Technology & AI Enabled Delivery Director

At Orchard, we believe creativity and technology should work hand-in-hand to invent better outcomes. We’re Australia’s leading health and wellness agency, blending modern marketing with science and powered by deep digital experience. Our work wins effectiveness awards and, more importantly, creates meaningful change for patients, HCPs, and the brands we partner with.

We’re a fun, hardworking team that leaves egos at the door. Past that door? A collaborative studio filled with inspiring people, big ideas, and yes, free crumpets.

The Technology & AI Enabled Delivery Director is Orchard's most senior technical leadership role accountable for the quality, direction, and capability of the entire development function across AU, PH, COL, and US.

This is a leadership role with real commercial weight. In conjunction with the COO, you'll set and drive the technical roadmap, lead three discipline teams (BED, FED, QA), and be the senior technical voice in client relationships from new business pitches through to complex solutioning and ongoing partnership.

Orchard is shifting toward AI-augmented delivery, headless architecture, and a more scalable build practice. The Tech Director will lead direction and delivery.

Responsibilities

Own and present Orchard's technical roadmap to the COO, SLT, and clients; Lead the agency's shift to headless architecture and AI-augmented delivery practices; Set technical standards that raise the floor across all delivery, not just flagship projects; Bring emerging technologies to the table before clients ask for them, staying ahead, not just current; Cultivate partnerships with technology vendors to service and drive new client opportunities; Lead technical input across the full client lifecycle pitch, solution design, delivery, and growth; Be the senior technical presence in new business conversations, help win work by articulating what's possible and how Orchard delivers it; Partner with Account and Strategy leads to shape solutions, drive proactive recommendations, not just responses; Build trusted relationships with senior clients, be the person they want in the room when it matters; Proactively identify opportunities to expand technical scope within existing clients; Lead, mentor, and grow the BED, FED, and QA teams across all locations; Set clear performance expectations, support Tech Leads to do the same within their teams; Drive capability uplift - identify gaps, close them, structured or informal; Shape how Orchard hires for technical talent — assessing for potential and adaptability, not just experience; Accountable for technical outcomes across all client and internal projects; Own QA standards - define what done looks like and ensure the team holds the line; Identify and resolve delivery risks early, get into the weeds when it matters; Drive continuous improvement in delivery quality, velocity, and predictability

Requirements

Proven leadership of multi-disciplinary development teams - BED, FED, and QA.; Deep technical background across modern web architectures, including headless/composable approaches (add PHP, Java/AEM, .NET specifically?); Expert in the translating customer requirements into Digital Experience and Martech platform architecture; Experienced in defining and delivering technical roadmaps in an agency or product environment; Confident client-facing - comfortable leading technical conversations in pitches, workshops, and senior stakeholder sessions; Able to translate complexity clearly for clients, exec team, and for your own team; Genuine working knowledge of AI-assisted development tools and how to apply them at a team level; Commercially aware – understanding impacts of technical decisions