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• Employment Type: full time continuing role as a Head of AI Ecosystem, UNSW IT
• Excellent salary package available
• Location: Kensington campus in NSW (Hybrid Flexible Working)

About UNSW:

UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. We’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community; a community doing extraordinary things. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. Taking this combined approach is what makes our work matter. It’s the reason we’re one of the top 50 universities in the world and a member of Australia’s prestigious Group of Eight. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.

The Head of AI Ecosystem leads the development of a university-wide environment for artificial intelligence and ensures that UNSW is positioned to leverage AI as a catalyst for innovation, education excellence, and societal impact. The role drives strategic collaboration across faculties, professional units, research centres, and external partners, to create condition for AI to be responsibly and sustainably embedded across all aspects of teaching, research, and operations. The Head of AI Ecosystem will report into the Director Innovation Enablement and have several direct reports.

Specific accountabilities for this role include:

• Lead the development and delivery of UNSW’s AI Ecosystem strategy, ensuring alignment with the University’s Progress for All, Technology, and Academic strategies.
• Translate strategic objectives into practical pathways that enable adoption across faculties, research centres, and professional divisions.
• Drive AI capability uplift University-wide AI literacy programs, professional development, communities of practice, workshops, and forums to share AI knowledge, tools, and case studies across UNSW.
• Partner with faculties and researchers to explore, pilot, and scale AI applications in their disciplines and facilitate collaboration between research, teaching, and operational units to accelerate translation of AI innovations into practice.
• Oversee and drive the implementation of ethical AI governance frameworks, assurance processes, and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Provide strategic direction on AI platform selection, lifecycle management, and vendor technologies to ensure interoperability, innovation, and long-term capability building
• Advocate for responsible and sustainable investment in AI infrastructure, ensuring transparency, accountability, and alignment with the University's values and long-term objectives. Identify funding opportunities (internal, government, industry partnerships) to support AI capability uplift and innovation.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of resources by aligning investments and operations with sustainability principles and institutional priorities. Foster a culture of curiosity, innovation, and responsible AI exploration across UNSW.
• Establish metrics and lead strategic reporting on AI adoption, ecosystem growth, and impact across the University.
• Align with and actively demonstrate the UNSW Values in Action: Our Behaviours and the UNSW Code of Conduct.
• Ensure hazards, risks and harms, psychosocial and physical are identified and controlled for tasks, projects, and activities that pose a health and safety risk within your area of responsibility.

Who you are:

• Relevant tertiary qualifications with a preference for computer and/or data science and extensive knowledge of IT improvement and transformation, through all stages from defining the need for change, to implementation.
• Graduate qualifications in a relevant field (Management, Computer Science, Data Science, or equivalent).
• Superior level of AI systems and technology knowledge and the general technical landscape of cloud computing environments and their implications in education, research, and operations.
• Proven ability to successfully develop and lead the implementation of robust digital and/or AI strategies to deliver business outcomes and experience with driving technology change.
• Proven ability to define, develop and manage large portfolios and programs of work. Including deep knowledge on agile and waterfall methodologies and how these are incorporated effectively into a business.
• Strong analytical skills, effective business planning and budgeting skills with demonstrated experience in strategic and operational planning.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with significant experience in building effective / high performance teams along with developing and retaining staff.
• Versatile, results-oriented, with a continuous improvement focus and ability to influence outcomes with both senior leaders and other stakeholders throughout the organisation.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills including the ability to develop effective relationships and influence key stakeholders at all levels in the organisation.
• Demonstrated experience in enabling cross-functional ecosystems, preferably in technology, research, or education.
• Strong track record in facilitating partnerships, capability-building, and cultural adoption of emerging technologies.
• Proven experience in governance, policy, or ethical frameworks for technology adoption.
• An understanding of and commitment to UNSW’s aims, objectives and values in action, together with relevant policies and guidelines.
• Knowledge of health and safety responsibilities and commitment to attending relevant health and safety training.

 Benefits and Culture

• Flexible Working Options (work from home, flexible hours etc) 
• Career development opportunities
• 17% Superannuation contributions and additional leave loading payments 
• Additional 3 days of leave over Christmas period
• Discounts and entitlements (retail, education, fitness)

For further details on the benefits, please visit https://www.jobs.unsw.edu.au/lifestyle-benefits

How to Apply: please apply through the portal, we would like you to submit a full application including resume and addressing the who you are section.

Applications close:  Monday 26^th of January at 11.30pm

Pre-Employment Checks
Aligned with UNSW’s focus on cultivating a workplace defined by safety, ethical conduct, and strong integrity preferred candidates will be required to participate in a combination of pre-employment checks relevant to the role they have applied for.

These pre-employment checks may include a combination of some of the following checks:- 

• National and International Criminal history checks
• Entitlement to work and ID checks
• Working With Children Checks
• Completion of a Gender-Based Violence Prevention Declaration
• Verification of relevant qualifications
• Verification of relevant professional membership
• Employment history and reference checks
• Financial responsibility assessments/checks.
• Medical Checks and Assessments

Compliance with the necessary combination of these checks is a condition of employment at UNSW.

Get in Touch:

Jen MacLachlan

j.maclachlan@unsw.edu.au

Talent Acquisition Partner – UNSW IT

Please apply through the application portal and not via the contact above.

UNSW is committed to equity diversity and inclusion. Applications from women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living with disabilities, members of the LGBTIQ+ community; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff. The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.