Senior Manager - Data Engineering

Auckland Council; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Auckland Council is seeking a Senior Manager – Data Engineering to lead the Data Engineering team and shape the strategy, roadmap and transition to a Modern Data Platform.

You will guide the move from legacy systems to scalable, reliable data solutions that enable trusted insights, automation and innovation across the organisation.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of data/analytics experience in mature organisations.
• 5+ years in senior or technical leadership roles.
• Broad expertise with Snowflake, Databricks, dbt and Fivetran; visualization with Power BI or Tableau.
• Proficiency in SQL and Python; experience building production data pipelines.
• Experience with CI/CD practices and data governance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the data engineering strategy and roadmap, overseeing foundational data assets and pipelines across Snowflake, dbt, Fivetran and Power BI.
• Drive transition from legacy platforms, decommissioning existing BusinessObjects and Power BI pipelines and the WhereScape RED Enterprise DW.
• Establish technologies, methodologies and quality controls for data ingestion, integration and transformation with governance in mind.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing data engineering team, fostering excellence, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Partner with stakeholders, technology teams and vendors to prioritise delivery and identify opportunities across analytics, automation and machine learning.

Skills

Leadership

SQL

Python

Snowflake

Databricks

dbt

Fivetran

Power BI

Tableau

CI/CD

Data governance

Agile

Stakeholder mgmt

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT/Statistics/Engineering

Job description

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• Lead Auckland Council’s transition to a modern data platform
• Shape the data engineering strategy, roadmap and technical direction
• Build and inspire a high-performing team of data engineers

As Senior Manager – Data Engineering, you will lead Auckland Council’s Data Engineering team and shape the strategy, roadmap and transition from legacy systems to our Modern Data Platform. This is an exciting opportunity to influence the future of data engineering across a large and complex organisation, creating scalable, reliable and sustainable data solutions that enable trusted insights, automation and innovation.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the data engineering strategy and roadmap, overseeing the development of foundational data assets and pipelines across Snowflake, dbt, Fivetran and Power BI.
• Drive the transition from legacy platforms, including the decommissioning of existing BusinessObjects and Power BI pipelines, integrations and the WhereScape RED Enterprise Data Warehouse.
• Establish the technologies, methodologies and quality controls used for data ingestion, integration and transformation, ensuring solutions are accurate, reliable and aligned with data governance standards.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team of data engineers, fostering technical excellence, innovation, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Partner with business stakeholders, technology teams and external vendors to prioritise delivery, manage expectations and identify opportunities across analytics, automation and machine learning.

We’re looking for an experienced strategic and technical leader with a strong record of delivering data engineering transformation within large-scale, data-mature environments. You’ll bring broad expertise across modern data technologies such as Snowflake, Databricks, dbt and Fivetran, alongside visualisation platforms including Power BI or Tableau. Hands‑on proficiency in SQL and a programming language such as Python will be important, along with experience building reliable production pipelines, designing ETL and ELT patterns, applying dimensional or medallion data modelling, and embedding version control and CI/CD practices.

An inspiring and adaptable people leader, you’ll be comfortable navigating ambiguity, motivating teams and leading others confidently through change. You’ll champion platform reliability, observability, data governance, quality, compliance, performance and cost optimisation while maintaining a clear view of the wider strategic picture. Your Agile mindset, sound commercial awareness and strong communication, influencing and negotiation skills will enable you to build trusted relationships, manage competing priorities and improve service delivery across the organisation.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• At least 10 years’ experience in data and analytics roles within organisations with a high level of data maturity, including five or more years in senior or technical leadership positions.
• Proven experience leading teams through the complete data migration lifecycle, from strategy and planning through to execution, validation and transition.
• Demonstrated success managing complex stakeholder relationships and delivering technical programmes within agreed scope, budget and timelines.
• A relevant technical or professional degree in computer science, information technology, statistics, engineering or a comparable discipline

Auckland Council is one of the largest local authorities in the South Pacific providing essential services and facilities to more than 1.6 million people. We are progressive socially, culturally and environmentally while we work towards creating change having an impact on our journey to becoming a city we are proud of for our ratepayers and residents.

Ehara taku toa, he takitahi, he toa takitini My success is not mine alone, but the success of many.

In return for your hard work, you will be rewarded with a competitive salary and be a part of a friendly and collaborative team that is dedicated to our customers. You will receive dedicated training and development to help build your career and on top of this, as part of our Auckland Council Group, you will gain access to many benefits and discounts.

#workingforauckland #dataleadership #analyticsleadership

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.