Principal AI Engineer

Principal AI Engineer

12 Month Contract | $1,200-$1,300/day + Super | Sydney Inner West | NSW Government

Are you an experienced AI Engineer looking to work on one of the most exciting AI-led transformation programs in the NSW Government?

We're seeking a Principal AI Engineer to join a high-performing team delivering a large-scale enterprise modernisation initiative. This is a genuinely hands-on role where you'll leverage AI-assisted engineering to transform decades-old legacy applications into modern cloud-native solutions.

If you're passionate about building with AI-not just talking about it-this is an opportunity to work at the forefront of enterprise AI adoption.

The Opportunity:

You'll play a key role in delivering an AI-driven application modernisation program, using modern engineering practices and AI tooling to accelerate the migration of critical enterprise systems into AWS.

Working within a small, highly technical team, you'll collaborate closely with Enterprise Architects, AI specialists and subject matter experts to deliver scalable, modern applications.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop and deliver modern full-stack applications using AI-assisted engineering approaches.
• Apply AI tools and frameworks to accelerate software development and legacy code transformation.
• Develop scalable backend services, APIs and modern frontend applications.
• Build cloud-native solutions within an AWS environment.
• Collaborate with architects and technical SMEs to translate complex legacy functionality into modern applications.
• Contribute to engineering standards, automation and best practices across the program.

You'll bring a strong software engineering background combined with practical experience applying AI throughout the development lifecycle:

• Extensive experience as a Full Stack Software Engineer.
• Hands-on experience building solutions using AI engineering tools and techniques.
• Strong backend development skills.
• Experience with modern frontend frameworks.
• Cloud experience, ideally AWS.
• Experience building APIs and distributed applications.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, DevOps and CI/CD practices.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and problem-solving skills.

Highly Regarded:

• Experience modernising legacy applications.
• Exposure to AI-assisted code migration or software transformation.
• Experience working in large enterprise or government environments.

What's on Offer

• 12-month contract
• $1,200-$1,300 per day + Super
• Hybrid working arrangement (Eveleigh office)
• Work on one of NSW Government's most innovative AI transformation programs.
• Join a collaborative, highly technical engineering team.
• Opportunity to shape how AI is used to modernise enterprise technology at scale.

If you're an experienced engineer ready to work on meaningful AI transformation, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now or contact Zane Khan at Talent International for a confidential discussion.

Zane Khan [email protected]