Lead Engineer - Applied AI

The role / impact As a Lead Engineer within the Internal AI Accelerator Squad, you will be at the forefront of Xero’s transformation into an AI-native company. You will act as a forward-deployed engineer, embedding yourself within various internal business teams to co-design and operationalise agentic AI workflows that remove manual toil and fundamentally reshape how our people work end-to-end. Your impact extends beyond the code; you will lead the delivery of high-stakes AI agents from discovery to production, while acting as a technical partner and evangelist. By defining the patterns, guardrails, and tooling for intelligent automation, you will create the blueprint that enables the rest of Xero to harness the power of AI safely and effectively. The team / how they connect You will join a dedicated, high-velocity squad focused on boosting the adoption of agentic AI and intelligent automation across the global business. The team connects through a shared mission of rapid experimentation and "vibe-coding," working closely with product owners and SMEs to turn complex, messy workflows into elegant, automated solutions. The team is currently working on / Initially, you will focus on - Designing and iterating on AI agents and workflow orchestrations using tools like Claude, Gemini, and MCP. - Integrating AI systems with core enterprise platforms including Salesforce, Workday, Slack, and NetSuite. - Developing reusable automation patterns and shared templates to be used by the business - Building evaluation and monitoring frameworks to measure performance and ensure the safety of AI-native workflows. Where and how you can work At Xero, we embrace a hybrid way of working that prioritises both flexibility and meaningful connection. You will have the autonomy to work from home, supported by regular boost days in our modern office spaces designed to foster collaboration, brainstorming, and team bonding. Here are some of the things we are looking for - You bring a wealth of experience in building and operating applications or automations within production environments, particularly involving APIs and cloud infrastructure. - Your background includes hands-on delivery of AI-driven solutions such as agents, copilots, or RAG systems using LLMs like Claude or Gemini. - You possess proficiency in programming languages such as Python or TypeScript and feel comfortable navigating SDKs and webhooks. - A systems-thinking approach is part of your toolkit, allowing you to design agents with security, auditability, and controlled blast radius at the forefront. - You have a track record of partnering with non-technical stakeholders to translate business pain points into technical solution designs. - You are a natural coach who enjoys uplifting the AI fluency of those around you through pairing, workshops, and clear communication.