About the Role
As the Lead AI Research Engineer, you will lead the design, development and operational evaluation of a secure human-in-the-loop AI system. Working closely with researchers, technical specialists and key stakeholders, you will translate complex operational requirements into practical and deployable AI solutions. The role combines technical leadership, applied research, software engineering and stakeholder engagement within a mission-critical environment.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead the design and development of AI and machine learning solutions supporting complex operational requirements
- Develop and implement multimodal AI capabilities leveraging computer vision, natural language processing, audio analysis and similarity detection techniques
- Design, build and maintain secure, reproducible data processing, model training and evaluation pipelines
- Develop deployable software components suitable for secure and restricted environments
- Work closely with stakeholders to translate business and operational requirements into technical solutions and delivery outcomes
- Establish evaluation frameworks and testing methodologies to validate model performance, reliability and usability
- Conduct model assurance, adversarial testing and risk assessments
- Ensure solutions align with privacy, security, governance and responsible AI principles
- Prepare technical documentation, evaluation reports and deployment recommendations
- Provide technical leadership, mentoring and guidance across project teams and stakeholders
- Proven experience designing, developing and delivering AI and machine learning solutions beyond proof-of-concept into operational environments
- Strong expertise in at least two of the following: computer vision, image/video classification, natural language processing, multimodal AI, similarity search, perceptual hashing or audio analysis
- Advanced Python development skills and hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch
- Experience building reproducible data pipelines, model training workflows, evaluation frameworks and deployable software solutions
- Strong understanding of machine learning performance metrics, including precision, recall, calibration, uncertainty management and class imbalance challenges
- Experience developing AI solutions within sensitive, regulated or security-conscious environments
- Demonstrated ability to translate complex operational requirements into scalable technical outcomes
- Strong knowledge of responsible AI, security, privacy, human oversight and governance frameworks
- Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication and technical leadership skills
- Proven ability to independently lead complex technical projects and deliver outcomes against agreed milestones
- Active NV1 (or higher) security clearance
- PhD or equivalent research experience in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science or related disciplines
- Experience within law enforcement, defence, national security, digital forensics or other high-trust operational environments
- Experience deploying AI solutions within on-premises, isolated or restricted-network environments
- Experience with human-in-the-loop systems, decision-support tools or safety-critical AI applications
- Published research, technical papers, patents or significant AI product delivery experience
- 12-month contract with extension options
- Opportunity to work on innovative AI and machine learning initiatives with real-world impact
- Exposure to advanced computer vision, NLP and multimodal AI technologies
- Collaborative environment involving researchers, technical specialists and senior stakeholders
- Significant autonomy and ownership across the full AI solution lifecycle
- Opportunity to contribute to applied research, capability development and emerging technologies
Due to the nature of this role, this job is open to Australian Citizens only, you must hold a current NV1/NV2 Security clearance.
Calleo is an equal opportunity employer and we encourage applications from all people including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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