Data and AI Engineer - Two Year Fixed Term

Are you passionate about turning data into meaningful insights and shaping the future of AI-enabled decision making?

We're seeking an experienced Data and AI Engineer to join our Business Intelligence team and help drive the advancement of Council's data, analytics, and AI capabilities. This is a fixed-term opportunity, with the potential for an extension subject to business needs.

About our District - Our mission is to make our communities better and this role will play a key part in achieving this. We are located in a tranquil area of New Zealand offering some of the best access to the great outdoors. We also boast attractive housing prices for your town, village or rural lifestyle and we are within commuting distance to larger centres.

About our Organisation - We're a forward-thinking, values-driven organisation that's passionate about delivering top-notch services to our community. At STDC, we don't just talk about culture, we live it. Our people are known for their "Can Do" attitude, strong teamwork, and genuine pride in making a difference.

We've built a reputation as one of the best places to work, offering unique benefits like access to a sick leave bank and a retention incentive after four years. You'll be part of a team that thrives on innovation, supports your growth, and works together to achieve great things.

About the Role - In this position, you'll design, build and maintain the data platforms, integrations and reporting solutions that underpin informed decision-making across the organisation. You'll ensure data is secure, reliable and well-governed, while helping deliver innovative automation and AI solutions that enhance services and create value for our communities. Working across data engineering, business intelligence and emerging technologies, you'll have the opportunity to influence how Council leverages data and AI into the future.

What you'll be doing - You'll develop and support scalable data pipelines, ETL processes, system integrations and enterprise reporting solutions using technologies such as SQL, Azure, APIs and Microsoft Power BI. You'll transform complex data into meaningful reporting and analytics solutions, ensuring data quality, integrity and compliance with governance, privacy and security requirements.

Working closely with business stakeholders, Information Services staff and external partners, you'll provide technical expertise, troubleshoot issues and deliver practical solutions that meet organisational needs. You'll also contribute to Council's growing AI and automation capability through the development of AI-ready datasets, semantic models and other data products that support reporting, analytics, automation and AI solutions.

About You - You are a curious and innovative problem-solver with experience in data engineering, business intelligence or analytics, and a passion for using data and AI to deliver meaningful outcomes. You'll hold a bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, data analytics or a related field and have strong SQL and Microsoft Power BI skills, including data modelling, reporting and dashboard development. You'll bring experience developing data pipelines, integrations and reporting solutions, along with a solid understanding of data quality, governance and security principles. Experience delivering data, analytics, automation or AI solutions in a business environment is essential.

A collaborative communicator, you'll be comfortable working with both technical and non-technical stakeholders to deliver practical, sustainable solutions. Experience with Microsoft Fabric, Azure data services, Copilot Studio, API integrations, GIS, or experience working within local government or another regulated environment will be advantageous.

Applicants for this position must be legally entitled to work in New Zealand, therefore must have NZ residency or hold a valid NZ work visa. In terms of residence class visa applications, priority will be given where the applicant is in New Zealand.

South Taranaki District Council is an Accredited Employer so if you're moving to the region, we can offer practical support and some financial assistance. This includes employer sponsorship for your visa application.

The salary range for this position is from $91,440pa to $101,600pa, with the starting salary to be determined based on the successful candidate's skills and experience. This will be discussed with shortlisted applicants during the interview process.

If this role appeals to you, head over to our website www.southtaranaki.com where you can access the background information and job description for the role. If submitting an application, please ensure you provide a covering letter outlining your skills and experience for the role along with your most current CV.

Applications close at 10pm on Thursday, 5 November 2026 or when a suitable candidate has been appointed to the role.

Applications Close: 05 Nov 2026