Lead Data Engineer

Application closing date: Tuesday, 15 July 2025
• 11:59pm, Canberra time

Estimated start date: Tuesday, 12 August 2025

Location of work: VIC

Working arrangements: Hybrid working arrangements (i.e. a combination of onsite attendance at an AEC office and remote working) will be considered at the discretion of the Hiring Manager with a typical 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home.

Length of contract: Until 30 June 2026

Contract extensions: 1x 12 months

Security clearance: Must have a Baseline clearance

Rates: $110 - $130 per hour (inc. super)

Enterprise Strategy and Transformation Division (ESTD) The ESTD is one of two divisions within the Australian Electoral Commission's (AEC) Enterprise Transformation Group (ETG) established to drive the AEC's transformation agenda, and to deliver the Election Systems Modernisation Program (Indigo Program) on behalf of the agency.

Indigo Program (Tranche 2) The Indigo Program is a large-scale transformation program to modernise business capabilities and replace core election ICT systems with a citizen-centric, agile technology platform. The Program will transform the AEC's delivery of electoral services and ensure ongoing integrity of the electoral system. Tranche 2 comprises a variety of work packages with a focus on business process re-engineering, data management, legislative compliance and replacing aging systems.

The AEC is seeking a Lead Data Engineer in the Enterprise Integration Team to be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining data integration solutions that connect the AEC's on-premises and cloud-based enterprise applications, leveraging Microsoft Azure tools and technologies.

This role involves creating efficient data pipelines, ensuring data quality, optimising performance, and adhering to security and compliance standards. The Data Engineer collaborates with cross-functional teams, troubleshoots integration issues, and continuously seeks opportunities for improvement while staying current with emerging data engineering trends and best practices, contributing to the agency's data-driven success.

Key duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Collaborate with team members and stakeholders to design data integration solutions that meet business requirements, utilising Microsoft Azure tools such as Azure Data Factory and SQL.
• Develop, implement, and maintain ETL pipelines to ensure efficient and secure data transfer between various systems, adhering to best practices for data processing and transformation.
• Design and maintain data models, ensuring data accuracy, consistency, and availability while considering scalability and performance optimisations.
• Implement data validation and quality checks to identify and rectify data anomalies, errors, and inconsistencies within integrated systems.
• Continuously monitor and optimise data integration processes to enhance performance, reduce latency, and minimise resource consumption.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for data integration solutions, including technical specifications, data flow diagrams, and operational procedures.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including developers, and system analysts, to understand data requirements and ensure integrations align with business objectives.
• Troubleshoot and resolve data integration issues, working collaboratively with the team to implement effective solutions and prevent recurrence.
• Stay updated on emerging technologies and industry trends related to data engineering and integration, applying this knowledge to improve integration processes and tools.
• Perform additional duties or assume responsibility of functions as directed from time to time
• Proven experience in data engineering, including data integration, ETL processes, and data modelling.
• Strong SQL skills and experience with data warehousing concepts.
• Knowledge of data governance, security, and compliance best practices.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Effective communication skills for collaborating with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to work independently and be a self-motivated individual.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Azure tools and services, such as Azure Data Factory, and Azure SQL Database.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Relevant certifications (e.g., Microsoft Azure Data Engineer, AWS Certified Data Analytics) are advantageous.

HOW TO APPLY

Please provide an updated CV (a maximum of 3 pages) to reflect your suitability to the role based on the job description. You will also need to complete a response to the Essential and Desirable criteria above in a summary no more than 5000 characters in total.