Head, Data Engineering Services

Join us to make a difference for all students in NSW

Position details

• Clerk Grade 11/12
• Full-time, Ongoing
• Close to Wynyard station & hybrid work arrangements available

About the role

The Head of Data Engineering (DE) leads the DE unit within the Measurement, Data and Research Services branch of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), ensuring the key deliverables are met to strict deadlines. The role provides strategic and operational leadership to ensure data engineering deliverables are achieved within strict deadlines, in alignment with organisational priorities. The role involves liaising with a broad range of internal stakeholders and external organisations to understand complex data and reporting requirements. The Head DE is responsible for providing expert advice, guidance and support as needed to internal stakeholders with respect to data integrity and user acceptance testing.

On a day-to-day basis you will be responsible for:

• Managing competing priorities and high volumes of work, exercising sound judgement to triage and respond to ad hoc requests, resolve complex data issues.
• Lead the Data Engineering Unit within the Measurement, Data and Research Services Branch.
• Oversee and advise NESA staff on complex data engineering solutions.

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Professional experience with complex data architectures, including development, maintenance and delivering quality testing outcomes to assist with decision-making for deployment into live environments.
• Experience balancing operational demands with stakeholder needs, including responding to ad hoc requests and unforeseen issues in a time-sensitive setting.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills for working with diverse stakeholders and leading direct reports.
• High level experience implementing and overseeing a matured test strategy for the assessment division.

Essential Requirements:

• Working with children check clearance for paid employment (prior to commencement, not required at the application stage).
• A degree in any field with a focus on handling and reporting complex data, such as data engineering, psychology, learning analytics, people analytics, social science, economics, finance, science, statistics, or like discipline.
• Extensive experience with relational databases such as MySQL or DB2 and with coding languages such as Python and R.

Download the role description.

About us

At the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) we work with the NSW community to drive improvements in student achievement.

We achieve this by supporting all school sectors with high-quality syllabuses, assessment (including managing the HSC and NAPLAN), teaching standards (e.g., accrediting teachers) and school environments (including setting and monitoring school standards).

To find out more about the important work we do for NSW visit ourwebsite.

Ready to join us?

Select "Apply" and attach an up-to-date résumé (maximum 5 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 2 pages). Also address the 2 targeted questions below in your online application:

Targeted Question 1: Describe a significant accomplishment where you successfully led a team to deliver complex and sensitive data to tight deadlines. What were the key challenges associated with its scale, complexity, timeframe and/or sensitivity? How did you address those challenges?

Targeted Question 2: Summarise in 3-5 points, what are the current and emerging data engineering trends/issues that may be relevant to this role? What professional or other experience has been central to your development of this understanding?

Advice on applying for NSW Public Sector roles

If you need reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process and workplace, please reach out to the contact person above.

Close date: Sunday 28th September 2025 at 11.59pm AEST

Thank you for your interest, we look forward to receiving your application.

Important information

This is a child-related role. For the successful applicant, as a condition of employment, they will be required to provide a Working with Children Check (WWCC) Clearance number (for paid employment) prior to commencement in the role. Please note the WWC will be at the applicant's own expense. For more information, click here.

We particularly welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people of all ages, genders, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans and refugees.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. For ongoing roles, you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident. Australian Temporary Residents may be considered for a fixed term contract for the length of their visa, depending on the requirements of the hiring area and the position.

A Talent Pool (valid for 18 months) may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles.