Director Technology - Data Platform Engineering

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced senior data engineering leader to join Simple Machines in Sydney as a key member of our Global Data Practice leadership team. This strategic and hands-on leadership position focuses on shaping the future of our data platform capabilities across Australia and New Zealand. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in crafting our propositions, enhancing technical expertise, and aiding clients in modernizing their data ecosystems to be AI-native.

The role requires a versatile leader comfortable engaging at executive, architectural, commercial, and delivery levels, with a forward-thinking perspective on enterprise data platform evolution.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as part of the Global Data Practice leadership team.
• Define and advance Simple Machines' data platform strategies, technical directions, and market positioning.
• Advise enterprise clients on modern data platform strategies, architectures, operational models, and AI readiness initiatives.
• Assist organizations in transitioning from centralized data platforms to AI-native, real-time, and data product-centric operating models.
• Collaborate with Engagement Managers and senior leadership on strategic initiatives.
• Lead architecture and technical direction for complex enterprise data platform and transformation projects.
• Act as a senior technical advisor in strategic client engagements and partner collaborations.
• Contribute to pre-sales activities including proposal creation, technical solution design, and engaging executive stakeholders.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with strategic technology partners, staying informed on emerging platform capabilities and market trends.
• Support recruitment, mentoring, capability development, and practice growth within the engineering team.
• Guide major client projects related to data engineering, platform modernization, AI enablement, and operational data systems.
• Contribute to thought leadership, market positioning, and growth within the ANZ region.

Candidate Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in hands-on data engineering, data platforms, analytics engineering, or data architecture.
• Proven experience working in consultancy and enterprise client-facing roles.
• Strong skills in pre-sales, proposal development, and crafting technical solutions.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing modern cloud-native data platforms at enterprise scale.
• Experience developing solutions focused on data products and reusable enterprise data capabilities.
• Deep knowledge of data mesh principles, federated governance, and domain-oriented data ownership models.
• Expertise designing platforms and architectures to support AI-native use cases, including machine learning systems and intelligent software platforms.
• Strong understanding of real-time and event-driven architectures, including streaming data systems and low-latency processing.
• Proficiency in building platforms that enable governed, discoverable, reusable, and operationalized data products for large enterprises.
• Familiarity with modern data stack technologies and engineering practices.
• Strong grasp of platform architecture, distributed data systems, orchestration, governance, and scalable data product design.
• Experience with technologies such as Google Cloud Platform, AWS, Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, Kafka, Spark, dbt, Kubernetes, Airflow, and AI/ML enablement tools.
• Demonstrated commercial insight and ability to engage senior technical and business stakeholders credibly.
• Experience leading large-scale enterprise initiatives and managing high-performing engineering teams.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, high-performance consultancy environment.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate combines substantial technical expertise with strategic and commercial acumen. This role requires more than delivery management or architecture alone; the leader should possess a strong vision for the future of enterprise data platforms and modern operating models, focusing on the intersection of data engineering and AI enablement.

Comfort interacting with executives, architecting solutions, mentoring teams, and guiding clients through complex transformation programs is essential.

About Simple Machines

Simple Machines is an independent global technology consultancy with offices in Sydney, New Zealand, London, Poland, and San Francisco. We specialize in designing and building modern data platforms, intelligent systems, and bespoke software at the convergence of Data Engineering, Software Engineering, and AI.

We assist enterprises, scale-ups, and government organizations in transforming complex, high-value data into actionable products and platforms that drive significant impact.

Our mission: We engineer data to life™ - creating meaningful, tailored solutions rather than generic ones.