LH-02325 Machine Learning Engineer

Due to the nature of clients we work with here at Kinexus and the projects these roles will be based on, an Australian Government Top Secret Positive Vetting (TSPV) clearance is essential.

These opportunities do not have the ability to obtain sponsorship for a security clearance (including applicants who currently hold a security clearance seeking to upgrade).

ABOUT THIS ROLE

ML Ops Engineers are involved in setting the overall ML Ops strategy for the organisation as well as the management of complex projects. They will work closely with cross-functional teams including data scientists, engineers and business stakeholders to ensure that ML Ops initiatives are aligned with industry standards and business goals.

ASD requires Machine Learning Engineers to be responsible for building and maintaining ASD's ML Operations platform. This position is well suited to a candidate with strong software engineering or data engineering expertise, who has had exposure to contemporary Machine Learning practices and technologies.

The ideal candidate has experience with all parts of the MLOps lifecycle, including the registration, deployment, and monitoring of operation capabilities. It is expected that you will deliver key platforms and integrations to deliver self-service abilities to Data Scientists, to achieve continuous integration, continuous deployment, continuous training, and continuous monitoring.

Estimated start date: Tuesday, 01 July 2025

Initial contract duration: 12 months

Extension term: 12 months

Number of extensions: 2

Location of work: ACT

Working arrangements: ACT, 5 days a week in the office. Candidates must be willing to undergo ASD's Organisational Suitability Assessment (OSA) prior to engagement. Candidates required to have PV clearance.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is the federal agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence, cyber warfare and information security. ASD's purpose is to defend Australia from global threats and help advance our national interests.

Situated in Canberra, ASD employs over 2000 TSPV cleared workers. ASD's workforce is growing rapidly. Areas of growth include PMO, cyber security, systems administration and engineering, software development and network engineering.

A top-security, complex and highly technical environment, ASD plays a vital role in the defence of Australia. Long contracts (12 months+) available.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, develop, and maintain production MLOps platforms specific to ASD.
• Deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot ML models in production environments.
• Design and implement MLOps pipelines for deploying ML models to production.
• Review and optimise production ML code.
• Work with open-source technology and modern computing infrastructure.
• Work with other engineers to ensure successful integration into enterprise software.
• Work with data scientists to ensure that ML models are well tested and reliable.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE NEEDED

Essential Criteria

• DENG 4 - Designs, implements and maintains complex data engineering solutions to acquire and prepare data. Creates and maintains data pipelines to connect data across stores, applications and organisations. Builds in compliance with data governance and security standards. Supports the development of continuous integration and deployment practices. Monitors and optimises pipeline performance and scalability. Conducts complex data quality checking and remediation. Leads data migration and data conversion activities.
• MLNG 5 - Leads the development and implementation of machine learning solutions for complex, high-impact business problems. Architects end-to-end machine learning pipelines and systems, incorporating MLOps practices. Evaluates and selects tools, frameworks and infrastructure for machine learning projects. Establishes practices and standards for machine learning development and operations. Provides expert advice and guidance on machine learning techniques and applications. Collaborates with stakeholders to align machine learning initiatives with organisational goals.
• RELM 4 - Plans and schedules releases in line with business requirements and objectives. Coordinates release activities across multiple teams and stakeholders. Manages the release lifecycle, ensuring timely and quality deliverables. Ensures releases meet defined quality, security and compliance standards. Communicates release plans, progress and outcomes to stakeholders. Conducts post-release reviews and identifies areas for improvement.
• SINT 4 - Provides technical expertise to enable the configuration of system components and equipment for systems testing. Collaborates with technical teams to develop and agree system integration plans and report on progress. Defines complex/new integration builds. Ensures integration test environments are correctly configured. Designs, performs and reports results of tests of the integration build. Identifies and documents system integration components for recording in the configuration management system. Recommends and implements improvements to processes and tools.
• Australian Citizenship and a TSPV security clearance is essential

Desirable Criteria

• Software development with Python.
• MLOps tooling such as MLFlow, Ray, Flyte, KubeFlow, Kserve or an enterprise ML platform.
• Building DevOps pipelines with GitLab CI/CD.
• Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker.
• Data engineering and data wrangling.
• Optimisation of models with one of the following high performance frameworks: HuggingFace Candle, OpenVino, TensorRT, FasterTransformers.
• Working with C++, Rust, or Go, specifically for production ML systems.

BENEFITS

Why work for ASD?

• Work on interesting and prestigious projects vital to the ongoing defence of Australia.
• Flexible work environment; work the hours that suit you between 7am and 7pm.
• Low attrition rate: the great variety of projects and opportunities across different business areas ensure few workers leave ASD.
• Long contracts available.
• Fantastic growth opportunities available at any stage of your career.

Why Kinexus?

• Kinexus has been supplying TSPV contractors to government panels since 2004 and have a strong relationship with them. We are one of just 9 suppliers Australia-wide.
• Our experience in managing contractors in defence/national security industries means we understand the requirements from the Commonwealth, insurances and clearances.
• DISP accredited; we can hold clearances and manage renewals.
• Dedicated account manager (me!) who is your dedicated POC and offer continuous contractor care.
• Rate negotiation guidance in line with the SFIA framework.
• Dedicated payroll assistant who facilitates your taxes and super.
• We proactively chase timesheet approvers to ensure you get paid on-time and error free.
• Regular visits to Canberra for coffee, lunches and quarterly drinks events.
• We can facilitate novated car leases, LAFHA or salary sacrifice.
• We'll keep you up to date with the most appropriate, interesting opportunities in your field.
• Community matters. Kinexus supports women in Defence through our female mentoring program and rewards referrers through our Referral Rewards scheme.
• Support for your health and wellness through counselling support (EAP) available for all contractors and their families.

Kinexus is the leading recruitment partner to the defence industry in Australia. We support our community in making intelligent connections and create opportunities to help grow careers.

All applications should include your resume as a word document. For more information, visit our website, www.kinexus.com.au or contact Cindace Prasad at 0449 511 324. #LI-CP