Senior Data Engineer for AI

Air New Zealand; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted travel

FlexiLeave

Learning & development

KiwiSaver

Job summary

Air New Zealand is seeking a Senior AI Data Engineer in Christchurch to design and deliver trusted, AI-ready data products and intelligent solutions that power analytics, automation, and AI-driven decision-making across the airline.

You’ll join our Data & AI Chapter, collaborate with Commercial, Corporate, Cargo, Operational, and Engineering teams, and mentor engineers while working with a strong Auckland-based team when needed.

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale data products and modern cloud data platforms.
• Strong expertise in data modelling, ELT/ETL and analytic capabilities.
• Experience with cloud technologies such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• Experience with DataOps, CI/CD, automation, testing, and Infrastructure as Code.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills and ability to translate technical concepts into business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Enable AI capabilities including intelligent automation, semantic retrieval, and AI-assisted workflows.
• Design and deliver scalable, trusted data products that support analytics, automation, and AI solutions.
• Enable data, information, knowledge, or assets required for GenAI agents to use effectively.
• Build and optimise cloud-based data pipelines, semantic models, and reusable engineering frameworks.
• Drive engineering excellence through DataOps, CI/CD, automated testing, and observability practices.
• Ensure data products are governed, discoverable, secure, and aligned with enterprise standards.
• Partner with stakeholders to solve complex business challenges using data and AI.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to engineering standards, capability uplift, and innovation.

Skills

Data modelling

ELT/ETL

AI solutions

Cloud computing

Tools

Snowflake

Job description

Kia ora!

At Air New Zealand,we'reharnessing the power of data and AI to transform how weoperate, innovate, and serve our customers. As a Senior AI Data Engineer,you'llplay a key role in designing and delivering trusted, AI-ready data products and intelligent solutions that drive analytics, automation, and AI-powered decision-making across the airline. Working within our highly engaged Data & AI Chapter area and Agile Tribes spanning Commercial, Corporate, Cargo, Operational, and Engineering domains,you'llcollaborate with diverse teams to solve complex business challenges at scale. In this role, you will work with other both technical and non-technical stakeholders as a small team to establish Data and AI capabilities for the business area in Christchurch. You will have support from the strong team based in Auckland when needed. This is an exciting opportunity to combine deep data engineeringexpertisewith emerging AI technologiesincluding AI agents, semantic retrieval, and AI-assisted engineering-to create reusable, governed, and high-performing data solutions that shape the future of aviation.

Howyou’llmake an impact:

• Enable AI capabilities including intelligent automation, semantic retrieval, and AI-assisted workflows
• Design and deliver scalable, trusted data products that support analytics, automation, and AI solutions
• Enable data, information,knowledgeor assets required for GenAI agents to use effectively
• Build and optimise cloud-based data pipelines, semantic models, and reusable engineering frameworks
• Drive engineering excellence throughDataOps, CI/CD, automated testing, and observability practices
• Ensure data products are governed, discoverable, secure, and aligned with enterprise standards
• Partner with stakeholders to solve complex business challenges using data and AI
• Mentor engineers and contribute to engineering standards, capability uplift, and innovation

Whatwe’relooking for:

• Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale data products and modern cloud data platforms.
• Strongexpertisein data modelling,ELT/ETLand agentic analytic capabilities such asSnowflakeCo-Work.
• Experienced inAI solutions, including AI agents, semantic retrieval, intelligent automation, or AI-assisted engineering.
• Experience with cloud technologies such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• ExperiencewithDataOps, CI/CD, automation, testing, and Infrastructure as Code.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to translate technical concepts into business outcomes.
• AI first, able to deliver these using AIisadvantageous.

Why join Air New Zealand?

We want our people to live their best lives and access great benefits that support their lives outside work. Benefits include:

• Discounted travel for you, your friends, and whānau
• FlexiLeave, giving you the option to purchase up to four additional weeks of leave each year
• Learning and development opportunities to support your growth and career progression
• KiwiSaver andFlexiSavercontributions to help youplan for the future

Ready for take-off?

Applications close on Sunday 30 August 2026.

At Air New Zealand, we are proudly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and believe in creating a truly inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and thrive. Our people are our greatest asset – because while everything else we do in our operation can be replicated by our competitors, it is our people that truly set us apart. We are firm believers in celebrating the differences and diversity of thought our people bring to their roles. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, including those with a disability, additional health and mental health needs, and/or are neurodiverse to apply for our roles.

If you have encountered any accessibility barriers and require further information or reasonable accommodations to our recruitment process, please reach out to the recruiter listed on this job advert so they are able to support you to freely participate equitably in our recruitment and selection process.

Whāia te pae tawhiti kia tata. Ko te pae tata whakamaua, kia tina.

"Seek to bring distant horizons closer. Once near, seize them and make them your reality."