Lead Design Engineer - Data Enablement

JobSpace; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Free onsite parking

Gym

Café

Long service benefits

Social club

Job summary

Tait Communications, Christchurch, NZ, is seeking a Lead Engineer for Data Enablement to own and guide the data-domain products and platforms, driving architectural coherence and long-term evolution. You will partner with the Data Architect to translate strategy into actionable plans and oversee both in-house and offshore development to maintain quality and security.

You are a senior technical leader with hands-on capabilities, able to mentor teams, assess risks, and enable rapid delivery of

Qualifications

• Proven experience designing and evolving complex systems across design, implementation, testing, and integration.
• Strong architecture and design evaluation skills with long-term impact focus.
• Ability to debug, diagnose, and resolve complex technical issues.
• Experience mentoring others in engineering practices.
• Experience overseeing externally developed software with focus on quality and knowledge retention.

Responsibilities

• Provide end-to-end technical ownership for Tait's data-domain products and platforms, ensuring architectural coherence and long-term maintainability.
• Define and guide the technical direction for tactical enhancements.
• Provide technical leadership for long-term data strategy initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Data Architect to translate architectural strategy into executable plans.
• Oversee outsourced development to meet quality standards, architecture, and long-term product interests.
• Safeguard intellectual property and retain critical system knowledge within the organization.
• Identify and proactively manage technical risks related to scalability, operability, security, and maintainability.
• Mentor and set engineering standards across the data domain.

Skills

Technical leadership

System architecture

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical risk management

External vendor oversight

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

The Lead Engineer for Data Enablement provides end-to-end technical ownership and leadership for Tait's data-domain products and platforms, including analytics and associated data and telemetry application enablement initiatives. The role exists to provide a single accountable technical leader responsible for lower-level architecture, integration, delivery, and long-term evolution across these products, ensuring strong internal ownership and alignment as Tait expands and matures its data offerings.

The Lead Engineer is accountable for establishing and maintaining architectural coherence, quality, and maintainability across the data portfolio, guiding tactical enhancements that deliver near-term commercial value in both emerging and established markets, and providing technical leadership for longer-term initiatives. Working in close partnership with the appointed Data Architect, the role translates architectural intent into executable technical direction and ensures alignment between strategy and delivery.

Given the significant use of offshore development, the role also provides technical oversight of externally delivered work, ensuring it meets Tait's standards and long-term interests, while safeguarding intellectual property and retaining critical system knowledge and technical leadership within the Tait operations team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide end-to-end technical ownership for Tait's data-domain products and platforms ensuring architectural coherence, quality, and long-term maintainability across the portfolio
• Define and guide the technical direction for tactical enhancements
• Provide technical leadership for long-term data strategy initiatives
• Partner closely with the Data Architect, translating architectural strategy into executable technical plans and ensuring strong alignment between architecture, delivery, and operational outcomes.
• Lead the technical oversight of externally developed engineering work, ensuring outsourced delivery meets Tait's quality standards, architectural intent, and long-term product interests.
• Ensure intellectual property, system knowledge, and key technical decisions remain within the Tait organisation.
• Identify and proactively manage technical risks related to scalability, operability, security, and maintainability, addressing cross-system complexity early to reduce downstream delivery and quality issues.
• Act as a senior technical authority and mentor, setting engineering standards, reviewing designs, and supporting the development of high-quality engineering practices across the data domain.

About You

You are an outstanding senior engineer and technical leader, recognised for your ability to operate across complex systems and the full product lifecycle. You combine strong hands-on skills with sound judgement and are comfortable owning difficult technical decisions.

You bring:

• Proven experience designing, reviewing, and evolving complex systems across design, implementation, testing, and integration.
• Strong architecture and design evaluation skills, including the ability to compare design approaches and assess long-term impacts on quality, scalability, and maintainability.
• The ability to debug, diagnose, and resolve complex technical issues, and to guide others in correcting faulty designs.
• Confidence to review and critique designs, and to train and mentor others in sound engineering and design practices.
• Experience working with or overseeing externally developed software, with a strong focus on quality, sustainability, and retention of system knowledge.
• The judgement and maturity to assess technical and delivery risks and respond appropriately.

What's in it for You?

We are an employer that is committed to making a difference for families and communities and supporting people to build rewarding careers. We achieve this through employing people who connect with our Values (Commitment to Listen. Courage to Act and Integrity to Deliver) that underpin our way of working together. We are committed to investing in our people, developing both individuals and teams to support a high-performance culture.

• We prioritise your wellbeing through health insurance, annual flu vaccinations and extra sick leave in your first year.
• We provide a comfortable work environment through modern office facilities with free onsite parking, gym, and café.
• We recognise your commitment through long service benefits.
• We balance work with fun through our active social club!

About Us

For more than 50 years, Tait Communications has been designing, delivering, and supporting critical communications networks for public safety, transportation and utility customers around the world. Founded in Christchurch by Sir Angus Tait, we now have a network of customers and offices that spans the globe.

Our employees value being part of a creative team committed to providing technological solutions that make a real difference to the communities we support. By joining Tait, you'll be joining a community of people with a wealth of knowledge and expertise, who care deeply about their work and the genuine impact it has for our customers, and who support each other to grow and develop.

Diversity & Inclusion Statement

Tait Communications is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to succeed. We are encourage applications from all backgrounds to apply.