Principal Data Engineer

REA Group Ltd.; Richmond Shire; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid and flexible working

Flexible leave options (birthday leave

Purchase additional leave

Flexible parental leave

Volunteer & community program

Hackdays

Job summary

REA Group Ltd. seeks a Principal Data Engineer to lead architecture and technical excellence across Listings and Enrichment within the Experience Platform. You will guide data delivery with data scientists, analysts, and engineers using agile practices and shape the data strategy for scalable systems.

You will mentor engineers, collaborate on roadmap items, and drive best practices across ETL/ELT, data modelling, and governance while keeping hands-on involvement with the tech stack.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in data engineering or related fields.
• Proficiency in Python, Scala, Java, or Kotlin.
• Strong experience with cloud data warehouses (BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift).
• Hands-on experience with data orchestration tools (Airflow, Dagster, Prefect).
• Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Designing and optimising large-scale ETL/ELT workflows.
• Experience mentoring or coaching teams on technical projects.
• Strategic thinker with strong problem‑solving and stakeholder management skills.
• Collaborative leadership and commitment to continuous learning.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with data scientists, analysts, and platform engineers to ensure reliable data delivery.
• Drive best practices in data modelling, orchestration, governance, and automation.
• Define technology strategy for your area with Architects and Engineering Directors.
• Partner with Engineering Managers to ensure alignment with strategy.
• Contribute to data platform roadmap and emerging technologies.
• Design high-quality, user-centric cross-squad data solutions.
• Foster a connected internal tech community and share knowledge.

Skills

Python

Scala

Java

Kotlin

Communication

Mentoring/Leadership

Problem-solving

Stakeholder management

Tools

Airflow

dbt

Kafka

Flink

Spark Streaming

CI/CD

Job description

Make an impact as a technical leader across two collaborative, supportive squads! Work for a leading property brand impacting millions of users with huge volumes of data! Permanent full time role based in Richmond We're REA With bold and ambitious goals, REA Group is changing the way the world experiences property. No matter where you're at on your property journey, we're here to help with every step - whether that's finding or financing your next home. Our people are the key to our success. At the heart of everything we do, is a thriving culture centred around high performance and care. We are purpose driven and collaborative, which drives innovation and our ability to make a real impact. As such, we’re proud to have been named in Australia’s “Top 5” Best Workplaces two years in a row, as well as being recognised as a Best Workplace for Women.

Where the team fits in

The teams sit within the Listings and Enrichment teams, part of the broader Experience Platform group. We are creating new products and solutions that will impact how Australians experience property, today and into the future. Today, property.com.au is Australia’s 3rd largest property site and allows buyers and sellers to research 10 million+ properties, regardless of whether they’re currently advertised for sale. Navigating the property market is complex and can be overwhelming, there are many opportunities to improve the buying and selling journey for Australians. As a Principal Data Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in overseeing the solution architecture and design of our systems. In collaboration with other technical leaders across the business you will guide the implementation of the technology strategy for REA, applying it to the systems in your area. While the focus of this role is on architecture and technical excellence, you will remain hands on and work with teams to develop software solutions using agile software development practices. You will champion our technical practices to ensure a high-quality outcome for our business.

What the role is all about

• Collaborate with data scientists, analysts, and platform engineers to ensure reliable, high-quality data delivery.
• Drive best practices in data modelling, orchestration, governance, and automation.
• Active participation in the definition of a clear technology strategy for your area through collaboration with Architects, Directors of Engineering, and Engineering Managers.
• Partner with Engineering Managers to ensure that technical solutions are delivered in alignment with the strategy.
• Contribute to strategic planning for the data platform roadmap and emerging technologies.
• Design high-quality, user-centric, cross-squad solutions in collaboration with diverse stakeholders.
• Foster a vibrant and connected internal technology community through engagement and contributions to knowledge-sharing.
• Impactful external engagement and sharing of expertise to build recognition of REA as a technology though leader.
• Foster our next generation of technology leaders through coaching and mentoring experienced engineers across your area.

Who we’re looking for

• 7+ years of experience in data engineering or related fields.
• Proficiency in one or more of the following programming languages: Python, Scala, Java, or Kotlin.
• Strong experience with cloud data warehouses such as BigQuery, Snowflake, or Redshift.
• Hands‑on experience with data orchestration tools such as Airflow, Dagster, or Prefect.
• Solid understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Proven experience in designing and optimising large-scale ETL/ELT workflows.
• Deep understanding of data architecture, modelling, and performance optimisation.
• Experience in mentoring or coaching at any level, ideally with teams and leading cross-functional technical projects.
• Strategic thinker with strong problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Collaborative leadership style with a focus on mentorship.
• Passionate about building reliable and elegant data solutions.
• Commitment to continuous learning and staying ahead of emerging technologies.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with dbt for transformation and modular data modelling.
• Exposure to streaming data technologies such as Kafka, Flink, or Spark Streaming.
• Knowledge of data governance, metadata management, and observability practices.
• Familiarity with DevOps principles and CI/CD workflows for data systems.

The REA experience

The physical, mental, emotional and financial health of our people is something we’ll never stop caring about. This is a place to learn and grow.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We are committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe teams with diverse ideas and experiences are more creative, more effective and fuel disruptive thinking.

Some of our Perks & Benefits include:

• A hybrid and flexible approach to working
• Flexible leave options including, birthday leave and purchase additional leave
• Flexible parental leave offering for primary and secondary carers
• Our Because We Care program offers employees volunteering leave, community grants, matched payroll giving and our Community Café donates 100% of revenue to charity
• Hackdays so you can bring your big ideas to life

We are an Australian-based digital media company with a passion for real estate

We are an Australian-based digital media company with a passion for real estate. Our leading brand is Australia’s biggest property resource, realestate.com.au. We also operate the number one commercial property site, realcommercial.com.au, and have businesses that help property developers and other brands advertise with us. Whilst we live in Australia, we’ve also got ventures in Asia and North America, and have the vision of expanding our footprint further. Everything we do is driven by our purpose to ‘change the way the world experiences property’ – from product innovation to our international investments.