Machine Learning Engineer (Contract)

At NCS Australia, we believe in doing technology services better. Our commitment to quality, focus on people, and willingness to challenge traditional thinking set us apart. Our team brings this belief to life by partnering with our clients and communities to make tomorrow together.

We are committed to creating an environment that prioritises innovation, collaboration, and purposeful work. Our diverse team is empowered to make a meaningful impact with curiosity, creativity and resilience to shape better outcomes. Join us and accept the challenge of creating a better tomorrow.

This is a high-impact, client-facing contract opportunity to join NCS Australia, a leading technology services organisation. As a specialist consultant, you'll be joining a forward-thinking organisation that values deep expertise and empowers its teams to innovate. This is your chance to align your personal brand with a major player in the tech industry, tackling complex, meaningful challenges that make a real difference to our top-tier clients.

In this hands-on, client-facing role, you'll be at the forefront of developing and optimising cutting-edge machine learning models. You won't be siloed; you'll collaborate directly with industry-leading data scientists, engineers, and key client stakeholders to drive critical ML projects right from ideation through to production. It's a high-impact endeavour offering the kind of challenging, resume-building work that allows you to showcase your skills and directly influence enterprise-wide AI solutions.

The successful candidate must possess the following qualifications:

• Extensive experience in software development with Python, demonstrating proficiency in this programming language.
• Proven, hands-on expertise with essential ML libraries such as PyTorch, NumPy, Hugging Face, and Ultralytics (YOLO/DETR).
• A critical ability to evaluate and benchmark machine learning model performance using appropriate metrics and comparative analysis, ensuring optimal model performance.
• Demonstrated experience implementing complex ML algorithms (e.g., from research papers) and turning them into robust, scalable code, showcasing the ability to translate theoretical concepts into practical solutions.
• A comprehensive understanding of different AI model architectures, including Transformers, CNNs, and LLMs, reflecting a deep knowledge of the field.
• Strong knowledge of MLOps principles and tools (e.g., MLflow, W&B) to track, manage, and deploy the model development lifecycle, ensuring efficient and streamlined processes.
• Proven skills in Agile project management (Jira, GitLab, Epics, User Stories) and modern software practices, including CI/CD pipelines and Git, demonstrating the ability to work in a collaborative and efficient manner.
• Experience in developing and consuming REST APIs / Micro-service architectures.
• Proficiency in front-end development (e.g. JavaScript, HTML, and CSS).
• Knowledge and practical experience with containerization technologies (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (e.g. Git, Ansible) and their implementation.
• Experience working with Agile methodologies (e.g. Kanban, Scrum), reflecting the ability to adapt to modern software development practices.
• Previous experience working on Government projects and the ability to obtain a security clearance is highly regarded. 

Why join us: 

NCS Australia is where you can feel at home, nurturing your talents and skills as we make tomorrow together, one day at a time. Our benefits include paid parental leave, initiatives focused on your well-being and discounted health insurance. You will also enjoy discounts on various products and services and be regularly recognised and rewarded for high performance. We are committed to your career development through our Capability Fingerprint, industry and partner training programs, special interest groups, and an AI-driven learning platform. No matter where you are in your career, we offer meaningful work and opportunities for growth.

NCS Australia is an equal-opportunity employer, and we take pride in our commitment to valuing and supporting our people and the communities we serve.We are dedicated to attracting, retaining and developing our people regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and age. Applications are encouraged from all sectors of the community and we strongly encourage applications from the Veterans, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community.

At NCS Australia, we are committed to supporting adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, as well as during employment. We actively support and encourage people with disability to apply. 

Agencies:

We’ve got this. We request that you do not contact NCS employees outside of the Talent Acquisition team. NCS exclusively accepts resumes from agencies on our preferred supplier panel through the NCS Agency Portal. Agencies that submit resumes must have a valid fee agreement and be assigned to the particular requisition by the Talent Acquisition team. Any resumes that are submitted outside of this process will become the sole property of NCS. If a candidate is hired outside of this process, no fee or payment will be given.

Work rights and background checks: 

To be eligible for a position with us, applicants will need to have valid work rights for Australia and be willing to undergo a comprehensive background checking process, including probity and police checks