AustLII Foundation Limited · Sydney > Ultimo, Australia
Help shape the future of free access to law in Australia. A rare opportunity to take on a future-focused, high-impact role enhancing access to justice for millions of users in the AI era.
Join AustLII at a pivotal moment and work with recognised pioneers in computer science and law to shape the future of free legal information.
AustLII is at a pivotal point in its growth. Under the leadership of world-class academics in computer science and law, we are developing the next generation of legal information services, combining trusted legal content, advanced search capabilities and new and emerging AI technologies to further strengthen free access to legal information in Australia.
As a member of the newly established Software Engineering team at the centre of this transformation, you will help build scalable backend services and intuitive frontend interfaces that integrate seamlessly and deliver quality user-facing applications. You will provide engineering expertise in the design and development of large-scale legal information, search and AI-enabled platforms and services. Working closely with our Data & Content and Infrastructure teams, you will contribute to collaborative, agile ways of working and a culture of innovation.
Responsibilities include:
Designing, building, testing, deploying, maintaining and improving production web applications or digital services across frontend and backend technologies, including contemporary JavaScript or TypeScript frameworks, Python or equivalent backend/scripting languages, APIs, responsive user interfaces and Linux-based environments
Aligning frontend and backend development by building shared understanding, communicating effectively and supporting cohesive, maintainable application outcomes aligned with agreed technical standards
Contributing to the technical design of user-facing applications, public web services, administration systems, workflow systems and supporting platform services, including the development of secure, scalable and maintainable integrations across complex systems
Working with relational databases, text-search infrastructure, information retrieval systems, search optimisation, data-intensive applications or related technologies that support reliable access to large-scale information resources, ideally within legal, research, digital information or other data-rich environments
Writing clean, maintainable and well-structured code; developing automated and unit tests; participating constructively in peer code reviews; maintaining technical documentation; and contributing to continuous improvement in development practices
Understanding or capacity to work with AI-enabled technologies such as machine learning, semantic retrieval, vector search, embeddings, reranking technologies, knowledge graphs, LLM APIs, retrieval-augmented generation or related tools, with the ability to apply these technologies in practical application development contexts
Clarifying and analysing functional requirements, translating them into effective technical solutions, and delivering full stack and digital services that meet organisational, user and operational needs
Investigating and resolving complex, novel or ambiguous technical issues, and making practical technical decisions that support system performance, scalability, security and reliability
Exhibiting excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical teams, explaining complex technical concepts clearly, contributing constructively to code reviews and documentation, and supporting a collaborative engineering culture
Preferred qualifications include:
Knowledge of Australian law and the legal system or previous experience working with legal information or legal knowledge systems
Previous experience working in an agile software engineering environment
Experience working in teams within small to medium-sized organisations, research institutions, digital information services or mission-driven organisations
Familiarity with cloud, on-premise or hybrid technology environments
A genuine interest in AustLII’s mission to expand free access to legal information or digital public infrastructure or technologies that support access to information
Apply now to be part of a transformative team shaping the future of legal access in Australia.