Director, AI Controls Engineering

About the Role

Join Colonial First State (CFS) and become part of a culture that deeply values expertise, passion, and diversity. At CFS, our people are at the core of our success, and we celebrate individuality while fostering a high-performance environment. We provide opportunities for you to unlock your full potential and contribute to helping our customers achieve financial freedom.

Team and Role Overview

As the Director of AI Controls Engineering, you will be instrumental in translating AI governance, including GenAI and Machine Learning policies, into operational controls and enterprise platforms. Your mission is to architect and manage the central control, monitoring, evaluation, and assurance frameworks that support the safe, transparent, and consistent scaling of AI across the organisation. Acting as the liaison between governance and engineering, you will deliver shared platforms and control standards to federated development teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and operation of the enterprise AI control plane, encompassing policy enforcement, approval workflows, guardrails, audit mechanisms, and automation of controls.
• Develop and maintain enterprise-wide observability and telemetry capabilities to provide insights into model performance, operational health, risk factors, and control effectiveness.
• Design and run AI evaluation, testing, and assurance platforms featuring model validation, performance monitoring, explainability, groundedness, fairness, and ongoing assurance functions.
• Implement infrastructure for continuous third- and fourth-party AI oversight, including dependency monitoring, model updates tracking, concentration risk assessment, and operational resilience aligned with regulatory requirements.
• Establish common monitoring, assurance, reporting, and evidence generation features for both internal and external AI systems.
• Define reusable control patterns, reference architectures, engineering standards, and practical implementation guides to enable enterprise-wide adoption.
• Collaborate closely with Risk, Compliance, Legal, Data Science, and Architecture teams to convert governance mandates into functional engineering controls.
• Empower federated engineering and delivery teams through shared platforms and services that minimize duplication and provide consistent guardrails.

Required Capabilities and Experience

• Extensive experience integrating software engineering, platform engineering, AI technologies (such as GenAI and Machine Learning), model operations, technology risk management, or technology delivery in large-scale enterprise settings.
• Proven track record designing, developing, or managing AI platforms, model governance practices, monitoring methods, or enterprise control systems in production environments.
• Comprehensive knowledge of AI lifecycle management, model governance principles, performance monitoring mechanisms, evaluation frameworks, and AI risk mitigation strategies.
• Hands-on expertise implementing enterprise controls, assurance processes, and monitoring frameworks through technological solutions.
• Experience supporting governance and oversight of AI solutions developed both internally and sourced externally.
• Excellent stakeholder management abilities across engineering, data science, risk, governance, and executive leadership.
• A practical engineering mindset capable of effectively translating governance and policy requirements into scalable operational controls.
• Ability to balance innovation, speed of delivery, and robust control while facilitating responsible AI adoption.
• A strong passion for building enterprise control infrastructures that promote secure, scalable, and sustainable AI uptake.

Benefits and Culture

• A day off on your birthday to celebrate.
• Flexible hybrid working model.
• Access to the employer's superannuation scheme.
• Life Leave entitlement of three days per year.
• Availability of Sonder app providing personalized medical, mental health, and safety assistance anytime, anywhere.
• Corporate rates for BUPA Health Insurance.
• Confidential support services including coaching and counselling covering mental, physical, relational, work, and family wellbeing.

CFS Culture: At CFS, we are dedicated to fostering a thriving, inclusive workplace where people can be themselves and thrive. We embrace uniqueness, champion diversity, and nurture an environment where you can realize your full potential.

Additional Information

Please note that applicants must have full work rights in Australia. Successful candidates will undergo background checks (including Police, Employment, Bankruptcy, ASIC bans, and disqualification status) prior to final employment confirmation. These checks will be assessed fairly in relation to the role’s inherent requirements.

This position is based on Gadigal Land, Sydney.