Backend & Systems Developer / Engineer

Backend & Systems Developer / Engineer

AustLII Foundation Limited From 120,000 plus superannuation

Applications close: 8:59 AM EDT, 25th Oct 2026

Job posted on: 28th Sep 2026

Sydney > Ultimo

Contract, Full Time

Information Technology & Digital

Not For Profit (NFP)

Job description

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.

About the job

AustLII (austlii.edu.au) 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 reliable backend systems, services and integrations that support AustLII’s extensive online legal data platforms and emerging AI-enabled services. You will contribute practical engineering expertise to strengthen system performance, reliability and maintainability. Working closely with our Data & Content and Infrastructure teams, you will contribute to collaborative, agile ways of working and a culture of innovation across the organisation.

Organisational background

AustLII is Australia’s most-used free-access online resource for Australian legal information, serving more than 500 million page access requests last year — over 1 million per day — from more than 13 million distinct hosts.

Since 1995, AustLII has built the most comprehensive curated collection of Australian primary and secondary legal information and made it freely and anonymously available to the community online. In doing so, AustLII has created a service that plays a fundamental role in the Australian legal system, safeguards the integrity of Australian law and supports national data sovereignty.

Sitting at the intersection of technology and the law, AustLII pioneered free online access to legal information in Australia and helped shape similar services around the world. Now, on the cusp of the most significant transformation in access to information since the development of the World Wide Web, AustLII is ready to pioneer once more. We are uniquely placed to develop AI-assisted tools that make Australian legal information easier to discover, understand and navigate for citizens, courts, government, educators and legal professionals.

What we offer

We offer meaningful work and an opportunity to help build technology with impact:

• Be part of a mission-driven organisation creating technology with real-world impact
• Work alongside a small, passionate and collaborative team
• Work from centrally located offices in a vibrant campus environment
• Receive a competitive salary package with generous superannuation

Role and responsibilities

This fixed term role offers the opportunity to help build reliable backend systems within a newly established Software Engineering team and contribute directly to AustLII’s next generation of AI-enabled services.

Key responsibilities include:

• Backend systems & platform engineering: Design, develop and maintain reliable backend systems, services and integrations that support large-scale digital platforms.
• Systems reliability & performance: Enable systems performance and contribute to secure and resilient technology environments across cloud ad on-premise infrastructure.
• Problem-solving expertise: Take a hands-on, solutions-focused approach to diagnosing technical issues, working through complexity and developing practical solutions that improve system performance and user outcomes.

Further information related to the position is available in the Backend & Systems Developer/Engineer Position Description attached below.

Selection criteria

• A degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education, training and practical experience, together with extensive experience in backend development, software engineering or platform engineering.
• Demonstrated ability to design, build, optimise and modernise production-quality backend systems and services, including improving performance, maintainability and reliability in complex or data-intensive software environments.
• Advanced proficiency in server-side programming languages, ideally including Python or Perl and C/C++ or Java, with the ability to troubleshoot, refactor and improve complex software systems while maintaining reliability and continuity of service.
• Demonstrated experience working with SQL and relational databases such as PostgreSQL, together with practical experience in search, indexing or information retrieval technologies such as OpenSearch, Elasticsearch, Vespa, Solr or similar platforms.
• Proven ability to develop and support secure APIs, data flows, retrieval systems and integration layers that enable reliable exchange of information across applications, search indexes, internal tools and user-facing services.
• Strong understanding of secure software development practices, automated testing, code review, documentation, CI/CD practices, Linux-based environments and containerised deployment approaches, with a commitment to clean, maintainable and well-documented code.
• Practical experience or strong conceptual understanding of AI-enabled services, semantic retrieval, vector search, embeddings, reranking technologies, LLM APIs, retrieval-augmented generation or related technologies, and the ability to assess how these capabilities can be appropriately integrated into backend systems.
• Demonstrated capacity to investigate and resolve complex technical issues, and make practical technical decisions that support system performance, scalability, security and reliability.
• Ability to clarify and analyse functional requirements, translate them into effective technical solutions, and deliver backend and digital services that meet organisational, user and operational needs.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical teams, explain complex technical concepts clearly, contribute constructively to code reviews and documentation, and support a collaborative engineering culture.

Highly regarded – Knowledge and experience

• 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 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.

Next Steps

To submit your application please click 'Apply Now' by the closing date.

We would welcome applications from candidates who are inspired by the opportunity to build technology that supports open access to legal information and helps shape the future of AI-enabled legal research.

To be considered eligible for this role, you must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this employment. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.

AustLII reserves the right to commence shortlisting and interviewing prior to the advertised closing date and, where appropriate, to close the recruitment process early. Applicants are therefore encouraged to submit their application as soon as possible.

Interview process

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an initial interview, between 45-60 minutes, held in person, with a mix of technical and behavioural questions. We aim to keep candidates informed in a timely manner and will advise outcomes as soon as possible.

If you progress after interview, we will undertake reference checks and you will need to complete other relevant pre-employment background checks and clearances, including qualification verification.