations, while embedding AI-enabled engineering practices across the software delivery lifecycle.

About the Program

The program is delivering a significant business application transformation and establishing enterprise foundations for modern application architecture and engineering.

Key areas of focus include:

• Enterprise microservices architecture.
• Event-driven architecture.
• Cloud-native application platforms.
• AI-enabled software engineering.
• Platform modernisation.
• DevSecOps.
• CI/CD.
• Observability.
• Automated testing.
• Platform engineering.
• Enterprise system integration.
• Engineering governance and standards.
• Technical capability uplift.

The role will provide technical leadership throughout delivery, influence system builds and engineering decisions, guide the adoption of AI and ensure effective capability transfer to Department personnel.

Key Responsibilities
Technical Architecture and Leadership

The Lead Microservices & AI Technical Architect will:

• Provide technical leadership and architectural authority across the program.
• Lead the design, governance and evolution of cloud-native platforms.
• Define and guide microservices-based architecture.
• Define and guide event-driven architecture.
• Provide architectural leadership for AI-enabled platforms and services.
• Ensure architectural decisions align with enterprise architecture objectives.
• Ensure solutions align with security requirements and business transformation objectives.
• Influence system builds and key engineering decisions.
• Provide technical direction across multidisciplinary engineering and delivery teams.
• Translate business requirements into practical, scalable technology solutions.

Microservices and Event-Driven Architecture

The successful candidate will:

• Lead establishment of enterprise microservices architecture foundations.
• Support implementation and enhancement of microservices-based applications and platforms.
• Establish and promote reusable architectural and engineering patterns.
• Support enterprise event-driven architecture.
• Drive integration between enterprise applications, platforms and services.
• Improve platform scalability, maintainability and operational resilience.
• Support containerisation and modern application deployment approaches.
• Establish governance practices for microservices and distributed systems.

Artificial Intelligence and AI-Enabled Delivery

The successful candidate will:

• Guide adoption of artificial intelligence across the service delivery lifecycle.
• Provide technical leadership for enterprise AI capabilities.
• Support development, deployment and operationalisation of AI-enabled solutions.
• Provide guidance relating to machine learning solutions.
• Support implementation of semantic search capabilities.
• Embed AI-enabled practices within the software development lifecycle.
• Promote responsible AI practices across solution design and delivery.
• Ensure AI technologies are adopted appropriately within secure enterprise environments.
• Support engineering teams in integrating AI capabilities into business applications and technical workflows.

Modern Software Engineering

The successful candidate will lead establishment and adoption of modern engineering practices including:

• AI-enabled Software Development Lifecycle practices.
• DevSecOps.
• Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD).
• Automated testing.
• Observability.
• Platform engineering.
• Security by design.
• Engineering automation.
• Operational excellence.
• Reusable development and integration patterns.

The role will promote engineering practices that support secure, scalable, reliable and maintainable service delivery.

Technology Modernisation and Platform Adoption

The successful candidate will:

• Lead technology modernisation initiatives.
• Drive adoption of modern cloud and platform technologies.
• Support migration and enhancement of existing applications toward microservices-based architectures.
• Lead containerisation initiatives.
• Support integration of enterprise systems.
• Establish reusable architectural and engineering patterns.
• Improve platform reliability and scalability.
• Improve operational resilience.
• Reduce technical complexity through appropriate architecture and platform engineering practices.
• Influence strategic architecture and technology investment decisions.

Platform Engineering and Cloud

The role will support enterprise-scale cloud and platform engineering, including:

• Cloud platform modernisation.
• Container platforms.
• Platform automation.
• Workload management.
• Platform governance.
• Site Reliability Engineering (SRE).
• Observability tooling.
• Enterprise-scale automation.

The Department currently primarily uses Microsoft Azure cloud services.

Engineering Governance and Capability Uplift

The successful candidate will:

• Establish and maintain engineering governance practices.
• Build organisational technical capability and engineering maturity.
• Lead knowledge transfer throughout delivery.
• Develop and promote engineering standards.
• Coach and mentor technical personnel.
• Foster engineering excellence.
• Support continuous improvement across engineering teams.
• Lead and influence multidisciplinary teams.
• Support capability uplift across geographically distributed teams.
• Build a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.

Essential Criteria

Candidates must demonstrate the following:

1. Cloud-Native, Microservices and Event-Driven Architecture

Extensive experience designing, implementing and governing:

• Cloud-native architectures.
• Microservices architectures.
• Event-driven architectures.

Experience must have been gained within complex enterprise environments and include delivery of scalable, resilient and secure business-critical platforms.

2. AI Engineering and AI-Enabled Solution Delivery

Demonstrated expertise in AI engineering and AI-enabled solution delivery, including:

• Development of enterprise AI capabilities.
• Deployment and operationalisation of AI solutions.
• Semantic search.
• Machine learning solutions.
• Responsible AI practices.
• Integration of AI into enterprise technology environments.

3. Software and Platform Engineering

Strong software engineering and platform engineering capability, including experience with:

• Modern software development frameworks.
• DevSecOps.
• CI/CD.
• Automated testing.
• Observability.
• Security by design.
• Platform engineering.
• Operational excellence.

4. Enterprise Technology Modernisation

Proven ability to lead enterprise technology modernisation and transformation initiatives, including:

• Providing technical direction.
• Influencing architecture decisions.
• Leading platform transformation.
• Improving platform reliability.
• Improving security.
• Improving scalability.
• Building organisational engineering maturity.

5. Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement

Exceptional stakeholder engagement, communication and leadership capability, including demonstrated experience:

• Leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Working with delivery partners.
• Engaging senior executives.
• Influencing technical and business stakeholders.
• Translating complex business requirements into practical technology outcomes.
• Providing architectural and engineering leadership across complex programs.

Desirable Experience

Experience in the following areas will be highly regarded but are not necessary:

Container Platforms

Designing, implementing and operating container platforms using technologies such as:

• Kubernetes.
• Red Hat OpenShift.
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
• Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS).
• Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).

Relevant experience may include:

• Platform automation.
• Container governance.
• Workload management.
• Enterprise container platform operations.

Cloud and Platform Modernisation

Experience with:

• Cloud platform modernisation.
• Site Reliability Engineering.
• Platform engineering.
• Observability tooling.
• Enterprise-scale automation practices.

Agile Delivery and Capability Development

Experience:

• Leading delivery within Agile environments.
• Coaching geographically dispersed teams.
• Driving technical capability uplift.
• Building engineering maturity.
• Fostering collaboration and innovation.
• Promoting continuous improvement.

Key Technical Capability Areas

The successful candidate should demonstrate strong capability across:

• Solution and Technical Architecture.
• Cloud-Native Architecture.
• Microservices Architecture.
• Event-Driven Architecture.
• Microsoft Azure.
• Artificial Intelligence Engineering.
• Machine Learning.
• Semantic Search.
• Responsible AI.
• AI-enabled software development.
• Software Engineering.
• Platform Engineering.
• DevSecOps.
• CI/CD.
• Automated Testing.
• Observability.
• Site Reliability Engineering.
• Security by Design.
• Containerisation.
• Kubernetes and container platforms.
• Enterprise System Integration.
• Platform Automation.
• Engineering Governance.
• Technology Modernisation.
• Enterprise Transformation.

Leadership and Professional Capabilities

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Senior technical leadership.
• Architectural authority and sound technical judgement.
• Ability to influence complex engineering decisions.
• Strong stakeholder management.
• Executive-level communication capability.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Ability to coach and mentor engineering personnel.
• Strong knowledge-transfer capability.
• Ability to work effectively with distributed teams.
• Ability to translate business needs into technical outcomes.
• Commitment to engineering excellence and continuous improvement.

About the Team

The role sits within the Department of Industry, Science and Resources CIO Division. The CIO Division provides enabling services and operational delivery to the Department and Australian businesses.

The successful candidate will support a business application transformation program focused on establishing modern enterprise architecture and AI-enabled engineering foundations.

About the Department

The Department of Industry, Science and Resources supports the sustainable growth of Australian industries and the development of Australia's national innovation system. The Department works with stakeholders to support knowledge creation, international competitiveness, productivity and the delivery of lasting economic benefits.

Location and Working Arrangements

The Department's primary location is Canberra, ACT.

The Department supports flexible and remote working arrangements where operational requirements permit and maintains offices across Australian capital cities and regional locations.

The successful candidate may be required to collaborate with stakeholders located throughout Australia, with occasional travel to Canberra or other locations.

The position has a maximum allocation of 40 hours per week.

Security Clearance

Candidates must be able to obtain an Australian Government Baseline security clearance.

An existing Baseline clearance is not mandatory at the time of application. The Department has confirmed that it will sponsor a new Baseline clearance for the successful candidate if required.

Candidate Profile

This opportunity would suit a highly experienced Technical Architect, Solution Architect, Cloud Architect, Platform Architect or Engineering Lead who combines deep architecture expertise with practical software/platform engineering and emerging AI capability.

The strongest candidates will have led complex enterprise transformation programs involving cloud-native platforms, microservices, event-driven systems, Azure, DevSecOps and platform engineering, while also demonstrating genuine experience delivering and operationalising enterprise AI and machine learning capabilities.

The successful candidate will be required to operate beyond purely hands-on engineering. They will be expected to establish technical direction, act as an architectural authority, influence senior stakeholders, lead multidisciplinary teams and leave the organisation with improved technical capability and engineering maturity.