Principal Data Scientist

Do Work That Matters

AI & General Model Validation (AIGMV) provides independent technical challenge and review of the Group's most important ML and AI models, across business and support units.

See yourself in our team

As a Principal Data Scientist within the team, you will lead independent review, challenge and validation of ML, statistical and AI models across the Group, including GenAI and agentic systems. You will assess whether they are fit for purpose and operateas intended, and whether the risks they introduce are understood and appropriately controlled. This will involve:

• Scope and design validation of complex ML and AI systems, split the work into a structured plan, and lead other data scientists through it

• Form independent risk opinions and provide credible challenge to senior business, engineeringand governance stakeholders

• Set and improve the team's AI validation practices, tooling and standards, and mentor other data scientists

We’re interested in hearing from people who:

• Extensive experience in developing, evaluatingor validatingML/AI, GenAI or statistical models, or equivalent depth

• A courageous mindset and independent judgement. You enjoy self-directed learning, and have the curiosity and discipline to stay ahead of fast-changing AI techniques and risks

• Close attention to detail, and the judgement to see which problems matter

• Deep working knowledge of GenAI and agentic architecture, enough to validateand challenge orchestrators, sub-agents, RAG pipelines, tool use, guardrails, multi-agent routing, memory and persona handling, and LLM-as-a-Judge

• Hands-on experience designing, buildingand evaluating AI and Generative AI solutions. Fine-tuning transformer models is a plus.

• Advanced Python, with strong GitHub, version controland CI/CD experience. SQL, R or TypeScript is a plus.

• Ability to read and navigate unfamiliar codebases, reproduce evaluation pipelines, write test harnessesand inspect trace data

• Hands-on experience with AI coding agents, including Claude Code and Codex, and the ability to build and maintainskills, sub-agents, hooksand plugins that automate workflows.

• Working knowledge of traditional machine learning models, including regression, random forests, XGBoost, and related evaluation methods, and the ability to validateand challenge them.

• Demonstrated experience as the technical lead on projects, leading other data scientists through the work rather than as a people manager, including turning a complex system into a structured test plan

• Strong communicationskills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to mixed audiences, including senior stakeholders and governance forums.

• Practical experience with PyTorchand AWS SageMaker, and with GenAI tooling such as LangChain, LangGraph, OpenAI Agents SDK, Pydanticand Langfuse/HoneyHive

• Degree in Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science, Actuarial Science, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience

Working with us:

At CommBank, we're committed to creating an accessible, inclusive and respectful workplace. If you require support or adjustments, please let us know. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and we're particularly committed to making a positive difference for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples. For support please contact 1800 989 696.

If this opportunity excites you, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and help shape smarter ways to protect our customers and communities.

If you're already part of the Commonwealth Bank Group (including Bankwest, x15ventures), you'll need to apply through Sidekick to submit a valid application. We’re keen to support you with the next step in your career.

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