Solution Architect

New Zealand Government; Wellington; On-site; NZD 119,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Continuous learning

Professional development

KiwiSaver

Job summary

New Zealand Government's Ministry of Education seeks an experienced Cloud Solution Architect to shape the future of technology across our Digital & Data team. You will design secure, scalable cloud solutions with AWS and/or Azure, guiding architecture across data ingestion, storage, processing and delivery platforms.

You will partner with stakeholders, engineers and delivery partners, drive data quality, CI/CD patterns, and cost optimisation, and contribute to enterprise architecture standards.

Qualifications

• Experience designing and delivering cloud-based solutions in large organisations.
• Strong knowledge of AWS and/or Azure services, patterns and best practices.
• Experience developing architecture artefacts, roadmaps and documentation.
• Understanding of integration, security, networking and data concepts.
• Experience in Agile and DevOps delivery environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end data architecture across ingestion, transformation, storage and consumption on AWS.
• Define architecture standards, patterns and ETL/ELT implementations.
• Lead design for migrations to modern AWS stack and new data products.
• Contribute to data quality frameworks with automated testing and alerting.
• Design tagging strategy for data classification and privacy.
• Contribute to Infrastructure as Code standards and review changes for cost and security.
• Drive cost optimisation and performance tuning for Redshift and Glue.
• Lead CI/CD architecture pattern design.

Skills

AWS & Azure

Solution architecture

Data architecture

Security & identity

Networking concepts

Agile & DevOps

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Tertiary IT/CS/Engineering degree

Tools

AWS

Azure

CloudFormation

Terraform

AWS CDK

Job description

Help shape the future of education in New ZealandHelp shape the future of EducationWe work to shapeaneducationsystem that deliversequitableandexcellent outcomesOur 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.