Data Engineer

Kernel; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work setup

Health insurance

Parental leave top-up

Professional development budget

Dog-friendly office

Job summary

Kernel is building the data foundations that power smarter decisions for Kiwi investors. You’ll own the journey from raw data to our warehouse, crafting models, pipelines, and automated checks to deliver clean, trusted datasets.

Collaborate with the insights team and software engineers to ensure data is accurate, well‑modeled and scalable. This is a hands‑on data engineering role (not analytics) focused on data behind dashboards and reports, using Snowflake, dbt and other modern cloud tools.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of commercial experience in data engineering or closely related data role.
• Experience with modern cloud data warehouses such as Snowflake, BigQuery or Redshift.
• Experience building transformations and automated tests with dbt or a similar tool.
• Strong SQL and data modelling skills, including handling historical data.

Responsibilities

• Design and build data models that turn raw data into clear, well-structured datasets ready for analysis.
• Map raw data into the warehouse, keeping history intact so we can always show our working.
• Bring new data sources into the warehouse, including event-based product data, transactional and people data.
• Build and maintain automated tests and checks that stop bad data before it flows downstream.
• Investigate pipeline failures and decide whether to fix at the source or adapt our models.
• Add summary and aggregate layers as data volumes grow, keeping models fast and usable.
• Partner with software engineers on how data is captured and made available from source systems.
• Recommend how our data platform should evolve, explaining trade-offs in plain language.

Skills

Data engineering

SQL

Data modelling

Communication

Tools

Snowflake

dbt

BigQuery

Redshift

Job description

Build the data foundations Kernel runs on, turning raw data from across the business into clean, trusted models that power better decisions for Kiwi investors.

About The Role

Kernel is growing quickly, and so is our need for good data. We have a modern cloud data warehouse up and running, but there's a lot of untapped data sitting across our systems, and we want to bring it together so the whole business can use it.

This is an important first hire as we build out our data capability, with a real opportunity to set strong foundations for how data works at Kernel. You'll own the journey from raw data into our warehouse, building the models, pipelines and automated checks that turn it into clean, trusted datasets. You'll work closely with our insights team and alongside the software engineers who land data from our source systems. You'll report to our Chief Technology Officer.

Our stack today includes Snowflake and dbt, but we care more about how you think than which tools you've used. This is a data engineering role rather than an analytics one: dashboards and reporting sit with our insights team, and your focus is making sure the data behind them is accurate, well-modelled and built to grow.

About Kernel

We're a 100% Kiwi owned and operated fintech on a mission to make wealth accessible for every Kiwi. Our investment platform brings together KiwiSaver, Managed Funds, US shares and ETFs, and Smart Saver accounts, all in one place, and is trusted by 70,000+ investors.

We're at an exciting stage: scaling fast, expanding our team and building the foundations for what's next.

Our culture is collaborative, hands-on and ambitious, built on trust, innovation and saying it like it is. Things move quickly here, and every person plays a key role in shaping our future.

What You'll Do

• Design and build data models that turn raw data into clear, well-structured datasets ready for analysis
• Map raw data into the warehouse, keeping history intact so we can always show our working
• Bring new data sources into the warehouse, including event-based product data, transactional and people data
• Build and maintain automated tests and checks that stop bad data before it flows downstream
• Investigate pipeline failures and decide whether to fix at the source or adapt our models
• Add summary and aggregate layers as data volumes grow, keeping models fast and usable
• Partner with software engineers on how data is captured and made available from source systems
• Recommend how our data platform should evolve, explaining trade-offs in plain language

Bonus things you could bring

• Experience modelling event-based analytics data from tools like Mixpanel or Amplitude
• A background in fintech, banking, insurance, health or another domain where auditability matters
• Experience migrating between data warehouses or re-platforming an existing data stack

You'll be great if you bring

• 4+ years' commercial experience in data engineering or a closely related data role
• Hands-on experience with a modern cloud data warehouse such as Snowflake, BigQuery or Redshift
• Experience building transformations and automated tests with dbt or a similar tool
• Strong SQL and data modelling skills, including handling historical data you can't simply overwrite
• Experience running production data pipelines: monitoring, troubleshooting and fixing issues in order of impact
• Clear communication, especially when explaining technical trade-offs to non-specialists

Why you'll love it at Kernel

• Be an important early hire in our data capability, with real scope to set good foundations and shape how our platform grows
• Make data accessible across the business, so more of our teams can make decisions backed by evidence
• Grow alongside a scaling business: as Kernel grows, so do our data and the problems worth solving
• Build the data foundations behind better decisions for 70,000+ Kiwi investors
• Join a team built on trust, collaboration and flexibility, where feedback is constructive and everyone has a voice
• Competitive pay, reviewed annually, plus an annual performance bonus
• Enjoy the best of both worlds with a flexible hybrid setup: connect in person while keeping the freedom to work from home up to a couple of days each week (minimum 3 days a week in the office)
• Southern Cross health insurance that covers pre-existing conditions, with discounted cover for your family
• A 13-week parental leave top-up to full pay, and free, confidential wellbeing support through our EAP
• Professional development support and a learning budget
• Extra Kernel holidays, office snacks, coffee and a dog-friendly office

Join our team

Not sure you meet every requirement? We encourage you to apply. We value growth, impact and mindset just as much as specific experience.

If this opportunity sounds like you, send us your cover letter explaining why you're excited about the role and working at Kernel, along with your CV.

Visit our careers page for more on working at Kernel and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay connected.