Senior Data Platforms Engineer

Simple Machines 3; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Simple Machines is seeking a hands-on Senior Data Platforms Engineer to design and build greenfield data platforms and real-time pipelines for clients. You’ll work in small, high-calibre teams, close to the problem and client, delivering robust data products and scalable access.

You’ll design modern architectures (data mesh, data contracts), deploy cloud-native platforms on AWS/GCP, and own storage, performance, and governance with a delivery and consulting mindset.

Qualifications

• Advanced Python and SQL engineering skills.
• Deep experience with Spark and modern data platforms (Databricks / Snowflake).
• Solid grasp of cloud data services (AWS or GCP).
• Built and operated large-scale data pipelines in production.
• Strong data modelling capability and architectural judgement.
• Comfortable with multiple storage technologies and formats.
• Infrastructure-as-code experience (Terraform, Pulumi).
• CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions and ArgoCD.
• Data testing and quality frameworks (dbt, Great Expectations, Soda).
• Delivery mindset with consulting experience and agile teams.

Responsibilities

• Build Modern Data Platforms using cloud-native tech and modern architectures.
• Develop high-performance batch and real-time pipelines with streaming tech.
• Work at scale transforming large datasets into production-grade systems.
• Own data storage and performance across relational and NoSQL stores.
• Implement security by design and governance without hampering velocity.
• Consult with clients, translate business needs into pragmatic engineering decisions.

Skills

Python

SQL

Spark

Databricks

Snowflake

AWS

GCP

Terraform

Pulumi

GitHub Actions

ArgoCD

dbt

Great Expectations

Soda

Spark

Kafka

Flink

Kinesis

Pub/Sub

Airflow

Dataflow

Glue

Postgres

BigQuery

Snowflake

Cassandra

MongoDB

Scala

Java

Go

Rust

Neo4j

Cassandra

Tools

Terraform

Pulumi

GitHub Actions

ArgoCD

Job description

Senior Data Platforms Engineer - Enterprise Data Platforms

Who We Are

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 of Data Engineering, Software Engineering and AI.

We work with enterprises, scale-ups, and government to turn messy, high-value data into products, platforms, and decisions that actually move the needle.

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

Requirements

The Role

This is a hands-on senior engineering role, not an architecture-only seat and not a support function.

You’ll design and build greenfield data platforms, real-time pipelines, and data products for clients who are serious about using data properly. You’ll work in small, high-calibre teams and operate close to both the problem and the client.

If you enjoy solving hard data problems, shaping modern architectures (data mesh, data products, contracts), and delivering real outcomes — this is your lane.

What You’ll Be Doing

Build Modern Data Platforms

• Design and deliver cloud-native data platforms using Databricks, Snowflake, AWS, and GCP
• Apply modern architectural patterns: data mesh, data products, and data contracts
• Integrate deeply with client systems to enable scalable, consumer-oriented data access

Develop High-Performance Pipelines

• Build and optimise batch and real-time pipelines
• Work with streaming and event-driven tech such as Kafka, Flink, Kinesis, Pub/Sub
• Orchestrate workflows using Airflow, Dataflow, Glue

Work at Scale

• Process and transform large datasets using Spark and Flink
• Design systems that perform in production - not just on paper

Own Data Storage & Performance

• Work across relational, NoSQL, and analytical stores (Postgres, BigQuery, Snowflake, Cassandra, MongoDB)
• Optimise storage formats and access patterns (Parquet, Delta, ORC, Avro)

Cloud, Security & Governance

• Implement secure, compliant data solutions with security by design
• Embed governance without killing developer velocity

Consult and Influence

• Work directly with clients to understand problems and shape solutions
• Translate business needs into pragmatic engineering decisions
• Act as a trusted technical advisor, not just an order taker

What We’re Looking For

Core Engineering Strength

• Advanced Python and SQL engineering skills
• Deep experience with Spark and modern data platforms (Databricks / Snowflake)
• Solid grasp of cloud data services (AWS or GCP)

Data Platform Experience

• Built and operated large-scale data pipelines in production
• Strong data modelling capability and architectural judgement
• Comfortable with multiple storage technologies and formats

Engineering Discipline

• Infrastructure-as-code experience (Terraform, Pulumi)
• CI/CD pipelines using tools like GitHub Actions, ArgoCD
• Data testing and quality frameworks (dbt, Great Expectations, Soda)

Nice to Have

• JVM or systems languages (Scala, Java, Go, Rust)
• Graph or specialised stores (Neo4j, Cassandra)

Delivery & Consulting Mindset

• Experience in consulting or professional services environments
• Comfortable working in agile teams
• Able to engage stakeholders and drive outcomes, not just ship code

Benefits

Why Simple Machines

• You’ll work on interesting, high-impact problems
• You’ll build modern platforms, not maintain legacy mess
• You’ll be surrounded by senior engineers who actually know their craft
• You’ll have autonomy, influence, and room to grow

If you’re a senior data engineer who wants to build properly, think clearly, and deliver real outcomes - we should talk.