Director Technology - Data Platforms

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

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• Part of the Global Data Practice leadership team
• Helping define and evolve Simple Machines' data platform propositions, technical direction, and strategic positioning
• Advising enterprise clients on modern data platform strategy, architecture, operating models, and AI-native readiness
• Supporting organisations as they evolve from traditional centralised data platforms toward AI-native, real-time, and data product-oriented operating models
• Working closely with Engagement Managers and senior leadership across major strategic initiatives
• Leading architecture and technical direction for complex enterprise data platform and transformation programs
• Acting as a senior technical counterpart across strategic client engagements and partner relationships
• Pre-sales, proposal development, technical solution shaping, and executive stakeholder engagement
• Building trusted relationships with strategic technology partners and staying current with emerging platform capabilities and market direction
• Supporting recruitment, mentoring, capability uplift, and practice development across the broader engineering organisation
• Leading major client initiatives across data engineering, platform modernisation, AI enablement, and operational data systems
• Contributing to thought leadership, market positioning, and growth initiatives across ANZ.

Must-Haves

• 10+ years' experience across hands-on data engineering, data platforms, analytics engineering, or data architecture
• Proven consultancy and enterprise client-facing experience
• Strong pre-sales, proposal development, and solution shaping capability
• Demonstrated experience architecting and delivering modern cloud-native data platforms at enterprise scale
• Strong experience developing solutions centred around data products and reusable enterprise data capabilities
• Deep understanding of data mesh principles, federated governance, and scalable domain-oriented data ownership models
• Experience designing platforms and architectures to support AI-native use cases, machine learning systems, agentic workflows, and intelligent software platforms
• Strong understanding of real-time and event-driven architectures, including streaming data systems and low-latency processing patterns
• Experience building platforms that support governed, discoverable, reusable, and operationalised data products across large organisations
• Familiarity with contemporary data stack technologies and modern engineering practices
• Strong understanding of platform architecture, distributed data systems, orchestration, governance, and scalable data product design
• Experience with technologies and ecosystems such as GCP, AWS, Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, Kafka, Spark, dbt, Kubernetes, Airflow, ML/AI enablement, or similar modern platform tooling
• Strong commercial acumen and ability to engage credibly with senior technical and business stakeholders
• Experience leading major enterprise initiatives and high-performing engineering teams
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-performance consultancy environment

Ideal Profile

We are looking for someone who combines strong technical depth with commercial and strategic capability. This is not purely a delivery management role, nor is it purely architectural. The ideal person will have a strong point of view on the future of enterprise data platforms, modern data operating models, and the convergence of data engineering and AI enablement.

You should be comfortable moving between executive conversations, whiteboarding architecture, shaping proposals, mentoring teams, and helping clients navigate complex transformation programs.

About Simple Machines

Simple Machines is a global, independent technology consultancy operating across Sydney, New Zealand, London, Poland and San Francisco. We design and build modern data platforms, intelligent systems, and bespoke software at the intersection ofData Engineering, Software EngineeringandAI.

We help enterprises, scale-ups, and government turn complex, high-value data into products, platforms, and decisions that drive real impact.

We don't do generic. We build things that matter -We engineer data to life.