Principal Advisor AI Strategy & Innovation

Principle Advisor AI Strategy & Innovation - NSW GovAI

• 11+ months Temporary opportunity with potential to extend
• Clerk Grade: 11/12, Salary range : $154,231 - $178,369 base plus super and annual leave loading
  
• The Department of Customer Service offers flexible work arrangements
  

About you

• Enjoy complex problem solving
  
• Outcome driven and customer focused
  
• Passionate about technology and strong architecture knowledge in at least one domain
  
• Most productive in an open agile collaborative team environment

About the Role

• As the Principal Advisor AI Strategy & Innovation in the NSW Government AI Office, you will lead the translation of global and national AI strategies, policies, and investments into actionable guidance tailored to the needs of NSW Government. Your work will ensure NSW remains a leader in responsible, scaled AI adoption—aligned to risk, context, and public value.
  
• You will monitor and interpret emerging AI standards, regulatory shifts, and innovation trends, and relate them directly to the challenges NSW agencies face in adopting and scaling AI. You will convert complex, system-level insights into practical strategies, guidelines, and investment directions that support agency-level implementation and cross-sector coordination.

To succeed, you will combine strategic analysis with a deep understanding of public sector operations, workforce readiness, and the broader AI ecosystem. You’ll work closely with strategic partners, delivery teams, and policy leads to support capability building, workforce planning, and seamless integration of AI into government operations.

Your Main Responsibilities Will Include:

• Strategy Translation and Foresight: Lead the analysis of emerging AI strategies, standards, and investments across jurisdictions, and translate them into practical NSW Government policies and frameworks.
  
• AI Ecosystem and Policy Alignment: Manage relationships across academia, industry, and government to align NSW approaches with leading practices and position NSW as a national leader in responsible AI.
  
• Scalable and Risk-Based Adoption: Support development of tools, standards, and policies that enable scalable AI use across agencies, matched to use-case risk and operational maturity.
  
• Cross-Government Action and Advice: Translate complex global AI activity into clear actions to solve NSW-specific problems, inform public policy, and enable agency-level adoption.
  
• Workforce and Capability Planning: Proactively shape workforce retraining, reskilling, and AI capability access through strategic partnerships and talent pathways.
  
• End-to-End Delivery Support: Provide strategic guidance across the AI value chain—from early insights to policy settings and delivery execution—ensuring government teams are equipped to deploy AI safely and effectively.
  
• Leadership and Influence: Act as a senior advisor across whole-of-government discussions on AI practice, risk, and investment, helping shape the state’s forward-looking AI posture.
  
• This role sits at the intersection of strategy, policy, and practice—shaping the direction of AI adoption in NSW while ensuring tangible progress in how government safely and effectively uses AI to serve the public.

Who we are

The NSW Government AI Office leads and coordinates the safe, responsible, and effective use of AI across government. It supports agencies to confidently adopt AI by providing guardrails, strategic advice, and capability support.

The team:

• Defines safe AI use boundaries through clear policies, standards, and compliance expectations.
  
• Identifies and publishes high-risk AI use cases and runs simulations to uncover hidden risks.
  
• Supports agencies to trial AI through labs and expert access, enabling practical adoption.
  
• Provides strategic advice on AI capabilities and transition planning to AI-enabled operations.
• Drives consistent, responsible adoption of AI technologies to improve service delivery while ensuring fairness, transparency, and safety for the people of NSW

Benefits of working for DCS

Accrued flexible leave
Hybrid working options- flexibility to work from home and office
Potential to work anywhere in NSW
Generous leave entitlements including up to 14 weeks parental leave
Access to health and well-being programs including Fitness Passport
Competitive pay and conditions

Applying is easy! Launch your career to the next level by submitting your resume and a cover letter (cover letter maximum 1 page) outlining how you meet the skills and experience of this role. We will then get back in touch after the closing date with the next steps.
Working at Department of Customer Service
The Department of Customer Service (DCS) is a great place to work! Our values of accountability, trust, service, and integrity drive our initiatives and culture. We support innovative programs in areas as broad as digital government, consumer protection and major public works. We are an inclusive organisation that celebrates diversity and flexible work practices and believe our people are our greatest asset.

Salary Grade 11/12, with the base salary for this role starting at base plus superannuation

Click Here to access the Role Description . For enquiries relating to recruitment please contact Sujatha Sankarankutty via Sujatha.Sankarankutty@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.

Visit the Capability Application Tool to prepare for the recruitment process by accessing practice application and interview questions based on the focus capabilities listed in the role description.

Click here to view our approach on the use of AI in recruitment.

A talent pool may be created as part of this recruitment process and will be valid for up to 18 months. The talent pool may be used to fill future ongoing or temporary vacancies of the same or similar role.

Closing Date: Tuesday 3rd Nov 2026 at 11:59am

Careers at Department of Customer Service
A career at the Department of Customer Service (DCS) gives you the opportunity to help improve government services and be part of reform that benefits people across NSW. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service, digital transformation, and regulatory reform. Come join us and influence the future of our great state.

Belong in our diverse and inclusive workplace
The strength of our workforce lies in its diversity and embracing difference, while the key to our success is leveraging the contributions of employees with different backgrounds and perspectives.

You can view our full diversity and inclusion statement here.

We provide adjustments to the recruitment process for candidates, including individuals with disability. If you require an adjustment during the recruitment process, including alternate formats or have questions about the support available, please contact Talent Operations on 02 8276 8130 or csrecruitment@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.

For more information, please visit

Information on some of the different types of disabilities

Information on adjustments available for the recruitment process