Director, Data Engineering

Our vision is to be Australia’s most loved everyday brand, with lasting customer relationships. At Optus, we don’t sit back and let the future happen to us - we’re out there making it. By expanding into new technology and relentlessly improving every day, we’re creating a better tomorrow for all Australians.

The Director of Engineering - Data Platforms is a crucial, hands-on leadership role responsible for shaping and advancing data engineering practices across Optus. Reporting directly to the Senior Director of Data Platforms, this position is instrumental in establishing best-in-class engineering standards, enhancing team capabilities, and implementing frameworks that optimize efficiency, automation, and innovation.

This role focuses on defining and maintaining data engineering centre of excellence that enable delivery of cutting-edge modern data platforms for Optus unlocking advanced analytics, ML & AI potential to drive an exceptional Optus customer experience. This ultimately drives business success and competitive advantage through data driven extreme automation, smarter decision-making, operational efficiency, and innovative customer solutions.

The Director will ensure adherence to Optus’ core engineering principles, ensuring that every task aligns with our vision and delivers clear, measurable outcomes for our users. By fostering a culture of excellence, they will uphold high standards for code quality, reliability, and scalability across all engineering practices. Additionally, this leader will champion continuous improvement by spearheading initiatives to refine processes, enhance tools, and elevate team capabilities, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-performing, impactful solutions.

The day to day
 

• Develop and implement the engineering framework for data with product mindset and putting customers and outcomes first; reducing complexity, and ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
• Defining and continuously improving data engineering practices, including coding standards, naming conventions, and CI/CD automation.
• Improving adoption of data engineering practices across the community, developer experience and improving employee engagement scores.
• Lead engineering & design forum and champion the use of best practices in data engineering to deliver high-performance, resilient, and compliant modern data platforms, capabilities and products.
• Lead and manage engineering program of work focused on reducing operational and infrastructure costs associated with data workloads and platforms, ensuring cost-effective scalability.
• Drive improvements in data quality metrics, such as accuracy, completeness, and timeliness, through the design and implementation of robust engineering practices and tools.
• Ensure compliance with governance policies across all datasets by embedding governance requirements into engineering frameworks and processes.
• Mentor and grow a team of data engineers and solution designers encouraging a culture of innovation, knowledge-sharing, and technical excellence.

Professional/technical skills required
 

• Leadership and Team Management: Proven experience in a senior management role, managing large data engineering teams with a focus on large-scale data platforms, preferably in a cloud-based environment.
• Technical: Proven experience in managing the full lifecycle of capability data products, from concept to delivery. Proficiency in cloud technologies and data engineering, with expertise across Google Cloud Platform, Databricks, and Azure. Additionally, a strong background in implementing data engineering frameworks is essential.
• Data Engineering Tools and Frameworks: Proficient in Apache Spark, Kafka, Airflow, and dbt for large-scale data processing, orchestration, and transformation. And realtime analytics using Apache Flink, Dataflow.
• Automation: Strong knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, containerization and IaC
• Programming: Skilled in Python, Scala, Java, and R (or similar), with advanced scripting capabilities
• Data Security and Governance: Strong understanding of data security frameworks and compliance standards.
• Customer & Partner Focused: Identifies develops and maintains profitable long-term customer and partner relationships; works effectively with internal and external business partners to meet customer requirements.

What’s in it for you?
 

• 3 days in the office, 2 days remote – with flexible hours to suit!
• Inclusive paid parental leave, up to 14 weeks for the primary care giver
• All Optus employees have access to resources, webinars and support via the ‘Parents at Work portal’
• Own your own growth by accessing an extensive online and facilitator led learning catalogue – even earn a MBA micro-credential via OptusU (University)
• Connect at work through one of our employee-led volunteer groups: Culture Connect, Elevate Women, Disability Network, Express Yourself (LGBTQIA+), United Veterans and Yarn Network
• Vibrant campus life, variety of facilities including restaurants, cafes, gymnasium, GP, and post office
• Free Optus bus from Macquarie University Metro Station (every 6-8 minutes); morning and afternoon!

Keen to see what it’s really like to work at Optus? Search #OptusLife on LinkedIn to go behind the scenes!

At Optus, we are strengthened by others and that means valuing diversity and saying ‘yes’ to embracing individual differences. We are committed to ensuring that our application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals from diverse gender, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals with a disability, individuals identifying as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals who may have served in the armed forces or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. If you require any adjustments or accessibility support to participate fairly and equitably in the recruitment process, please email AccessibleRecruitment@optus.com.au or call 1800 309 170 and we will be in touch.

For more information on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Optus, please visit https://www.optus.com.au/about/inclusion-diversity.

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