Senior data Engineer

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At Whānau Āwhina Plunket we are looking for an experienced Senior Data Engineer to join our Data and Insights team.
Te Whiwhingamahi | The opportunity
In this senior technical role, you will take ownership of maintaining, improving and extending our data warehouses, reporting artefacts, dashboards and data products. Working within our Azure Databricks, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 and Power BI Service environment, you will help ensure our data is reliable, well governed and ready to support trusted reporting and decision-making across the organisation.
You will provide hands-on engineering capability alongside technical leadership, setting strong standards for pipeline development, testing, documentation, deployment and operational support. You will also work closely with colleagues across Data and Insights, Digital, ICT Operations and the wider organisation to turn complex business and reporting needs into practical, sustainable data solutions.
This is a full-time permanent position, however we are willing to consider part time hours. This role must be based in New Zealand but can be done from anywhere around the country.
Your Work Will Include
Building and maintaining data pipelines across raw, structured, curated and semantic layers using Azure Databricks, Delta Lake, PySpark and Spark SQL
Designing medallion architecture patterns, dimensional models and semantic datasets for AI use cases, analytics and Power BI reporting
Developing, maintaining and improving ETL processes, tools and code
Monitoring pipeline performance, resolving data issues and validating outputs against agreed business rules
Implementing data quality, reconciliation, testing, lineage and access-control practices
Building reports and dashboards and automating repeatable data requests and processes
Contributing to CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code practices across Databricks and Azure
Providing technical guidance, coaching, peer review and quality assurance across the team
He kōrero mōu | About you
You are an experienced data engineering professional who can combine strong technical capability with sound judgement, curiosity and a collaborative approach.
You are comfortable taking ownership of complex data pipelines and working through legacy logic, reporting requirements and dataquality issues. You can explain technical concepts clearly, build trusted relationships with stakeholders and respectfully challenge thinking when needed to achieve the right outcome.
Ideally, You Will Bring
At least five years’ experience as a Data Engineer, Data Warehouse Developer, Database Developer or in a similar role, including experience at a senior or specialist level
A relevant qualification in computer science, mathematics, statistics or another related discipline
Strong practical experience with Azure Databricks, Delta Lake and Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
Advanced SQL skills and production experience using PySpark and Spark SQL
Experience designing and building medallion architecture layers for business intelligence and analytics
Strong knowledge of data warehousing and modelling approaches, including dimensional or Kimball modelling, star schemas and semantic-layer design
Experience developing and supporting ETL processes, data warehouses, data products, reports and dashboards
Experience with data-quality testing, reconciliation, schema evolution, MERGE or upsert patterns, optimisation and partitioning
An understanding of Power BI Service and how curated datasets and semantic models support downstream reporting
Familiarity with Azure Data Factory, Databricks Workflows and Repos, Azure DevOps CI/CD, Databricks Asset Bundles and Terraform or similar technologies
Experience working with health, social-care or client information would be an advantage, as would proficiency in Python, R, JavaScript or Bash.
Ngāhua mahi o Te Whānau Āwhina | What we offer
Whānau Āwhina Plunket is the largest service in Aotearoa supporting the health and wellbeing of tamariki under five and their whānau. The data products you develop will support people across our organisation to better understand our services, organisational performance and the needs of the communities we serve.
You will join a collaborative Data and Insights team where you can influence technical direction, improve engineering practices and contribute to meaningful work with a genuine social impact.
We are committed to supporting your wellbeing and ongoing learning and development, we offer Two Well health Days to proactively look after your wellbeing along with EAP and access to Fitness Passport.
Me pēhea te tukutono | How to apply
If you are looking for a senior data engineering opportunity where your technical expertise can contribute to healthier tamariki, confident whānau and connected communities, we would love to hear from you.
Applications must be made online and close 23rd October 2026. For specific questions about the mahi, contact hr@plunket.org.nz.
Please note, we will process applications as they are received. If we find a successful candidate, we reserve the right to close the advert early.
Position description Apply now
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Work arrangement
Yes