Job Description
We are looking for a senior data leader to join Simple Machines in Sydney as part of our Global Data Practice leadership team.
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This is a strategic and hands-on Engineering Leadership role focused on helping shape the future direction of our data platform capability across ANZ. The individual will play a key role in defining our propositions, strengthening our technical capability, and helping clients modernise their data ecosystems for an AI-native future.
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The role requires someone equally comfortable operating at executive, architectural, commercial, and delivery levels. We are looking for a Engineering leader who understands where enterprise data platforms are heading over the next five years, not where they were five years ago.
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Key Responsibilities
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Part of the Global Data Practice leadership team
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Helping define and evolve Simple Machines' data platform propositions, technical direction, and strategic positioning
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Advising enterprise clients on modern data platform strategy, architecture, operating models, and AI readiness
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Supporting organisations as they evolve from traditional centralised data platforms toward AI-native, real-time, and data product-oriented operating models
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Working closely with Engagement Managers and senior leadership across major strategic initiatives
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Leading architecture and technical direction for complex enterprise data platform and transformation programs
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Acting as a senior technical counterpart across strategic client engagements and partner relationships
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Pre-sales, proposal development, technical solution shaping, and executive stakeholder engagement
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Building trusted relationships with strategic technology partners and staying current with emerging platform capabilities and market direction
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Supporting recruitment, mentoring, capability uplift,



and practice development across the broader engineering organisation
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Leading major client initiatives across data engineering, platform modernisation, AI enablement, and operational data systems
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Contributing to thought leadership, market positioning, and growth initiatives across ANZ.
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Must-Haves
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10+ years' experience across hands-on data engineering, data platforms, analytics engineering, or data architecture
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Proven consultancy and enterprise client-facing experience
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Strong pre-sales, proposal development, and solution shaping capability
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Demonstrated experience architecting and delivering modern cloud-native data platforms at enterprise scale
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Strong experience developing solutions centred around data products and reusable enterprise data capabilities
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Deep understanding of data mesh principles, federated governance, and scalable domain-oriented data ownership models
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Experience designing platforms and architectures to support AI-native use cases, machine learning systems, agentic workflows, and intelligent software platforms
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Strong understanding of real-time and event-driven architectures, including streaming data systems and low-latency processing patterns
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Experience building platforms that support governed, discoverable, reusable, and operationalised data products across large organisations
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Familiarity with contemporary data stack technologies and modern engineering practices
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Strong understanding of platform architecture, distributed data systems, orchestration, governance, and scalable data product design
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Experience with technologies and ecosystems such as GCP, AWS, Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, Kafka, Spark, dbt, Kubernetes, Airflow, ML/AI enablement, or similar modern platform tooling
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Strong commercial acumen and ability to engage credibly with senior technical and business stakeholders
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Experience leading major enterprise initiatives and high-performing engineering teams
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Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-performance consultancy environment
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Ideal Profile
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We are looking for someone who combines solid technical depth with commercial and strategic capability. This is not purely a delivery management role, nor is it purely architectural. The ideal person will have a strong point of view on the future of enterprise data platforms, modern data operating models, and the convergence of data engineering and AI enablement.
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You should be comfortable moving between executive conversations, whiteboarding architecture, shaping proposals, mentoring teams, and helping clients navigate complex transformation programs.
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About Simple Machines
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Simple Machines is a global, independent technology consultancy operating across Sydney, New Zealand, London, Poland and San Francisco. We design and build up-to-date data platforms, intelligent systems, and bespoke software at the intersection ofData Engineering, Software EngineeringandAI.
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We help enterprises, scale-ups, and government turn complex, high-value data into products, platforms, and decisions that drive real impact.
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We don't do generic. We build things that matter -We engineer data to life.

📌 Director Technology - Data Platforms (New South Wales)
🏢 Internetwork Expert
📍 New South Wales