Specialist recruitment for data centres, major projects and AI teams.
Sonitec recruits the engineers who build data centres and major projects, and specialist AI, ML, data, cloud and security talent, across Australia and APAC. Tell us about the role and we come back with a search plan.
Two specialist desks
Infrastructure Talent
For data centres and major projects: the engineers and project leaders who build, commission and run them.
- Commissioning & Facilities Engineers
- Electrical & HV Engineers
- Project Directors, Construction & Project Managers
- Commercial, Estimating & Project Controls
AI Talent
For teams taking AI into production: the engineers who build, ship, run and secure it.
- Forward Deployed & Applied AI Engineers
- AI / LLM & Machine Learning Engineers
- MLOps, Data & Cloud Platform Engineers
- AI Security & AI Leadership
Infrastructure desk — roles we recruit
Data Centres
Operators and their contractors need people who can build, commission, power and run live critical environments as new capacity comes online.
Roles we recruit
- Commissioning (Cx) Engineers & Managers
- Facilities Engineers, Managers & Technicians
- Electrical & HV Engineers
Major Projects
Deadline-driven venue, transport and precinct programmes, including the South East Queensland build-out ahead of 2032.
Roles we recruit
- Project Directors, Construction, Project & Site Managers
- Project, Structural, Civil & Building Services Engineers
- Planners, Estimators & Commercial Managers
Forward Deployed Engineers
The fastest-growing job family in applied AI — popularised by Palantir, now hired by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Salesforce, and Databricks. An FDE embeds with your business, decides where AI belongs, and builds it so it actually works. Sonitec is building ANZ's first dedicated FDE talent pool.
1. Understand the Business Reality
FDEs sit with the people doing the work — often on site — and map the real workflows, not the documented ones, including the exceptions living in people's heads.
2. Apply Deployment Judgment
They decide where intelligence belongs and where it doesn't: which steps need an LLM, which stay deterministic software, and where a human must remain in the loop.
3. Build, Evaluate, Deploy
They ship production-grade agents with eval suites, guardrails, and audit trails — integrated into your existing ERP and CRM systems, not replacing them.
Beyond FDE — Six Specialist Domains Across the AI Lifecycle
A Forward Deployed Engineer is rarely hired alone. We staff the entire AI lifecycle around them — from the data layer through to production, security, and leadership.
Data Foundation
Data Engineers, Data Architects, and Analytics Engineers who build the pipelines, platforms, and models that make AI possible. Spark, Kafka, Airflow, Snowflake, dbt, Databricks.
Model Development
ML Engineers, Data Scientists, Research Scientists, and Algorithm Engineers who design, train, and optimise the models. PyTorch, TensorFlow, NLP, computer vision, recommender systems.
Embedded & Edge AI
Embedded AI Engineers, Computer Vision Engineers, and Robotics Engineers who deploy intelligence on-device. TinyML, ONNX, real-time inference, autonomous systems.
MLOps & AI Infrastructure
MLOps Engineers, ML Platform Engineers, and Cloud Engineers who ship models to production and keep them running. Kubeflow, SageMaker, Vertex AI, Kubernetes, Terraform.
AI Security & Cyber
AI Security Engineers, Cyber Security Engineers, and Governance Specialists who protect AI systems and the data behind them. Adversarial robustness, AppSec, cloud security, compliance.
AI Leadership
Heads of AI, VPs of Engineering, CTOs, and AI Product Managers who set strategy and build high-performing teams. Executive search across Australia and APAC.
From Role Brief to Placement
Map Your AI Stack
We assess your AI maturity, tech stack, and team gaps across the full lifecycle — data, models, ops, and security.
Source Specialists
We activate our AI-specialist network and use deep technical screening to surface candidates who can deliver, not just interview well.
Validate & Match
Every candidate is assessed on technical depth, production experience, and team fit — tailored to your specific AI stack and stage.
Place & Scale
We don't just fill one seat. We help you build and scale entire AI functions — from your first ML hire to a fully built-out team.
Trusted by Leading Organisations
We've worked with Sonitec on different senior & mid level searches. Each time, they were successful in assisting us to explore the market and secure the right person. The team were knowledgeable and did a thoughtful job gathering information about the role before beginning the search.
We had a need to fill multiple positions in a fast-paced tech department. The service, prompt attention, consistent follow up and quality of candidates speaks well of their recruiting, screening process and tech expertise.
Sonitec is capable in identifying qualified individuals across APAC for our staffing needs. The recruiters are dedicated to providing a high degree of professionalism and understand Technology Consulting requirements well.
How we engage
Whether you are hiring your first ML engineer or a project director for a new build, there is a model that fits.
20+ Specialist Roles Across the AI Lifecycle
Data & Model Development
- Data Engineers
- Data Architects
- Analytics Engineers
- AI / ML Engineers
- Data Scientists
- Research / Applied Scientists
- Algorithm Engineers
Ops, Embedded & Security
- Forward Deployed Engineers (FDE)
- MLOps Engineers
- ML Platform Engineers
- Cloud & DevOps Engineers
- Embedded AI Engineers
- Computer Vision Engineers
- AI Security Engineers
- Cyber Security Engineers
AI Leadership & Executive
- Head of AI / VP of AI
- CTO / CIO / CDO / CISO
- Engineering Managers (ML/Data)
- AI Product Managers
- AI Governance Specialists
- Technical Program Managers
2026 Infrastructure & AI Salary Benchmarks
AUD base salary, excluding superannuation, 2026. Data centre and major project bands first, then the AI and technology table. All compiled from published Australian salary guides and cross-checked against live job ads.
Infrastructure Talent: data centres and major projects
AUD base salary, excluding superannuation, for permanent roles in 2026. Bands are compiled from the Randstad Engineering & Construction Salary Report 2026, the Hays Salary Guide FY26/27 and the Robert Walters Salary Guide 2026, then cross-checked against live job ads. Package figures (car, site uplifts, bonus) sit above these bands.
Data centre and critical power bands (New South Wales)
Commissioning, electrical and HV, project delivery and facilities roles for hyperscale and colocation builds and live critical environments. Sydney market, 2026.
| Role | Mid | Senior | Principal / Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioning EngineerPrincipal column is the Commissioning Manager band. | $120k–140k | $150k–190k | $200k–260k |
| Substation / HV Engineer | $120k–165k | $150k–200k | $190k–250k |
| Power Systems / Grid Connection Engineer | $120k–170k | $160k–210k | $200k–275k |
| Project Engineer (data centre and energy) | $130k–160k | $160k–210k | $200k–250k |
| Project Manager (data centre and energy) | $150k–190k | $180k–240k | $240k–300k |
| Site / Construction Manager (energy and critical power) | $150k–180k | $180k–250k | $250k–300k |
| Facilities / Critical Facilities ManagerSenior client-side critical facilities roles are advertised above the published bands; we benchmark them per search. | $100k–140k | $130k–165k | — |
Contract commissioning and HV roles on live data centre and transmission projects are advertised as day or hourly rates well above these permanent bands.
Construction and project delivery bands (New South Wales and Queensland)
Project leadership, construction and project management, project engineering, project controls and commercial roles on major venue, transport and precinct projects. Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors, 2026.
| Role | New South Wales | Queensland |
|---|---|---|
| Project Director | $250k–400k | $250k–430k |
| Construction Manager | $220k–350k | $250k–400k |
| Senior Project Manager | $200k–300k | $200k–330k |
| Project Manager | $160k–270k | $180k–280k |
| Engineering Manager (civil) | $200k–320k | $215k–350k |
| Senior Project Engineer | $180k–250k | $160k–250k |
| Project Engineer | $130k–200k | $130k–200k |
| Building Services Manager | $140k–250k | $150k–300k |
| Estimating Manager / Lead Estimator | $200k–350k | $200k–285k |
| Senior Estimator | $160k–250k | $170k–300k |
| Senior Planner / Planning Manager | $180k–250k | $180k–240k |
| Planner / Scheduler | $120k–200k | $120k–200k |
| Commercial Manager | $180k–300k | $200k–350k |
| Senior Contracts Administrator | $140k–220k | $150k–250k |
The published Queensland bands for Tier 1 construction managers and senior estimators sit at or above New South Wales. Victoria is benchmarked per search.
Sources: Randstad Engineering & Construction Salary Report 2026; Hays Salary Guide FY26/27; Robert Walters Salary Guide 2026. Cross-checked against live job ads on 1 October 2026. Roles without a published 2026 band are benchmarked per search.
AI Talent: AI and technology roles
Sydney market rates, 2026, compiled from published Australian salary guides and public market data.
| Role | Senior | Lead / Principal |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) | $180k–240k | $230k–280k |
| AI / ML Engineer | $180k–220k | $200k–250k |
| Data Engineer | $160k–190k | $190k–250k |
| Data Scientist | $110k–190k (avg $150k) | — |
| Software Engineer | $160k–190k | $190k–220k |
| Cyber Security Engineer | $170k–200k | $200k–230k |
| Cloud / Platform Engineer | $170k–210k | $190k–230k |
Roles without a published 2026 band are benchmarked per search — see the full FDE benchmarks or the salary guide.
Latest from Sonitec
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October 2026
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Meet the Founder
Tuncay Goenuel
Tuncay Goenuel brings executive and consulting experience from Accenture, A.T. Kearney and NBNCo. He founded Sonitec in 2012 as a specialist technology recruiter. His consulting background means Sonitec maps your AI maturity, identifies gaps across the full stack, and delivers the engineers, scientists, and leaders who build production AI systems that actually work.
What We Stand For
Precision and pace — without overclaiming
Our infrastructure desk works to the same bar as our AI recruitment: clear technical screening, safety-aware briefings and direct communication. We don't claim placements we haven't made.
Fast
We move with urgency because our clients can't wait. Tight shortlists, fast turnarounds, no dead air between updates.
Honest
We tell you how it is. If KPIs or expectations need adjusting, we'll tell you — so you always know where you stand.
Common questions about working with Sonitec
What does Sonitec recruit?
Two specialist desks across Australia and APAC. The Infrastructure Talent desk recruits permanent engineering and project delivery hires for data centres (commissioning, critical facilities, electrical and HV) and major venue, transport and precinct projects (construction and project management, project engineering, project controls and commercial). The AI Talent desk recruits Forward Deployed Engineers, AI/LLM and machine learning engineers, MLOps, data and cloud platform engineers, AI security and AI leadership.
How does a search start, and how long does a shortlist take?
Tell us about the role through Submit a Role and we come back with a search plan.
Which engagement models does Sonitec offer?
Retained Search for senior and hard-to-fill roles, Executive Search for leadership hires (a separate assignment type), contingent recruitment with no upfront fee, and contract and interim placements, which are currently New South Wales only.
Where is Sonitec based, and where does it recruit?
The office is 39 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000. Sonitec recruits across Australia and APAC, not Sydney only, and has done so since it was founded in 2012.
Does Sonitec supply labour hire or trades workers?
No. Sonitec recruits permanent professional engineering, project delivery and AI roles. It does not supply labour hire or trades workers, and it does not provide migration advice or visa services.
Are live jobs listed on the website?
No. The jobs page is a holding page. Candidates submit a CV, and the Sonitec recruitment team gets in touch when a relevant role comes up across Australia and APAC.