General Manager, Data Science

XeroMelbourneHybridFull-time24 Sept 2026

Xero is seeking a General Manager, Data Science to lead and scale its data science, analytics, ML, and AI capabilities across product areas. The role combines strategic product vision with platform thinking, requiring experience leading large teams and driving AI-native transformation in a fast-paced technology environment.

What you'll do

Translate company-level objectives into strategic sub-objectives across analytics, ML, AI products, and experimentation
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of data scientists, analytics engineers, ML engineers, and managers, scaling from ~12 to ~30
Design team structures and operating models that preserve high throughput across multiple locations and time zones
Operate as an AI-native leader, driving how AI changes how data science operates and ships value
Act as the primary data partner to Product & Technology, advising C-suite and SLT on data utilization, retention strategy, new data domains, and AI investment decisions
Represent data science in executive forums and partner with Product, Engineering, Design, Marketing, Commercial, Legal, Privacy and Risk on strategy, prioritisation and governance
Own AI governance, model risk, data quality, privacy posture, and experimentation integrity across the portfolio
Drive behavioral, technical, and cultural standards across the vertical; own and improve global hiring practices, build talent maps, and coach senior leaders
Proactively identify delivery and strategic risks, designing robust organizational processes

What you need

Must-have

Data ScienceMachine LearningAIAnalyticsAI GovernanceModel RiskExperimentationData Quality

Soft skills

LeadershipMentoringCoachingCommunicationStrategic ThinkingProblem SolvingAdaptabilityAccountability

Data ScienceAIMachine LearningLeadershipSaaSHybridMelbourneSydneyExecutiveProduct

/What you'll do

/What you need

Must-have

Soft skills

What you'll do

What you need