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General Manager, Data Science

xeroAU: Melbourne: (260 Burwood Rd)Data, AI & Machine Learning
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Salary
Not listed
Job type
Full-time
Work mode
Remote
Experience
Executive
Posted
24 Sept 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

This General Manager, Data Science position suits an experienced executive leader with a technical background who wants to scale AI and data capabilities in Melbourne. The role operates within the Product Data Science and Engineering team at Xero, guiding strategy and execution across accounting, small business, and AI products.

Role Overview

This is a strategic leadership position created to oversee and expand data science, analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence functions. The professional joining this team will take full ownership of the strategic vision and delivery across multiple product areas, operating in an AI-native environment. The position is based in Melbourne with a flexible hybrid working setup requiring 1 to 2 days per week in the local office.

Key Responsibilities

Translate high-level company objectives into strategic sub-objectives spanning analytics, machine learning, AI products, and experimentation.
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of data scientists, analytics engineers, machine learning engineers, and managers, scaling the function from approximately 12 to 30 people.
Design team structures and operating models that maintain high throughput across multiple geographic locations and time zones.
Act as the primary data partner to Product and Technology, advising the C-suite and senior leadership team on data utilization, retention strategy, new data domains, and AI investment decisions.
Oversee artificial intelligence governance, model risk, data quality, privacy posture, and experimentation integrity across the portfolio.
Establish behavioral, technical, and cultural standards while improving global hiring practices and talent mapping.

Requirements

Background as an analyst, scientist, engineer, or AI/ML professional with experience operating, shipping, and leading at scale within a fast-paced technology environment.
Proven capacity to act as a proactive self-starter and executive partner who shapes strategic agendas with C-suite and senior leadership.
Experience navigating teams through significant scale-ups, operating model transformations, and continuous evolution in fast-paced settings.
Practical background in leveraging frontier-model platforms to construct agentic workflows, chatbots, and AI-powered products.
Substantial track record leading data science, machine learning, or analytics functions while managing other people leaders across multi-team structures.
Deep technical fluency spanning applied machine learning, analytics engineering, instrumentation, eventing, and schema governance.
Technical bachelor's or master's degree, or a PhD focused on applied organizational challenges.

Skills and Tools

Anthropic
OpenAI
Google
Applied Machine Learning
Analytics Engineering
Instrumentation
Eventing
Schema Governance
Chatbots and Agentic Workflows

About the Company

Xero builds technology designed to supercharge small businesses, improve daily efficiency, and connect companies with big business technology to support a stronger global economy.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly on the official company careers page.

Skills and tech stack

AnthropicOpenAIGoogleApplied Machine LearningAnalytics EngineeringJAX

Questions candidates ask

Where is the position located?

The role is based in Melbourne (at 260 Burwood Rd) with a flexible hybrid working setup requiring 1 to 2 days per week in the local office.

What is the size of the team this role will manage?

The incoming leader will scale the function from approximately 12 team members to around 30.

What specific AI platforms will the team work with?

The team partners with platforms including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google to build AI-powered customer experiences like the Jax chatbot and agentic workflows.

Is a linear data science career path required?

No, candidates from analyst, scientist, engineer, or AI/ML-focused backgrounds are welcome to apply.

What educational background is expected?

A technical bachelor's or master's degree is required, and PhDs are welcome for applied, high-impact organizational challenges.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official xero careers page.

Apply on company site