Director, Data Platforms & AI-Enablement

Simple Machines 3; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Simple Machines is a global technology consultancy with a Sydney footprint, seeking an senior data platform leader. You will shape data platform propositions, guide architectural direction, and engage with enterprise clients on AI-native strategies and real-time operating models.

You will work with cross-functional leadership, contribute to practice growth, and mentor teams while driving major data engineering and platform modernization initiatives across ANZ.

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience across hands-on data engineering, data platforms, analytics engineering, or data architecture.
• Consultancy and enterprise client-facing experience.
• Strong pre-sales, proposal development, and solution shaping capability.
• Experience architecting and delivering modern cloud-native data platforms at enterprise scale.
• Experience developing data products and reusable enterprise data capabilities.
• Deep understanding of data mesh, federated governance, and scalable domain-oriented data ownership.
• Experience designing platforms for AI-native use cases, ML systems, and intelligent software.
• Knowledge of real-time and event-driven architectures, streaming data, and low-latency patterns.
• Experience building platforms for governed, reusable data products at scale.
• Familiarity with modern data stack technologies and engineering practices.
• Strong platform architecture, distributed data systems, governance, and scalable data products.

Responsibilities

• Part of the Global Data Practice leadership team.
• Help define and evolve Simple Machines' data platform propositions, technical direction, and strategic positioning.
• Advise enterprise clients on data platform strategy, architecture, operating models, and AI-native readiness.
• Support organisations evolving to AI-native, real-time data operating models.
• Collaborate with Engagement Managers and senior leadership on strategic initiatives.
• Lead architecture and technical direction for complex enterprise data platforms and transformations.
• Act as senior technical counterpart across client engagements and partner relationships.
• Pre-sales, proposal development, technical solution shaping, and executive stakeholder engagement.
• Build trusted relationships with strategic technology partners and stay current with market direction.
• Support recruitment, mentoring, capability uplift, and practice development.
• Lead major client initiatives across data engineering, platform modernisation, AI enablement, and operational data systems.
• Contribute to thought leadership, market positioning, and growth in ANZ.

Skills

Data engineering

Data platforms

Analytics engineering

Data architecture

Tools

GCP

AWS

Azure

Databricks

Snowflake

Kafka

Spark

dbt

Kubernetes

Airflow

Job description

Simple Machines is a global technology consultancy with a Sydney footprint, seeking an senior data platform leader. You will shape data platform propositions, guide architectural direction, and engage with enterprise clients on AI-native strategies and real-time operating models.

You will work with cross-functional leadership, contribute to practice growth, and mentor teams while driving major data engineering and platform modernization initiatives across ANZ.