Principal Software Engineer

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi; Palmerston North; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Five weeks annual leave

Income Protection and Critical Illness

Job summary

NZ Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi is establishing Principal Engineering within Software Engineering to strengthen technical leadership across our teams, platforms and delivery. You’ll combine strategic thinking with hands‑on delivery across frontend, backend, mobile and integration engineering.

You’ll drive engineering standards and secure delivery, mentor engineers and shape the future of AI augmented engineering with a strong security posture for NZTA.

Qualifications

• Deep software engineering expertise with the ability to tackle complex challenges.
• Experience establishing and embedding engineering standards, patterns and guardrails.
• Vision for AI augmented engineering and scalable security practices.
• Broad technical expertise across backend, frontend, integration, data and cloud technologies.
• Strong SDLC and DevSecOps understanding; ability to influence across teams without formal authority.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands‑on technical leadership across complex, high impact engineering challenges.
• Lead the development and adoption of engineering standards, patterns, guardrails and reusable approaches.
• Lead the evolution of AI augmented engineering and scale innovative approaches.
• Bring systems thinking across frontend, backend, mobile and integration engineering.
• Influence software strategy and major engineering decisions across teams and platforms.
• Mentor engineers from graduate to senior level and grow the chapter's capability.

Skills

Software engineering leadership

Engineering standards

AI augmentation

DevSecOps

Systems thinking

Java

Spring Boot

React

REST APIs

PostgreSQL

Azure

Docker

Kubernetes

GitHub Actions

Mentoring engineers

Security posture

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

GitHub Actions

Azure

React

Spring Boot

Java

REST APIs

PostgreSQL

Job description

• Lead our toughest engineering challenges and set technical direction
• Drive engineering excellence through standards, patterns and guardrails
• Shape what’s next in AI augmented engineering and secure, accelerated delivery

We are establishing Principal Engineering within Software Engineering at NZ Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi (NZTA), bringing together deep technical expertise, strategic influence and hands on leadership. You’ll work across teams and platforms, tackling complex challenges, shaping long term engineering direction and growing technical capability across NZTA.

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

Software Engineering is at the heart of end-to-end digital delivery at NZTA, and we are establishing Principal Engineering to strengthen technical leadership across our teams, platforms and delivery.

As a Principal Software Engineer, you’ll combine strategic thinking with deep, hands‑on technical expertise across our frontend, backend, mobile and integration engineering landscape. You’ll stay close to delivery, stepping into complex engineering challenges while influencing longer term technical direction.

You’ll also be a trusted technical advisor to the Chapter Lead, with the opportunity to influence the future of Software Engineering at NZTA, grow technical capability and advance our ambition for engineering excellence, AI augmented engineering and accelerated delivery with a strong security posture.

We’re a community of software engineers who help each other grow, build excellent software and recognise that engineering is a team sport. We never stand still. We are always learning and always improving.

You Will

• Provide hands on technical leadership across complex, high impact engineering challenges
• Lead the development and adoption of engineering standards, patterns, guardrails and reusable approaches
• Lead the evolution of AI augmented engineering, identifying, proving and scaling approaches that improve how we design, build, test and deliver software
• Bring systems thinking across frontend, backend, mobile and integration engineering
• Influence software strategy, technical direction and significant engineering decisions across teams and platforms
• Provide enterprise level technical design leadership and proportionate assurance for significant or high risk work
• Guide detailed technical decisions, balancing quality, cost, security, resilience and long term sustainability
• Mentor engineers from graduate through to senior level, growing technical capability and future technical leaders across the chapter
• Build alignment across Engineering, Architecture, Security, Platforms, Product and delivery teams, navigating dependencies and competing priorities
• Champion DevSecOps, automation and shift left security across the SDLC

You will find out more about the role the Position Description.

Ko koe tēnei | About you

You’ll be an accomplished technical leader in software engineering, combining deep technical credibility with strategic thinking, exceptional communication and the ability to influence across teams and disciplines.

You’ll be future focused, curious and genuinely passionate about engineering. We’re looking for someone who brings energy and ideas, inspires others and can turn emerging opportunities, particularly AI, into practical engineering outcomes.

To Be Successful In This Role, You Will Bring

• Deep software engineering expertise and excellent analytical and problem-solving capability, with a track record of tackling complex engineering challenges
• Experience establishing and embedding engineering standards, patterns, guardrails, Golden Paths and reusable approaches
• A future focused vision for AI augmented engineering, with the curiosity and technical leadership to experiment, prove and scale new approaches
• Broad technical expertise across modern software engineering, with the depth and judgement to lead across backend, frontend, integration, data and cloud technologies, including environments such as Java, Spring Boot, React, REST APIs, PostgreSQL, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, GitHub and GitHub Actions.
• A strong understanding of modern SDLC and DevSecOps practices, embedding security, automation and assurance throughout the engineering lifecycle rather than treating them as separate activities
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the ability to simplify complexity, tell a compelling technical story and build alignment without relying on authority
• Systems thinking and sound technical judgement, with the ability to understand dependencies, evaluate trade offs and make balanced decisions across teams and platforms
• A track record of mentoring engineers and developing future technical leaders, with the energy and enthusiasm to grow capability across the chapter
• A growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning, openly sharing knowledge, challenging thinking and always looking for better ways to engineer software

You will demonstrate knowledge of, or a willingness to gain an understanding of Te Ao Māori and promote tikanga and Te Reo Māori. You will also have knowledge of, or a willingness to gain an appreciation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) as it applies in the public service.

Mō mātou |About Us

The Chief Technology Office (CTO) is a strategic business enabler within NZTA, providing the digital skills, capabilities, platforms and leadership needed to support our operational performance, regulatory responsibilities and future transport vision.

The CTO helps ensure our digital investments, platforms and services align with organisational priorities and deliver value across NZTA. It plays an important role in enabling efficient service delivery, improving customer experience, managing risk and supporting long term planning.

As part of Te Aukaha | Digital, you’ll contribute to improving our services and decision making and providing modern, fit for purpose digital, information and technology solutions for our people, partners and customers.

You’ll be part of our Engineering Chapter, providing Principal level leadership for Software Engineering and shaping the technical direction, modern engineering practices and capability that support digital delivery across NZTA.

Ka whiwhi koe i te aha | What you will get in return

This is an opportunity to be at the heart of Software Engineering at NZTA, with enterprise-wide influence on how we design, build and deliver software that matters to New Zealand.

You’ll influence engineering from concept and technical strategy through to working software, shaping technology direction, engineering quality and secure delivery. You’ll have the autonomy to challenge thinking, raise the engineering bar and help us realise the potential of AI augmented engineering.

In Addition, You'll Benefit From

• Flexible working arrangements that support work‑life balance
• Five weeks annual leave
• Income Protection and Critical Illness Insurance for permanent employees
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• A collaborative and inclusive culture committed to delivering meaningful outcomes for New Zealanders

You’ll join a diverse, high performing engineering community where you can keep growing while growing others. If you want to solve important problems, influence engineering at scale and build digital services New Zealanders rely on, we’d love to hear from you.

Ready to make your mark on Software Engineering at NZTA? If you want to tackle hard problems, raise the engineering bar, grow others and help shape what comes next, we’d love to hear from you.

Rā Katinga | Applications close:

16 November 2026

For further information, email: [e-mail]

To be considered for this position you must have a legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Waka Kotahi is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion and are committed to providing a working environment that embraces these values. Please let us know if you need any support or have any access requirements that will help you through the recruitment process.

Please note that we may begin shortlisting as we receive applications. We encourage early applications as we may withdraw the advertising at any time.