Highlights
* Lead the development and implementation of AFAC's internal AI strategy, driving innovation across Australia and New Zealand's emergency management sector.
* Collaborate with member agencies, senior leaders, and technology partners to accelerate safe, high-value AI adoption.
* Be part of a values-driven, forward-thinking team at AFAC.
About AFAC
AFAC is the Australian and New Zealand National Council for fire and emergency services, representing a workforce of more than 288,000 paid and volunteer personnel. AFAC delivers services to emergency management organisations, working in partnership with government and sector leaders to support safer, more resilient communities through collaboration, innovation, and knowledge sharing.
About the Position
The AI Strategy & Innovation Lead reports to the Director, Information Technology and plays a pivotal role in shaping AFAC's AI strategy and sector-facing thought leadership. This position combines deep conceptual AI expertise with consultancy skills to align members on practical AI adoption, share insights, and accelerate responsible, high-impact use cases across the emergency management sector.
Key Responsibilities
* Support the development and implementation of AFAC's AI strategy and architecture.
* Evaluate LLM architectures and advise on fit-for-purpose sector solutions.
* Build and maintain a repository of member AI initiatives, lessons learned, and sector-wide trends.
* Facilitate peer-to-peer knowledge exchange (roundtables, webinars, working groups).
* Advise senior AFAC staff on AI opportunities, risks, and capabilities.
* Represent AFAC in sector forums, conferences, and panels on AI.
* Scan technology and emergency services sectors for AI impacts and develop horizon scans for members.
* Assist with research on insight papers and horizon scans tailored to emergency management and public safety.
* Maintain a knowledge base of AI model families and their trade-offs.
* Work with IT staff to scope, design, and implement AI pilots and projects.
* Understand ethical AI principles, bias mitigation, and compliance.
* Provide advisory guidance and checklists (bias, data minimization, human-in-the-loop, etc.).
* Reinforce data hygiene controls and guardrails.
* Assist staff and member groups in understanding risks and mitigations related to AI principles, bias, and compliance challenges.
Key Relationships
* AFAC Directors, Managers, and staff.
* Member agency executives and capability leads.
* Enterprise Architecture, Cyber/Risk, Data & Analytics, Legal, HR/L&D.
* Selected vendors and partners.
About You
You are a strategic thinker with deep conceptual understanding of AI, especially LLMs and their architectures. You excel at translating complex concepts for non-technical audiences and have a strong track record of facilitating knowledge exchange and co-design processes. You approach challenges with innovative thinking and strategic foresight, and you are committed to ethical AI practices and compliance.
Key Selection Criteria
Essential:
* Deep conceptual understanding of LLMs: architecture, tokenization, context windows, inference scaling, RAG, prompt/agentic patterns, etc.
* Working knowledge of Microsoft Copilot tools and uses.
* Awareness of the AI ecosystem: OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Hugging Face, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Meta LLaMA.
* Strong knowledge of prompt engineering & evaluation frameworks.
* Ability to translate complex AI concepts into accessible language for non-technical audiences.
* Familiarity with optimal data management practices to support AI effectiveness.
* Experience preparing briefing papers, presentations, and horizon scans for executive stakeholders.
* Proven ability to work effectively across diverse teams, facilitating knowledge exchange and co-design processes.
* Demonstrated ability to approach complex challenges with innovative thinking and strategic foresight.
* High attention to detail in evaluating AI architectures, ethical risks, and compliance frameworks.
* Strong interpersonal and influencing skills to guide senior leaders and member agencies through AI adoption.
* Must be based in Victoria
Desirable:
* Familiarity with Azure OpenAI, Power Platform Copilots.
* Familiarity with vector databases, RAG, and orchestration tools (LangChain, Semantic Kernel).
* Prior work in member-based or public safety sector.
Note: Interstate travel may be required for this role.
How to Apply
The position description and key selection criteria can be found at:
If you think you meet some of the criteria but not all, that's okay – we would still love to hear from you. Please apply online and provide:
* A detailed cover letter and CV that best demonstrate your motivation and skills relevant to this role.
* An additional one-page document addressing how you have experience, skills, or exposure to the key selection criteria.
Should you have any questions about the position, please email
If you would like to request a reasonable adjustment to support your application, this can be done at any stage of the recruitment process by contacting
Applications close 9th of January 2026; however, we will review applications as we receive them, so if this position is of interest to you, apply today