Principal Cloud Data Engineer
Summary
Fixed-term (to June 2027) principal-level role in Wellington leading strategy, architecture, and delivery of enterprise data platform services on Azure — designing secure cloud-native batch/streaming pipelines with Azure Databricks, Python, Delta Lake, and Spark, and setting IaC/DevOps and data governance standards while advising senior leadership and mentoring engineers.
- Principal/Enterprise Level focused on technical governance, platform strategy & technical advisory
- Azure Databricks, Python, Delta Lake, Spark, and Azure Data Services IaC/DevOps
- Principal/Enterprise Level focused on technical governance, platform strategy & technical advisory
- Azure Databricks, Python, Delta Lake, Spark, and Azure Data Services IaC/DevOps
- Wellington based, Fixed Term till June 2027 (potential extension/multi-year program)
About The Role
Reporting to the Head of ICT Architecture, the Principal Cloud Data Engineer is a key technical leadership position responsible for guiding the strategy, design, and execution of enterprise data platform services. In this role, you will lead complex initiatives spanning platform and data product teams, driving the adoption of cloud-native architectures that are secure, scalable, and fit-for-purpose. You will serve as a trusted technical advisor to senior platform owners and principal architects, ensuring that data solutions align with overall business vision and long-term capability roadmaps.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic and tactical technical leadership across enterprise data platform and product teams.
- Design, build, and optimise scalable, secure cloud-native data pipelines (batch and streaming).
- Lead the technical development of reusable, fit-for-purpose data products on Azure Databricks.
- Establish, document, and evolve engineering standards, data governance, and DevOps best practices.
- Provide expert architectural advice, risk assessments, and technical strategy to senior ICT leadership.
- Mentor, coach, and uplift the capabilities of engineers and analysts across squads.
Skills & Experience
- 5+ years senior-level experience in cloud data engineering, data architecture, or platform delivery.
- Hands-on expertise with Azure Databricks, Python, Delta Lake, Spark, and Azure Data Services.
- Strong experience designing cloud pipelines and implementing IaC/DevOps (Terraform, Bicep, Azure DevOps).
- Deep understanding of data modeling, metadata management, and governance tools like Unity Catalog.
- Proven dedication to public sector standards, strict data governance, and national security frameworks
- Please note, we can only consider applicants that are legally entitled to work in New Zealand at the time of application.
At Randstad, we are passionate about providing equal employment opportunities and embracing diversity to the benefit of all. We actively encourage applications from any background.
Experience
5 years
Skills
Experienced Data Platform Architect (Databricks)
Qualifications
- Bachelor Degree
education
Bachelor Degree&ICT