A career in AI? It might not look like you expect.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the job market in Australia, and the range of opportunities might surprise you. From customer-facing roles that help businesses adopt AI tools, to technical positions building the next generation of machine learning systems, to policy work ensuring AI is used safely and responsibly – there are genuine openings right now for people at different stages of their careers.
What’s particularly interesting about this list is how varied the paths into AI work actually are. You don’t necessarily need a computer science degree or years of coding experience to contribute to this field, though some roles do require strong technical backgrounds. The jobs below span sales and customer success, research and development, engineering, and even government policy.
We’ve pulled together nine current AI roles across Australia to give you a realistic picture of what’s actually being hired for. Some are with well-known tech companies like OpenAI and Canva, others are with major Australian retailers and government agencies. They’re based in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, and Perth, with most offering hybrid work arrangements.
Quick summary of what we found:
Only one out of these nine jobs explicitly requires a degree – the Woolworths Software Engineer (Machine Learning) role asks for a Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science or Engineering. For the ASIS intelligence roles, tertiary qualifications are “highly regarded” but not essential. The rest either don’t mention degree requirements at all or focus primarily on experience and skills.
The most commonly sought skills across these roles include:
- strong communication (especially explaining technical concepts to non-technical people),
- stakeholder management,
- problem-solving,
- Python proficiency for technical roles, and
- genuine curiosity about AI.
For customer-facing positions, experience in SaaS sales or technical consulting matters more than formal qualifications. For technical roles, hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks, cloud platforms, and data pipelines is what employers are really looking for.
Experience expectations range widely. Some roles are open to people earlier in their careers (particularly the ASIS talent register, which explicitly welcomes early-career applicants), while most of the client-facing and technical roles are looking for around 5-7 years of relevant experience.
Here’s what’s currently available:
AI, Machine Learning, Data Science & Analytics Talent Register – Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS)
Location: Adelaide, SA and/or Canberra, ACT
What you’d be doing: This is a pool for intelligence roles that use data and AI to protect Australia’s interests. Work can include building and using models, shaping tools, and helping analysts make sense of complex information. The bigger picture is national security, so the impact is direct and important. You’d be contributing to operations that genuinely matter for Australia’s safety and strategic position, working with sensitive information and cutting-edge technology in a highly secure environment.
What you’d need: Australian citizenship and the ability to gain a high-level security clearance are essential. Tertiary qualifications are “highly regarded” but not required – they’re looking for strong judgement, teamwork, and clear writing above all else. Experience expectations vary by level, from early-career positions right through to team lead roles, which makes this an accessible entry point for people interested in using AI for public service. The organisation values diverse backgrounds and perspectives, so if you’re curious about applying data science and machine learning to real-world intelligence challenges, this could be worth exploring even if you don’t tick every traditional box.
View the ASIS job listing on SEEK
Account Director, Digital Natives – OpenAI
Location: Sydney, NSW
Work arrangement: Hybrid (3 days in office per week)
What you’d be doing: You’d look after a portfolio of tech-savvy companies using OpenAI’s products. Day to day, you’d meet with senior leaders, map out how AI could help their products or teams, and guide them from first trial to full rollout. You carry a revenue goal, so success looks like renewals and growth, not just a signed deal. Think relationship builder, translator, and coach in one role – you’re not just selling software, you’re helping companies fundamentally rethink how they work with the most advanced AI tools available. This means understanding both the technical possibilities and the business realities, then bridging that gap for customers who are often figuring out AI strategy as they go.
What you’d need: Roughly 7 years or more selling SaaS or platform products, confidence working with executives, and the ability to explain AI simply and honestly. No degree is listed as a requirement. What matters more is whether you can build genuine relationships, understand complex customer needs, think strategically about multi-year account plans, and stay calm when priorities shift rapidly. You’ll need to be comfortable with ambiguity and excited by the challenge of working in a field that’s evolving quickly.
Apply for the Account Director role at OpenAI
Policy Officer (AI) – WA Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Office of Digital Government
Location: West Perth, WA
Work arrangement: Hybrid (not specified); full-time or part-time available
What you’d be doing: Help WA Government agencies use AI safely and sensibly. You’d review projects for risk, write easy-to-follow guidance, and support a cross-government framework so tools are fair, secure, and useful for the community. It’s policy work with real-world impact, tied to the state’s AI Policy and Assurance Framework. Rather than working in the abstract, you’d be helping shape how AI is actually deployed in public services – from health to transport to community services. This means balancing innovation with responsibility, and making sure the technology serves everyone equitably.
What you’d need: Solid policy skills including research, analysis, and clear writing. You’ll need people skills to work across different government agencies, and genuine curiosity about AI. The ad explicitly states that AI experience isn’t required – they’re more interested in your ability to learn, think critically, and communicate complex ideas accessibly. Australian citizenship or permanent residency is needed for permanent public-sector roles. No degree requirement is listed, though experience in policy, research, or a related field would obviously be valuable.
Search for the Policy Officer (AI) role on WA Government Jobs
AI Deployment Manager – OpenAI
Location: Sydney, NSW
Work arrangement: Hybrid (3 days in office per week)
What you’d be doing: Once a company buys ChatGPT Enterprise, you make it actually work for them. You’d plan the rollout, run training sessions, lead workshops or hackathons, and solve roadblocks so teams see real results. You measure success by live deployments and active users, not slides or reports. This is hands-on work that requires you to understand both the technology and organisational change management – you’re as likely to be building prototypes as you are to be presenting to executives. The role sits at the intersection of technical expertise and people skills, and the best deployment managers are the ones who can switch between these modes effortlessly.
What you’d need: Around 6 years or more in customer-facing roles, proven delivery of AI or data projects, excellent communication with executives, and comfort steering change in complex organisations. No degree is listed. You’ll need to be someone who can context-switch rapidly, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and prioritise ruthlessly when everything feels urgent. Experience with change management or organisational transformation is valuable, as is genuine passion for helping people work more effectively with AI tools.
Apply for the AI Deployment Manager role at OpenAI
Solutions Architect – OpenAI
Location: Sydney, NSW
Work arrangement: Hybrid (3 days in office per week)
What you’d be doing: Be the technical guide for OpenAI’s largest customers. You’d help them identify the best AI use cases for their business, shape how the systems fit together, and move pilots into production. A big part of the job is translating between business priorities and technical detail so projects actually launch and scale, rather than remaining interesting ideas that never ship. You’ll work with senior customer stakeholders to build comprehensive roadmaps, intervene directly when needed by building hands-on prototypes, and forge relationships across the customer’s organisation to ensure successful deployment.
What you’d need: Around 6 years or more in technical consulting or similar roles, strong stakeholder management skills, hands-on prototyping ability, and understanding of cloud and network basics. Programming experience in Python or JavaScript is expected. No degree is listed. What really matters is whether you can own problems end-to-end, communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences, operate at high speed across multiple concurrent projects, and maintain a humble, collaborative attitude even when things get complicated.
Apply for the Solutions Architect role at OpenAI
Lead Research Scientist – Generative AI – Canva
Location: Adelaide, SA (remote-friendly within AU/NZ)
Work arrangement: Hybrid with flexibility across campuses, co-working spaces, and remote work
What you’d be doing: Lead a small team pushing the next wave of Canva’s AI features. You’d set research direction, run experiments, and make sure the best ideas become real tools used by millions. It’s leadership plus hands-on guidance, and you’d represent Canva in the research community as well. This means balancing cutting-edge research with practical product delivery – you need to care as much about whether something ships and helps real users as you do about the technical elegance of the solution. You’ll be working on problems that affect how millions of people create and communicate visually.
What you’d need: A track record leading research or applied-science teams, deep knowledge of modern generative models, and the ability to turn research into helpful product features that actually ship. No degree is listed as a requirement, though most people in this type of role do have advanced qualifications. What’s more important is demonstrated ability to lead research that makes it into production, strong collaboration skills, and genuine excitement about making creative tools more accessible and powerful for everyday users.
View the Lead Research Scientist role at Canva Careers
Senior Product Manager – AI Research (CORE) – Canva
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Work arrangement: Hybrid with choice of working from campuses, co-working spaces, home, or a mix
What you’d be doing: Turn cutting-edge AI research into features that ordinary people find useful. You’d help define problems, test ideas with prototypes, decide what ships first, and design fair ways to judge if the AI actually helps users. You sit between researchers, engineers, and business leaders and keep everyone focused on user value rather than just technical possibility. This is product management in a particularly challenging context – you need to understand enough about the technology to make informed trade-offs, but stay grounded in what real users need and will actually adopt.
What you’d need: About 5 years or more in product management with at least 2 years specifically on AI or machine learning products. Strong communication skills and comfort explaining how different AI approaches trade off against each other in terms of cost, speed, quality, and user experience. No degree is listed. You’ll need to be someone who can navigate ambiguity, make decisions with incomplete information, and bring clarity to complex technical discussions whilst keeping the focus on user outcomes.
View the Senior Product Manager role at Canva Careers
Machine Learning / Data Engineer – 7-Eleven Australia
Location: Richmond, Melbourne, VIC
Work arrangement: Hybrid with “work your way” flexibility
What you’d be doing: Keep a new machine-learning system healthy and useful for the business. You’d build and look after data pipelines, help models stay accurate over time, and monitor costs and performance. It’s hands-on and practical work with clear links to store and customer outcomes – you’re not working on theoretical problems, you’re making sure the systems that help run one of Australia’s largest convenience store chains actually work reliably day to day. This means everything from data quality checks to model retraining to infrastructure optimisation.
What you’d need: Strong Python and SQL skills, experience with Databricks and CI/CD pipelines, and solid problem-solving abilities. Certifications are a bonus but not required. No degree requirement is listed. What matters is whether you can build reliable data systems, debug issues when they arise, work collaboratively with data scientists and other engineers, and think practically about trade-offs between perfect solutions and shipping something that works.
View the Machine Learning / Data Engineer role on SEEK
Software Engineer (Machine Learning) – Woolworths Group
Location: Sydney, NSW
Work arrangement: Hybrid with Sydney office and work-from-home flexibility
What you’d be doing: Work with data scientists to build and run machine learning systems that power real retail decisions at scale. You’d help take ideas into production on Google Cloud Platform and keep them reliable over time. The work affects millions of customers, so quality and teamwork matter enormously. This could involve anything from recommendation systems to demand forecasting to pricing optimisation – all the systems that help Woolworths serve customers better whilst running the business more efficiently. You’ll be part of a team that’s modernising how one of Australia’s biggest retailers uses data and AI.
What you’d need: A Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science or Engineering is required for this role, plus hands-on experience with Python, SQL, Linux, machine learning pipelines, Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes, Docker, and MLOps tools. This is one of the few roles on this list with a formal degree requirement. You’ll also need to be comfortable working in an agile environment, collaborating across teams, and maintaining systems that need to be reliable at serious scale.