Lead Design Engineer - Data Enablement

Tait Communications; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Onsite parking & gym

Cafe on site

Long service benefits

Active social club

Job summary

Tait Communications in Christchurch is seeking a Lead Engineer for Data Enablement to own the data-domain products and platforms end-to-end. You will steer architecture, guide tactical enhancements, and align delivery with strategy while overseeing offshore development to maintain quality and long-term product interests.

Join a team focused on scalable data solutions, collaborate with the Data Architect, and mentor engineers to uphold high engineering standards and robust technical leadership

Qualifications

• Proven experience designing, reviewing, and evolving complex systems across design, implementation, testing, and integration.
• Strong architecture and design evaluation skills with focus on long-term quality and maintainability.
• Ability to debug, diagnose, and resolve complex technical issues and mentor others.
• Capacity to review and critique designs and train others in sound engineering practices.
• Experience overseeing externally developed software with emphasis on quality and knowledge retention.
• Judgment to assess technical and delivery risks and respond appropriately.

Responsibilities

• Provide end-to-end technical ownership for data-domain products and platforms.
• Define and guide the technical direction for tactical enhancements.
• Provide technical leadership for long-term data strategy initiatives.
• Partner with the Data Architect to translate strategy into executable plans.
• Lead technical oversight of externally developed engineering work.
• Ensure intellectual property and critical system knowledge stay within Tait.
• Identify and manage technical risks related to scalability, operability, security, and maintainability.
• Act as senior technical authority, setting engineering standards and mentoring teams.

Skills

Senior engineering

Architecture & design

Debug & diagnose

Design critique & mentoring

Oversee external software

Risk assessment

Job description

We Go Beyond for A Safer World

Te Tūranga - About the Role

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.

• 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.

Ō pūkenga - 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.

Ngā painga - 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 encourage applications from all backgrounds to apply.