Data Engineer - Contract

ROLE OVERVIEW

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Data Engineer to join our team and play a pivotal role in building the Whole-of-Government (WOG) data platform. You will design, develop, and maintain robust data solutions that power data generation, collection, and processing across multiple government agencies.

As a subject matter expert, you will lead and collaborate across teams, drive key architectural decisions, and ensure that data solutions are scalable, reliable, and fit for purpose. This is a senior, hands-on role with significant cross-team impact.

KEY EXPECTATIONS

. Build and operate the core Whole-of-Government (WOG) data platform, ensuring high availability, scalability, and performance.

. Support government agencies in integrating seamlessly with the platform, providing technical guidance and hands-on assistance.

. Develop data connectors and pipelines to onboard agency datasets efficiently, minimising time-to-value for new integrations.

. Act as the primary technical authority for data engineering decisions within the team and across stakeholder groups.

. Drive continuous improvement of data infrastructure, tooling, and processes to meet evolving platform demands.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Data Platform & Architecture

. Design, develop, and maintain scalable data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes for data migration and deployment across systems.

. Build and operate the core WOG data platform, ensuring reliability, security, and performance at scale.

. Architect data ingestion, transformation, and storage solutions that support diverse agency requirements.

2. Agency Integration & Onboarding

. Develop reusable data connectors and pipeline templates to accelerate onboarding of agency datasets.

. Collaborate with agency teams to understand data formats, governance requirements, and integration constraints.

. Provide technical consultation and support to agencies throughout their integration lifecycle.

4. Data Quality & Governance

. Implement and enforce data quality checks, monitoring, and alerting across all data flows.

. Establish and uphold data access policies, lineage tracking, and audit mechanisms.

. Ensure compliance with data governance standards and security requirements.

3. Team Leadership & Collaboration

. Manage and mentor the engineering team, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.

. Engage with multiple teams and senior stakeholders to align on platform direction and priorities.

. Contribute to key architectural and engineering decisions with clear, evidence-based recommendations.

. Provide solutions to complex problems for both the immediate team and cross-functional groups.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

. Extensive experience designing and building large-scale data platforms and infrastructure.

. Proven track record in delivering ETL/ELT pipelines, data connectors, and integration solutions.

. Strong understanding of data quality, governance, lineage, and access control principles.

. Experience collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders and leading engineering teams.

. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences.

. Passion for building platforms that create lasting impact across public sector organisations.