Principal Data and AI Engineer

Title: Principal Data & AI Engineer

Location: Sydney, New South Wales

Category: Data & Analytics

Brand: IAG

Widget: full-time

Remote: Hybrid

Job ID: 50449

At IAG, we’re ready for you. We're the largest general insurance group in Australia and New Zealand. Our family of brands turns the IAG purpose of making your world a safer place into action by helping everyday Aussies and New Zealanders, supporting their ambitions and making insurance accessible. 

As our Principal Data & AI Engineer, you'll be a senior technical leader, trusted advisor and problem solver, helping the business unlock the full potential of data and AI. Working at the intersection of strategy, technology and delivery, you'll partner directly with business leaders to shape opportunities, translate complex challenges into scalable solutions and deliver measurable business value. 

Operating through a consulting-led, Forward Deployed Engineering model, you'll take end-to-end ownership of solutions from discovery and design through to delivery, adoption and optimisation. You'll provide technical leadership across data engineering, architecture, integration, reporting and AI-enabled products, while shaping engineering standards, influencing strategic decisions and guiding teams through complex technical challenges. 

With deep expertise across modern data platforms, cloud engineering, Python, SQL, DBT and AI technologies, you'll champion engineering excellence, promote the reuse of enterprise capabilities and help embed trusted data products into the systems and processes that power the business. Through hands-on leadership, mentoring and collaboration, you'll elevate technical capability, advance modern engineering practices and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of data and AI across IAG. 

What You’ll Do 

• Lead a consulting-led, Forward Deployed Engineering approach, partnering with business stakeholders to identify opportunities, shape problem definitions, maximise reuse of enterprise data capabilities and deliver high-value data and AI solutions with end-to-end ownership.  

• Drive the end-to-end design, engineering and delivery of data products and activation capabilities that create measurable business outcomes.  

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to engineers and analysts, acting as the escalation point for complex design, engineering, data quality and production challenges.  

• Lead the evolution of the Intermediated Business 360 data product, delivering trusted customer-centric data capabilities and insights that support growth, underwriting, distribution and operational performance. 

• Partner with enterprise transformation programs and senior business stakeholders to scale data capabilities, accelerate feature delivery and ensure alignment with strategic business outcomes. 

• Design and enhance scalable data pipelines, data models, APIs and reporting layers that enable trusted, reusable and AI-ready data.  

• Build strong partnerships across business and technology teams to ensure solutions align to enterprise strategy and are seamlessly integrated into operational platforms.  

• Champion the responsible application of AI, advanced analytics and automation to improve decision-making, efficiency and customer outcomes.  

• Advance engineering excellence through modern practices, mentoring and continuous improvement across Python, SQL, DBT, cloud technologies, testing, observability and agile delivery. 
   

This is a permanent role and offer a flexible hybrid work model based ideally in Gadigal Country (Sydney). 
 

What You’ll Bring 

• Proven experience operating in agile, product-led or Forward Deployed Engineering environments, delivering end-to-end business outcomes through multidisciplinary teams.  

• Demonstrated technical leadership experience, guiding senior engineers and analysts, driving design decisions and resolving complex technical challenges.  

• Advanced expertise in Python, SQL, DBT and modern cloud data platforms, with a track record of building scalable data pipelines, reusable data products and production-grade engineering solutions. 

• Strong data architecture, data modelling and integration skills, including APIs, semantic layers, customer/entity resolution and the integration of internal and external data sources.  

• Practical experience applying AI and machine learning technologies, including GenAI, automation, data enrichment and AI-assisted engineering, with an understanding of responsible AI practices.  

• Experience designing and delivering customer-centric data solutions and enterprise-scale data products that support operational platforms, analytics, reporting and AI use cases.  

• Strong commercial and problem-solving capability, with the ability to connect technical delivery to business value, prioritise opportunities and improve customer, operational and business outcomes.  

• Deep understanding of engineering quality practices including testing, observability, production support and continuous improvement 

• Excellent stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with experience building trusted relationships across business and technology teams. Experience in consulting, digital transformation, insurance, financial services or large-scale enterprise environments will be highly regarded. 

What We Offer 

• Boosted superannuation with 13% as standard. 
• 20 days annual leave + 5 days MyLeave (extra leave for what’s important to you). 
• Work from home and many more flexibility options with myFlex. 
• Up to 50% off personal insurance, including home and motor insurance. 
• Partner discounts on private health insurance, tech & appliances, and many more. 
• Industry-leading 20 weeks paid parental leave. 
• Access to LinkedIn Learning, the award-winning IAG Academy, study assistance and secondment opportunities. 

Adjustments and Support 

More About Us 

As part of IAG you'll enjoy a world of career opportunities, a purpose-led place focused on creating connection and belonging, and where you can create meaningful impact every day and grow your career beyond the expected. That’s not just words. It’s our people promise. We're ready for you with unexpected opportunities for your career, your work-life and your ability to make a difference. We celebrate all viewpoints shaped by life experiences and culture, and are guided by the knowledge and voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, businesses, and communities. We collaborate on Indigenous-led solutions that enable growth and create meaningful change for our customers and employees.