Principal AI Engineer

About Airwallex

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.

Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,000 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe. Valued at US$8 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.

Attributes We Value

We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.

You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next.

Role and Project Scope:

As part of the Business Accounts Team, you will help build the intelligent orchestration layer for Airwallex’s business account ecosystem — connecting Cash, Yield, Lending, and broader Airwallex product surfaces into a unified financial experience for businesses. This includes building systems that can support liquidity optimisation, automated transfers, and dynamic responses to business activity across payments, card spend, collections, and future product lines.

This is a high-impact opportunity to join a new strategic domain at an early stage. You will help shape the architecture, APIs, and technical foundations of a core business platform that sits at the centre of Airwallex’s business customer experience and powers the next generation of financial automation.

This role is based in Sydney

What You’ll Do:

As the Principal AI engineer, you will define the technical and strategic vision for next-generation AI solutions. By harnessing cutting-edge language models, you will drive internal efficiency and transform user experience for our customers. Your work will set the standard for AI engineering excellence, paving the way for the next wave of intelligent products and services.

• Spearhead the creation of AI solutions to enable growth and drive internal efficiency across the business

• Design and implement robust API and system architecture for new AI applications.

• Assist in AI application roadmapping and strategy.

• Collaborate effectively with a diverse, cross-functional team to leverage existing AI technologies, and research and implement new ones, to meet product goals.

• Providing prompt and effective solutions or workarounds in response to application issues or software bugs, maintaining high client satisfaction.

• Embrace the challenges of a fast-paced, high-growth environment with a focus on innovation.

What You Need to Have:

• 10+ years in backend software development, with a passion for AI and language technologies

• Proven track record of delivering major impact

• Proficiency in Python, Typescript or Javascript

• Experience in design and development of large-scale distributed, high concurrency, high load, high availability systems;

• Experience in vector databases

• A relevant degree in Computer Science, Mathematics or related fields

#sydney

Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third-Party Recruiters

To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page.

Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.

Equal opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.