Senior Data Engineer

About the Role

The Senior Data Engineer serves not only as a subject matter expert within their domain but also as a mentor, guiding the squad towards high-quality delivery and strong adherence to risk and compliance standards across the service group and technology unit. This role hinges on excellent communication, negotiation, teamwork, and partnership-building to foster innovative banking solutions that enhance customer experiences.

The CDC Squad is responsible for the development and maintenance of data pipelines that track changes from hundreds of tables across platforms including DB2 z/OS, DB2 LUW, VSAM, and Oracle, streaming data to Kafka and HDFS. The data produced supports analytics, regulatory compliance, and various engineering units throughout the bank, while also occasionally supporting wider service needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead technical direction within the squad, influencing engineering standards, system design, and platform reliability.
• Ensure CDC infrastructures, data products, and pipelines operate reliably, securely, and in line with risk and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee resolution of complex production problems, coordinate on-call rotations, early-stage support, and critical incident management.
• Convert business and architectural needs into robust, scalable technical architectures consistent with organizational technology standards.
• Maintain operational excellence by meeting service-level agreements, monitoring system performance, and upholding system health.
• Contribute to establishing best practices for engineering quality, tooling, coding standards, documentation, and deployment processes at the squad level.
• Mentor squad engineers to promote technical development, enhance capabilities, and cultivate a culture of excellence.
• Collaborate with project leads and service owners to prioritize workloads, manage timelines, and understand technical dependencies.
• Lead root-cause analysis and implement continuous improvement efforts to boost platform stability and efficiency.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, vendor partners, and platform providers to deliver superior outcomes.

Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced programming skills in Java and Python.
• Extensive experience with the Kafka ecosystem, including building real-time data publishers and consumers.
• Proficiency working with Hadoop technologies, particularly HDFS and Spark.
• Experience managing data workflows using Apache Airflow.
• At least five years in software development, data engineering, platform engineering, or related technical roles.
• Understanding of Change Data Capture (CDC) patterns and real-time data streaming methodologies.
• Knowledge of secure software development practices, especially for sensitive data.
• Familiarity with infrastructure as code tools like Terraform, as well as CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration.
• Experience with code quality and security scanning tools such as SonarQube and Snyk.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate new technologies, assess vendor solutions, and improve engineering practices.
• Skilled at troubleshooting and resolving complex application lifecycle issues.
• Strong grasp of quality assurance, test automation, and continuous process improvement.
• Educational credentials in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related fields, with relevant certifications considered desirable.
• Proven experience mentoring and supporting the professional growth of engineering team members.
• Comfortable working within Agile frameworks and embracing modern DevOps methodologies.

Workplace Benefits

• Four weeks of annual leave plus an additional five days of wellbeing leave to support personal health.
• Options to purchase up to four extra weeks of leave annually.
• Access to banking benefits, insurance discounts, and a superannuation plan.
• Opportunities for personal and career development, with encouragement for internal mobility.
• Recognition programs rewarding high achievers.
• School holiday subsidies to help balance professional and family commitments.
• Two volunteer days per year to support community involvement.

Our Organisation

Westpac New Zealand strives to build a fairer and stronger country for its people, customers, and communities. With a proud history spanning over 160 years, the organization values individuality, supports talent development, and fosters a culture where all employees can thrive. Diversity and inclusion are fundamental, welcoming applicants from all backgrounds including those who are neurodiverse or have disabilities.

Additional Information

Applications are open until 28 August 2026. Applicants should submit a CV and cover letter.