Specific work or activities you will perform:
Lead the modernisation of Finance & Risk technology platforms, including legacy system simplification, cloud adoption, resilience uplift, and establishment of engineering standards across software, data, and AI engineering. Provide enterprise-level technical leadership for platform architecture, data governance, AI integration, secure engineering practices, and operational resilience across critical Finance & Risk systems.
Business outcome this work enables:
Improves the resilience, scalability, and reliability of Finance & Risk platforms and strengthens the quality, traceability, and governance of financial and risk data used for regulatory reporting and decision-making. Enables faster and lower-risk delivery of regulatory, audit, and business initiatives through modernised architecture, standardised engineering practices, and governed AI adoption.
Role Overview:
We are seeking a Chief Engineer to lead the technical strategy, architecture, and engineering standards across Finance and Risk technology platforms at CBA. This role is responsible for ensuring our systems are resilient, secure, compliant, and scalable, while supporting critical regulatory, financial reporting, and risk management capabilities.
You will act as the senior-most technical authority across Finance & Risk domains, driving modernisation of legacy platforms, uplifting engineering practices, and ensuring alignment with CBA’s enterprise architecture, risk frameworks, and regulatory obligations.
Key Responsibilities:
Technology Strategy & Architecture
Define and own the target architecture for Finance & Risk platforms (e.g. GL, regulatory reporting, credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk systems)
Lead modernisation initiatives (cloud adoption, platform simplification, decommissioning legacy systems)
Ensure alignment with CBA enterprise architecture, data strategy, and platform standards
Drive API-first, event-driven, and modular architecture patterns
Engineering Excellence & Resilience
Establish best practices for high availability, disaster recovery, and operational resilience
Drive improvements in system reliability, observability, and incident management
Champion secure engineering practices aligned with CBA cybersecurity standards
Ensure strong SDLC governance, including CI/CD, automated testing, and release controls
Data & Platform Integrity
Ensure accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of finance and risk data across platforms
Drive data lineage, reconciliation, and controls across upstream/downstream systems
Support enterprise data platforms and integration with risk analytics and reporting tools
Leadership & Culture
Provide technical leadership across multiple engineering teams and domains
Mentor principal engineers and engineering leaders
Build a culture of accountability, engineering excellence, and continuous improvement
Influence hiring, capability uplift, and workforce strategy
Stakeholder Engagement
Partner with senior leaders across Finance, Risk, Treasury, and Technology
Translate complex technical concepts into business and regulatory impact
Support executive and board-level discussions where required (e.g. risk, resilience, incidents)
Required Qualifications
15+ years of engineering experience, with significant time in enterprise-scale or banking environments
Proven experience leading complex Finance and/or Risk technology platforms
Deep expertise in distributed systems, data platforms, and cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP)
Strong understanding of financial systems (GL, ledgering, reporting) and risk systems
Experience working within regulated environments (APRA, Basel frameworks, etc.)
Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale transformation and modernisation programs
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with BCBS 239, regulatory reporting, or capital/liquidity frameworks
Background in data architecture, data governance, or enterprise data platforms
Familiarity with model risk, credit risk, or market risk systems
Experience in platform engineering or core banking transformation
Key Attributes
Strong technical depth with enterprise-scale thinking
Risk-aware decision maker with strong governance mindset
Influential leader comfortable operating at executive level
Pragmatic approach to balancing legacy constraints with modernisation goals
Success Measures
Improved resilience and stability of Finance & Risk platforms
Successful delivery of regulatory and audit outcomes
Reduction in legacy complexity and technical debt
High-quality, trusted financial and risk data across the organisation
Increased engineering maturity, velocity, and talent retention
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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