Aircraft Performance Engineer

Air New Zealand; Māngere-Ōtāhuhu; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff travel benefits

FlexiLeave

Learning opportunities

Employee discounts

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Air New Zealand is seeking a Performance Engineer to join the Continuing Airworthiness Engineering team in Auckland. You will use data to solve complex engineering challenges, uncover opportunities for improvement, and help shape decisions that enhance aircraft reliability, operational performance and maintenance efficiency.

You will collaborate with engineering, maintenance and operational leaders to translate analysis into measurable outcomes, harness AI and Python for automation, and design

Qualifications

• Experience in aircraft reliability/maintenance engineering or aviation analytics.
• Strong analytical skills with data-driven issue investigation.
• Proficient in Python and SQL for automation and modeling.
• Experience creating reports and dashboards for informed decisions.
• Degree in Engineering, Aviation, Data Analytics or related field; predictive analytics valued.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Analyse aircraft reliability and operational data to identify trends and opportunities to improve fleet performance.
• Lead reliability investigations and root cause analyses, delivering practical solutions to improve availability and maintenance effectiveness.
• Use AI, Python and analytical tools to automate analysis and build predictive models.
• Design reports, dashboards and visualisations for stakeholders to understand complex data.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance and operations to optimise maintenance programmes and processes.
• Present recommendations to influence change and regulatory and OEM reporting.

Skills

Reliability engineering

Maintenance planning

Data analytics

Python

SQL

Dashboards

Communication

Influencing

Education

Engineering / Aviation / Data Analytics degree

Tools

Tableau / Power BI

Job description

Kia ora! We're looking for a Performance Engineer to join Air New Zealand's Continuing Airworthiness Engineering team. In this role, you'll use data to solve complex engineering challenges, uncover opportunities for improvement, and help shape decisions that enhance aircraft reliability, operational performance and maintenance efficiency. Your work won't stop at identifying insights. You'll collaborate with engineers, maintenance teams and operational leaders to turn analysis into meaningful, measurable outcomes.

Air New Zealand is on an accelerated journey to become the world's leading digital airline. As part of our Engineering team, you'll combine reliability engineering, data analytics and emerging technologies to improve how we maintain and operate one of the most modern fleets in the region. You'll have the opportunity to influence enterprise-wide decisions while helping deliver safe, reliable and efficient operations for our customers.

How you'll make an impact

• Analyse aircraft reliability and operational data to identify trends, emerging issues and opportunities to improve fleet performance
• Lead reliability investigations and root cause analysis, developing practical solutions that improve aircraft availability, operational reliability and maintenance effectiveness
• Use AI, Python and analytical tools to automate analysis, develop predictive models and create repeatable engineering solutions
• Design reports, dashboards and data visualisations that translate complex information into clear, actionable insights for technical and operational stakeholders
• Partner with Engineering, Maintenance and operational teams to optimise maintenance programmes, improve processes and support informed decision making
• Present recommendations that influence change, support regulatory and OEM reporting requirements, and deliver measurable operational improvements.

What we're looking for

• Experience in aircraft reliability engineering, maintenance engineering, maintenance planning, aviation performance analysis, or a closely related technical discipline
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience investigating complex engineering or operational issues using large or complex datasets
• Practical experience using AI, SQL, Python or similar analytical tools for automation, modelling or advanced data analysis
• Experience developing high-quality reports, dashboards and visualisations that enable informed business and engineering decisions
• A relevant qualification in Engineering, Aviation, Data Analytics or a related discipline. Experience with predictive analytics, statistical modelling or reliability engineering methodologies will be highly regarded
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to connect technical detail to operational and commercial outcomes.

Why join Air New Zealand?

We want our people to live their best lives and access great benefits that support their lives outside work.

• Generous Staff Travel benefits for you, your friends and whānau
• FlexiLeave, giving you the option to purchase up to four additional weeks of leave each year
• A strong learning culture with development opportunities that help you grow your career
• Access to a wide range of work perks, including discounts on hotels, retail, banking, insurance and more
• Health and wellbeing support, including our Employee Assistance Programme, wellbeing resources and access to discounted medical cover.

Additional Information

At Air New Zealand, we are proudly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and believe in creating a truly inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and thrive. Our people are our greatest asset – because while everything else we do in our operation can be replicated by our competitors, it is our people that truly set us apart. We are firm believers in celebrating the differences and diversity of thought our people bring to their roles.

"Seek to bring distant horizons closer. Once near, seize them and make them your reality."

Applications close Sunday 25th October 2026.