Principal Data Engineer

Esri; City of Brisbane; On-site; AUD 170,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Esri Australia is seeking a Principal Data Engineer to shape and deliver our enterprise data capability. You’ll lead data platform strategy while remaining hands-on in design and delivery of scalable, secure data solutions that enable better decision-making across the business.

You will partner with business leaders and SMEs to translate priorities into practical data services, oversee governance, security and cost efficiency, and drive continuous improvement across the data estate.

Qualifications

• Proven experience designing, delivering and supporting enterprise data platforms in Snowflake or similar cloud environments (Fabric, Databricks).
• Strong SQL skills and Python (or similar) for data engineering and automation.
• Deep understanding of data warehousing, dimensional modelling, ETL/ELT and modern integration patterns.
• Translate business needs into scalable, maintainable data solutions.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead evolution of enterprise data architecture, platform strategy and roadmap.
• Design, build and maintain scalable data platforms, pipelines and enterprise data products.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand priorities and co-design data solutions.
• Evaluate technologies (Fabric, Snowflake, Azure) to improve performance and cost efficiency.
• Drive data governance, metadata, lineage and access practices.

Skills

SQL skills

Python scripting

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Analytical thinking

Autonomous work

Education

IT/CS/Data Eng degree or equivalent

Tools

Snowflake

Microsoft Fabric

Azure data services

Databricks

Job description

We deliver the best GIS solutions in the world, with the brightest minds on the map.

What are the issues that matter most to you? Climate change, national security, disaster response?

At Esri Australia you'll work with people at the forefront of these issues, connect them with the best tech and solutions and get an inside look into the real-world challenges that shape our future.

We turn problems into opportunities, and that takes two things:

The most powerful GIS technology and solutions.

Driven, talented, and passionately curious people.

Here we connect them, and that’s how we achieve incredible things for communities, economies, and for your career.

About the Role

As our Principal Data Engineer, you'll play a key role in shaping the future of Esri Australia's enterprise data capability. You will provide technical leadership for our enterprise data platform while remaining hands‑on in the design and delivery of modern data solutions. While this role is not customer‑facing, you'll work closely with employees, business leaders and subject matter experts across the organisation to understand their needs and deliver data solutions that support better decision‑making and business outcomes.

This is an opportunity to influence strategy, improve business outcomes, and build scalable, secure and reliable data services across the organisation.

Some major responsibilities:

• Lead the evolution of Esri Australia's enterprise data architecture, platform strategy and technology roadmap.
• Design, build and maintain scalable data platforms, pipelines, semantic models and enterprise data products.
• Partner with business stakeholders and subject matter experts to understand priorities and co‑design practical data solutions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, including Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake and Azure data services, to improve performance, scalability and value.
• Drive data quality, governance, metadata, lineage and access management practices across the organisation.
• Ensure security, privacy and compliance requirements are embedded into platform design and operations.
• Monitor platform performance, reliability and cost efficiency while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with technology, cybersecurity and business teams to support integrations, releases and operational excellence.
• Develop clear technical documentation, standards and knowledge resources that support long‑term sustainability and shared ownership.

About You

You're an experienced data engineering professional who enjoys balancing strategic thinking with hands‑on delivery. You can navigate complex business challenges, influence stakeholders and create practical solutions that deliver measurable value. You'll thrive in an environment where ownership, curiosity and continuous improvement are highly valued.

What we’re looking for:

• Proven experience designing, delivering and supporting enterprise data platforms in Snowflake or similar cloud‑based environments (Fabric, Databricks).
• Strong SQL skills and experience using Python or similar scripting languages for data engineering and automation.
• Deep understanding of enterprise data architecture, data warehousing, dimensional modelling, ETL/ELT frameworks and modern integration patterns.
• Ability to translate business needs into well‑designed, scalable and supportable data solutions.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to a range of audiences.
• Strong knowledge of data quality, governance, observability, metadata, lineage and secure data management practices.
• Experience working autonomously, managing competing priorities and delivering outcomes with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving capability with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Relevant qualifications in Information Technology, Computer Science, Data Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent industry experience.

A cleared police check is required prior commencement.

You must hold current permanent and full‑time working rights in Australia.

Attitude and behaviour align with Esri Australia's core values.

Discover how our values shape our impact, your journey begins with one click here: https://esriaustralia.com.au/about/careers/our-people