Role overview

Join Xero’s Data, AI & Machine Learning organisation as an Engineering Manager leading a high-performing team building AI-powered experiences across the platform. You’ll oversee engineering across the full stack—from customer-facing AI assistants and intelligent workflows to backend services and infrastructure—translating research and emerging AI capabilities into reliable, scalable products that serve millions of small businesses.

Key responsibilities

Lead and coach a team of engineers working on machine learning, generative AI and agentic systems in production.
Guide technical direction and architecture decisions across a broad technology landscape spanning traditional ML, LLMs and AI-powered product experiences.
Translate business goals into executable engineering plans, balancing near-term delivery with long-term technical health and system reliability.
Build engineering maturity across MLOps, LLMOps, observability and operational practices required to run AI systems safely and at scale.
Champion AI-native engineering practices and help the team adapt how software is designed, built, tested and operated as AI technology evolves.
Collaborate with senior individual contributors, Applied Science, Data Engineering and Product teams to move AI capabilities from research into production.
Stay hands-on by writing, reviewing and debugging production code to unblock the team, support incidents and resolve complex technical challenges.

Requirements

Proven track record leading and developing engineers, building team capability and creating an environment where people can do their best work.
Strong technical judgement in architecture, system design and engineering trade-offs, with ability to guide decisions across evolving technology landscapes.
Experience delivering roadmaps predictably in fast-paced environments while navigating ambiguity and adapting to changing priorities and technology.
Deep understanding of building and operating production-grade software, from customer-facing experiences and backend services through distributed systems and infrastructure.
Experience with machine learning, generative AI or AI-powered products is valued but not required; curiosity and willingness to learn how these technologies are changing software engineering matter most.

What makes this role worth considering

Xero offers a flexible hybrid working model that lets you balance professional and personal priorities, combining remote focus with office collaboration and team boost days in Sydney. You’ll work within a collaborative, evolving space where you help translate advances in ML and generative AI into practical customer outcomes while building engineering foundations for the next generation of AI-native products.