Junior Data & AI Engineer

Role overview

As a Junior Data & AI Engineer, you will help design, build, and support the data pipelines that inform critical business choices across ZURU’s worldwide operations. Working with modern data tooling such as Databricks, dbt, Fivetran, and AWS, you will gain practical exposure across the full data stack while contributing to infrastructure that is ready for production use. The position offers meaningful responsibility from the start.

This role is central to enabling data-led decisions throughout the business. By creating dependable pipelines, lifting data quality, and helping the platform scale, your work will support performance across commercial, marketing, and logistics functions. You will also contribute to the ongoing development of ZURU’s data platform and AI capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Create and support data pipelines that collect information from SAP, retail point-of-sale systems, logistics tools, and marketing platforms.
• Modernize older pipelines by moving them into scalable and easier-to-maintain data architecture.
• Track data quality and resolve issues early so they do not affect business operations.
• Assist with the upkeep and improvement of data platform infrastructure and supporting tools.
• Work with teams across the business to provide trusted datasets and useful insights.
• Take part in the full data lifecycle, including ingestion, transformation, and governance.
• Write clear documentation for processes, pipelines, and key learnings.
• Improve workflows over time by using automation and AI-enabled tools.

Requirements

• Solid SQL ability, including joins, window functions, and CTEs.
• Practical experience using Python for scripts, automation, or pipeline work.
• Good understanding of how data pipelines work and where they commonly fail.
• Fast learner who can solve problems and operate well in uncertain situations.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to ask clarifying questions and document solutions clearly.
• Nice-to-have exposure to dbt, Spark, or cloud data platforms such as Databricks, Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift.
• Exposure to AWS or a similar cloud environment is advantageous.
• End-to-end data project experience from academic, personal, or professional work is a plus.

Perks and culture

• A growth-focused environment that encourages learning and continuous improvement.
• Global career opportunities across a multinational business.
• The chance to work alongside a high-performing team.
• Ownership and responsibility for your career development, backed by a company that supports progression.

About ZURU

ZURU was established in 2003 and operates across three main divisions: ZURU Toys, ZURU Edge, and ZURU Tech. The company is driven by a mission to reimagine tomorrow and is known for a high-performance culture that values growth, accountability, and constant improvement.

Additional information

This is a hands-on, full-time position based onsite in Auckland, New Zealand. The role involves contributing to scalable, production-grade data systems and offers the opportunity to help shape long-term data and AI capability.

Applicants are encouraged to share their story as part of the application.