Solution Architect

Ministry of Education New Zealand; Wellington; On-site; NZD 119,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

KiwiSaver

Flexible working

Job summary

The Ministry of Education New Zealand is seeking an experienced Cloud Solution Architect to lead architecture across data, cloud and integration initiatives in a large public sector environment.

You will work with business, product, engineering and security teams to design secure, scalable cloud solutions that align with enterprise standards and government requirements, while enabling platform modernisation and cost efficiency.

Qualifications

• Experience designing and delivering cloud-based solutions in large, complex organisations.
• Strong knowledge of AWS and/or Azure cloud services, architecture patterns and best practices.
• Experience delivering architecture artefacts, design docs, and technical roadmaps.
• Solid understanding of integration, security, networking and data architecture concepts.
• Experience in Agile and DevOps delivery environments.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end data architecture across ingestion, transformation, storage and consumption on AWS stack.
• Define architecture standards, patterns, and implementations for ETL/ELT pipelines.
• Drive migrations and design new data products on modern AWS stack.
• Contribute to data quality frameworks with automated tests and alerting.
• Design and refine a tagging strategy for data classification and privacy."
• Contribute to Infrastructure as Code standards (CloudFormation / CDK / Terraform) and review changes for cost/security/scalability.
• Lead CI/CD architecture patterns and performance tuning for Redshift/Glue workloads.

Skills

AWS

Azure

Data architecture

CI/CD

Security & identity

Agile / DevOps

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Tertiary qualification in IT

Tools

AWS CloudFormation

AWS CDK

Terraform

dbt

Job description

Date advertised: 2 Sept 2026

Job Type: Permanent

Location: Wellington, NZ

Help shape the future of Education

We work to shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes.

Our organisation is made up of talented and committed people around Aotearoa, from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. While we work in different groups and on different things, we all strive every day to make the biggest difference we can for our students in our education system.

About this role | Mō tēnei tūranga

We are looking for an experienced Cloud Solution Architect to join our Digital & Data team and help shape the future of technology across the Ministry of Education.

In this role, you'll work closely with business stakeholders, product teams, engineers, security specialists, and delivery partners to design secure, scalable, and resilient cloud solutions that support better outcomes for New Zealand's education system. You'll provide architecture leadership across a range of digital initiatives, ensuring solutions align with enterprise architecture standards, government requirements, and organisational strategy.

This is an opportunity to influence platform modernisation, cloud adoption, integration design, and technology transformation programmes within one of New Zealand's largest and most complex public sector environments.

Key responsibilities for this role include:

• Leading end-to-end data architecture design across ingestion, transformation, storage, and consumption layers on AWS (S3, Glue, Lambda, Step Functions, Redshift, dbt)


• Defining architecture standards, patterns, enhancements, and implementations for ETL/ELT pipelines, including backup and restore strategies


• Leading technical design for migrations and new data products (e.g., migrating legacy SQL Server towards a modern AWS stack)


• Contributing to the design of data quality frameworks including automated testing and alerting


• Designing and enhancing a tagging strategy for data classification and private information.


• Contributing to design of Infrastructure as Code standards (AWS CloudFormation / AWS CDK / Terraform) and review infrastructure changes for cost, security, scalability


• Driving cost optimisation and helping design performance tuning across Redshift/Glue workloads


• Leading the design of CI/CD architecture patterns

Salary range: $119,171 - $144,560 per annum plus KiwiSaver. The successful candidate will be appointed at a salary which reflects individual skills and experience.

About you | Mōhou ake

We're looking for someone who is passionate about designing modern cloud solutions and can confidently navigate both business and technical conversations.

You will have:

• Experience designing and delivering cloud-based solutions within large and complex organisations.


• Strong knowledge of AWS and/or Azure cloud services, architecture patterns, and best practices.


• Experience developing solution architecture artefacts, design documentation, and technical roadmaps.


• Strong understanding of integration, security, identity, networking, and data architecture concepts.


• Experience working within Agile and DevOps delivery environments.


• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and influencing skills.


• A relevant tertiary qualification in information technology, computer science, engineering, or a related discipline.


• The ability and willingness to adhere to the Public Service Standards of Integrity and Conduct.

Joining our team will give you the opportunity to work on meaningful technology initiatives with national impact while collaborating with experienced architects, engineers, and technology leaders. We support flexible working, continuous learning, and professional development.

About our group and team | Mātau rōpū ake

The Digital & Data group enables the Ministry to deliver secure, reliable, and modern digital services that support learners, educators, and whānau across Aotearoa. We provide strategic technology leadership, enterprise platforms, digital solutions, and data services that help improve education outcomes.

Our Architecture Practice plays a key role in shaping technology direction, establishing standards, supporting delivery teams, and ensuring investments align with long‑term business and technology strategies.

Applications close

Midnight, Wednesday 23rd September 2026.

We want our people to feel valued for their unique qualities and have a sense of belonging. If you require assistance or adjustments to fully participate in the recruitment process, please let us know.

For further information, please contact Hayden Munro, Practice Manager Architecture at [e-mail]