Senior AI Engineer

About the role | Mō te mahi

We are looking for a Senior AI Engineer to join NHC Toka Tū Ake on a 12-month fixed-term basis.

Reporting to the Principal AI Advisor, you will provide technical leadership and hands-on expertise to design, build and deliver secure, production-ready AI and machine learning solutions.

You will help turn organisational needs into practical solutions, establish technical standards, and strengthen the environments and practices needed to support AI throughout its lifecycle. Working alongside AI, data and digital specialists, you will also assess emerging technologies and translate complex or evolving requirements into reliable, maintainable solutions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Design, build, test and deploy secure, scalable and maintainable AI solutions.
• Set technical standards and reusable patterns, while guiding others in effective AI engineering practices.
• Strengthen AI development and production environments to support reliable deployment and ongoing operation.
• Research and test emerging AI technologies, assessing their viability, performance, cost and risk.
• Implement appropriate controls, monitoring and documentation to support secure and responsible AI delivery.
• Work across technical and business teams to turn complex requirements into practical solutions and communicate technical advice clearly.

Skills & Experience| Ngā pukenga me ngā wheako

To be successful in this role you will bring:

• A relevant tertiary qualification and at least seven years’ experience across software engineering, secure cloud delivery and data or AI solution development.
• Experience leading complex technical initiatives from concept through to production, including work where there is no established approach.
• Hands-on experience delivering generative AI, agent-based and machine learning solutions in production environments.
• Strong experience with Microsoft Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Copilot Studio, and retrieval-augmented generation patterns.
• Experience delivering secure AI workloads using DevOps practices, monitoring, lifecycle management and code-based deployment approaches.
• Strong software engineering, analytical and problem-solving skills, with sound judgement around AI, privacy, sensitive data and technical risk.
• The ability to set technical direction, communicate complex concepts clearly and guide others in secure, maintainable AI delivery.
• Experience with Microsoft Fabric, Power Platform, API integration and event-driven architectures would be beneficial. Relevant Azure certifications would also be an advantage.

What’s in it for you? | Nōu te rourou

• Competitive salary (including 3.5% superannuation)
• 5 weeks annual leave
• Commitment to your professional development
• Wellbeing fund | Access to inhouse Wellness Coach
• Hybrid working environment
• IT home bundle

Why NHC Toka Tū Ake is a great place to work

Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake is an Aotearoa (NZ) Crown entity that invests in natural hazard research and education as well as providing natural hazard insurance to residential property owners.

NHC Toka Tū Ake mission is to reduce the impact on people and property when a natural hazard occurs while administering the natural hazard fund.

Our values define who we are; they influence the way we work with each other and the way we engage with homeowners, stakeholders and with communities, every day.

• Connection – hononga
• Curiosity – māhirahira
• Confidence – māia

He aha te mea nui o te au – he tāngata he tāngata he tāngata

What is the most important thing in the world; it is people, it is people, it is people.

Our commitment is a diverse and inclusive workforce because we know our culture thrives when we get this right.

We make a difference for all New Zealanders and strive to increasingly reflect the diversity of communities we serve by including and valuing perspectives from all backgrounds including ethnicity, religion, gender, age, accessibility needs, sexual orientation, and national origin.

How to apply | Me pēhea te whakauru

For a more detailed understanding of the position or if you're ready to apply, please visit our Careers website by clicking Apply. If you have any questions about the role or require further information or assistance, please contact us at recruitment@naturalhazards.govt.nz

Applications close Friday 25 September 2026 at 5:00pm.

Note: While we acknowledge that AI can be helpful, we want your application to represent you. Please ensure your CV and cover letter reflect your own voice and experiences.

Applications sent via email will not be accepted. We encourage you to apply early as we will be reviewing applications as we receive them and reserve the right to close this advertisement early.