Head of Technology Engineering

Auckland Council; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Employee benefits

Discounted Leisure Centre membership

Job summary

Auckland Council is seeking a visionary Head of Technology Engineering to lead engineering across applications, platforms, infrastructure, and cloud technologies. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of technology delivery at scale while leading a large, high-performing engineering function through transformation, innovation, and continuous improvement.

You’ll provide strategic leadership across software engineering, cloud platforms, infrastructure, DevOps, and operations.

Qualifications

• 15+ years' leadership experience spanning software engineering, cloud, platforms, infrastructure, and DevOps.
• Proven track record leading large, multidisciplinary engineering teams (150+ people).
• Experience transforming engineering functions and improving delivery maturity, automation, and operational performance.
• Strong understanding of modern engineering principles, CI/CD, cloud technologies, reliability engineering, and platform operations.
• Proven ownership of technology risk, operational resilience, and service continuity.
• Strong commercial acumen with responsibility for significant budgets and strategic supplier relationships.
• The ability to influence executives, inspire technical teams, and lead through complexity and change.
• A track record of developing leaders and technical talent, building sustainable capability, and creating an inclusive environment where people can grow and perform at their best.

Responsibilities

• Lead Auckland Council's enterprise engineering across applications, platforms, cloud, and infrastructure.
• Drive engineering excellence through DevOps, automation, and modern delivery practices.
• Strengthen platform resilience, cyber security, and service continuity.
• Building and inspiring high-performing teams that deliver at scale, with a focus on coaching, capability development, career pathways, and succession planning.
• Shaping future technology capability while maximising value from strategic investments and partnerships.

Skills

Leadership experience

Enterprise scale engineering

CI/CD

Cloud technologies

DevOps

Strategic influence

Talent development

Budget management

Vendor relationships

Tools

CI/CD tools

Cloud platforms

Platform operations

Job description

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At Auckland Council, technology is more than systems and infrastructure. It's how we deliver better outcomes for Auckland's communities, support over a million Aucklanders, and enable the services that keep our city moving.

We're seeking an exceptional Head of Technology Engineering to lead engineering across applications, platforms, infrastructure, and cloud technologies. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of technology delivery at scale while leading a large, high-performing engineering function through transformation, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Why this role?

As our Head of Technology Engineering, you'll provide strategic leadership across software engineering, cloud platforms, infrastructure, DevOps, and operational technology services. You'll be responsible for building resilient, secure, and scalable technology capabilities that support critical council services today and into the future.

Working at the intersection of technology, people leadership, and organisational strategy, you'll drive engineering excellence, modernise delivery practices, and foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement. You’ll actively develop leaders and technical talent, strengthen succession pipelines, and create clear pathways for people to grow their careers and capabilities.

What you'll be leading

• Leading Auckland Council's enterprise engineering function across applications, platforms, cloud, and infrastructure.
• Driving engineering excellence through DevOps, automation, and modern delivery practices.
• Strengthening platform resilience, cyber security, and service continuity.
• Building and inspiring high-performing teams that deliver at scale, with a strong focus on coaching, capability development, career pathways, and succession planning.
• Shaping future technology capability while maximising value from strategic investments and partnerships.

You're an accomplished technology leader who combines deep engineering expertise with the ability to lead at enterprise scale. You'll bring:

• 15+ years' leadership experience spanning software engineering, cloud, platforms, infrastructure, and DevOps environments.
• A track record of leading large, multidisciplinary engineering teams (150+ people).
• Experience transforming engineering functions and improving delivery maturity, automation, and operational performance.
• Strong understanding of modern engineering principles, CI/CD, cloud technologies, reliability engineering, and platform operations.
• Proven ownership of technology risk, operational resilience, and service continuity.
• Strong commercial acumen with responsibility for significant budgets and strategic supplier relationships.
• The ability to influence executives, inspire technical teams, and lead through complexity and change.
• A strong track record of developing leaders and technical talent, building sustainable capability, and creating an inclusive environment where people can grow and perform at their best.

Auckland Council is the largest local government council across Oceania, serving over 1.7 million people and contributing towards making Tāmaki Makaurau a world-class city. We offer a range of employee benefits and proudly support flexible working options where possible.

As part of our organisation, you’ll have access to a range of fantastic Auckland Council benefits, EAP services, an Oranga Day and discounted Leisure Centre membership and a range of other partnership discounts! View a snapshot of some of our employee benefits here:benefits

We are a diverse organisation – we value diversity in our thinking, and we can only achieve that with a diverse team!

Auckland Council is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and we are committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application to assist you through the recruitment process.