Job Title

Head of Technology - Data & AI Engineering - Hawthorn East Join to apply for the Head of Technology - Data & AI Engineering - Hawthorn East role at Coles Group. Coles Group has been trusted to serve Australian communities since 1914 and is now a top 30-listed company on the ASX with 120,000 team members and a portfolio of iconic brands. At Coles Group, youll make a difference to millions of Australian lives and see your impact. About The Team The Data and AI Team keeps Coles at the forefront of modern retail by combining data, artificial intelligence and applied engineering. Operating as a centralised development and enablement function within Coles Technology, the team unites product, engineering and platform capabilities to deliver the intelligence layer of the enterprise. We serve every part of Coles, from computervision applications that enhance instore experiences to forecasting, optimisation and decisionsupport solutions that drive efficiency, accuracy and agility across supply chain, retail operations and corporate functions. About The Role You will architect and lead the development of scalable, highperformance AI/ML and data solutions. As a strategic engineering leader who thrives at the intersection of AI, software and product development, you will partner with product, technology and business leaders to embed intelligence into Coles operations at scale. Lead domainspecific squads of software engineers, data engineers, ML engineers, data scientists and UX designers. Translate product vision into engineered outcomes, ensuring measurable business value aligned with corporate priorities. Integrate AI and ML capabilities into operational systems and applications, embedding intelligence into how Coles plans, moves and serves. Establish and champion best practices in software, data and AI engineering including security, compliance and efficient development and deployment. Drive automation, tooling and CI/CD practices to enable reliable, repeatable delivery of AIpowered solutions. Ensure all AI and data solutions comply with Coles security, privacy and ethical standards, meeting regulatory obligations and supporting responsible AI governance. Collaborate closely with Product and Platform leaders to ensure seamless integration with shared data assets, infrastructure and services. Foster a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement, exploring emerging AI, agentic and generative capabilities responsibly. Make pragmatic buildversusbuy decisions, balancing innovation, cost and speed to value. Experience Required Proven experience in AI/ML engineering with a clear progression into management roles. Demonstrated ability to design and architect complex, scalable AI/ML systems and data pipelines. Strong programming skills and an application development background. Experience with GenAI and agentic workflows. Significant experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP). Experience with cloud data platforms such as Snowflake and Databricks, and reporting tools like Power BI. Experience with MLOps practices (CI/CD, model monitoring, etc.). Evidence of building AI models and integrating them into business workflows (API management, load management, integration, data security, logging, etc.). Experience in complex corporate environments; retail experience preferred. Understanding of delivering under Agile methodology. Commercial Skills And Formal Qualifications Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java or C++. Experience with machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikitlearn). Knowledge of data engineering tools and technologies (Spark, Kafka, databases). Cloud platform expertise. Leadership and teammanagement skills. Strong understanding of software architecture. A Bachelors or Masters Degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Maths or a related field. Whats in it for you? Flexible working options hybrid working to support a positive worklife balance. Office perks: gym facility, fitness classes, free parking, BBQ area, miniColes supermarket, fooderie hub. Discounts team members receive a 5% discount yearround on Supermarket and Liquor purchases, with double discount periods and exclusive hotdeal offers. Recognition earn and redeem points through the digital recognition platform mythanks. Learning and development access to a range of development programs and jobspecific training. Paid parental leave for permanent team members. Investment in your future annual share plan allowing pretax salary sacrifice deductions to purchase Coles Group shares. About The Recruitment Process Were committed to building a genderequitable, diverse, inclusive and welcoming team. We encourage applications from people of all ages, cultures (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities. Were happy to adjust our recruitment process to support candidates with disability. For additional information and contact details, please visit our recruitment page or email [email protected]. Job ID: 164945Location: Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaSalary: A$300,000.00A$450,000.00 Seniority Level: DirectorEmployment Type: FulltimeJob Function: Information TechnologyIndustry: Retail #J-18808-Ljbffr