Job Principal Engineer - Customer Innovation, Sydney

• You are curious about early product lifecycle

• We are validate assumptions and derisk big bets

• Together, we will engineer the future of banking

Do work that matters:

The CIO for Technology team ensures that CBAhas a world-class engineering capability and is at the forefront of technology, using innovative and emerging technology to help our customer and support our Group Strategy.

We work hard to ensure that best practice, whether inside CBA or outside in the broader technology ecosystem, is discovered, sheltered, nurtured, and spread to wherever else it can drive the most benefit for the Group and our customers.

We are actively involved in the technology community, innovation, research, and partnerships that will set Australia up for success as the economy transitions to a more digital future.

See yourself in our team:

This is a rare opportunity to join the ‘Product Discovery and Experimentation’ team within CIO for Technology to shape early-stage thinking and work on the “zero to one” problems that define the future of our products and services. You’ll be part of a team that values curiosity, collaboration, and real-world impact.

We’re looking for a Principal Engineer who thrives on solving complex problems with creativity and code. In this role, you’ll be the technical lead of a cross-functional discovery squad, working closely with product managers and designers to explore opportunities, rapidly prototype solutions, and uncover the right path forward—before we scale.

If you’re someone who’s energised by experimentation, loves tinkering with new ideas, and enjoys the ambiguity of the early product lifecycle, this is your kind of role.

What you will do:

• Lead the technical side of product discovery. Collaborate with product and design partners to explore new ideas, define technical possibilities, and shape early thinking.

• Prototype and experiment. Build quick, scrappy proofs of concept, lightweight pilots, and testable MVPs to validate assumptions and de-risk big bets.

• Be a hands-on maker. Roll up your sleeves to build alongside the team—coding, testing, integrating—whatever it takes to bring ideas to life fast.

• Connect dots across technology. Apply your breadth of experience to spot patterns, leverage existing systems creatively, and find elegant solutions to messy problems.

• Influence what we build. Your technical insight will help us decide what we build, how we build it, and why it matters—early in the process, when it counts most.

• Turn ambiguity into action. Champion good engineering practices even in fast-paced discovery work, ensuring prototypes and pilots are sound, reusable, and well-considered.

• Communicate with clarity. Speak “tech to tech” with engineers while also acting as a translator—explaining technical choices clearly to product, design, and business stakeholders.

• Lead and mentor others. Provide technical guidance to the team, including coaching junior engineers and graduates when they join the squad. You’ll set the tone, lead by example, and help others grow.

We're interested in people who:

• Have extensive experience leading engineering in product discovery environments— in cross-functional teams, working in close partnership with Product and Design.

• Act as a creative technologist, who loves solving ambiguous problems and figuring things out.

• Have strong experience in prototyping tools, modern frameworks, APIs, and rapid build approaches.

• Understand the trade-offs between speed and scalability—and know when to optimize for each.

• Bring a “what if we…” mindset to technical problem solving.

• Are collaborative, curious, and comfortable challenging assumptions in a respectful, open way.

• Have worked in environments where experimentation and user insight drive product decisions.

Working with us

Whether you’re passionate about customer service, driven by software engineering, or called by creativity, a career with CommBank is for you.

Here, you’ll thrive. You’ll be supported when faced with challenges and empowered to tackle new opportunities

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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