Our client is a Federal Government organisation delivering nationally significant scientific data, digital infrastructure and earth observation capabilities. Their work supports government, academia and industry through access to satellite imagery, spatial data and digital tools that help identify and understand physical changes across Australia and the Indo-Pacific.
They are seeking an experienced Lead Data Engineer to join a specialist Data Operations team supporting the maintenance and delivery of scientific products and infrastructure capabilities.
About the Role
As the Lead Data Engineer, you will work across data management, IT systems and earth observation product support, providing both hands-on engineering expertise and technical leadership.
The position has a strong focus on cloud-based data engineering, orchestration, containerisation and Python development, while ensuring security is embedded throughout solutions and delivery pipelines.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Designing, developing, validating, maintaining and optimising machine learning workflows through orchestration, testing and documentation.
- Supporting the development and maintenance of data sourcing, ingestion and transformation pipelines.
- Contributing to the development, testing and maintenance of the Open Data Cube code base.
- Implementing, maintaining and improving automated testing and deployment pipelines within AWS environments.
- Providing technical leadership across software development and championing secure, high-quality engineering practices, tools and standards.
- Supporting knowledge transfer and upskilling of Earth Observation Scientists and providing guidance on improvements to existing algorithms.
- Embedding security tools and practices within systems and CI/CD pipelines.
- Helping ensure services and components remain available and high performing.
- Working collaboratively across technical teams while contributing to a strong, collaborative engineering culture.
The Successful Candidate
To succeed in this position, you will be an accomplished Data Engineer who can combine strong hands-on engineering capability with technical leadership and stakeholder engagement.
You will bring:
- Demonstrated experience working with large geospatial datasets in a cloud environment.
- Comprehensive understanding of protocols associated with data access and editing.
- Strong experience designing, developing and maintaining modern data ingestion, transformation and processing pipelines.
- Expertise in data engineering orchestration, containerisation and Python.
- Experience providing strategic advice and guidance on the effective use and reuse of data processes, systems and tools.
- The ability to provide technical leadership across software development and drive the adoption of effective engineering practices, tools and standards.
- A strong understanding of delivering secure, reliable and high-quality technical solutions.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Strong relationship-building and collaborative skills, with the ability to contribute positively to an inclusive, high-performing team environment.
This is an excellent opportunity for a senior data engineering professional who enjoys solving complex data challenges and wants to work with large-scale geospatial and earth observation data in a modern cloud environment.
Why partner with Whizdom?
We’re Whizdom. We view you as an extension of our strong, dependable brand and have differentiators which really are different! The Whizdom way:
- We pay our contractors same day you submit your timesheet!
- We are Level 3, DISP certified and have signed the Veteran Employment Commitment and been awarded the highest level of compliance to this important initiative, proactively assisting veterans transitioning from the forces to civilian roles. We’ve been lucky enough to win industry awards for our high level of process compliance and are ISO 9001 certified. Our commitment to reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions has been accredited in line with large global organisations.
- We value diversity and welcome applications from Indigenous Australians, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and people living with a disability.
Location: The role is based in Canberra ACT.
Contract terms: 12 months from commencement date, plus 1x 6 month extension
Security Requirements: Candidates must hold a minimum Baseline security clearance
How to Apply: Please upload your resume to apply. Please note you will need to complete selection criteria to complete this application process. We will be in touch with instructions for suitably skilled candidates.
Candidates will need to be willing to undergo pre-employment screening checks which may include, ID and work rights, security clearance verification and any other client requested checks.
Applications open until 8am 13 November 2026.
Reach Damien on 0480 002 503 or damienm@whizdom.com.au for any further information.
