Senior AI Data Engineer

About the Role

Air New Zealand is using data and artificial intelligence to improve how the business operates, innovates, and supports customers. In this senior role, you will help shape trusted, AI-ready data products and intelligent solutions that power analytics, automation, and AI-led decisions across the airline. You will work within the Data & AI Chapter and Agile Tribes across Commercial, Corporate, Cargo, Operational, and Engineering areas, partnering with different teams to solve large-scale business problems.

This position blends advanced data engineering with newer AI capabilities such as AI agents, semantic retrieval, and AI-assisted engineering. Your work will focus on building reusable, governed, and high-performance data solutions that support the future of aviation.

Key Impact Areas

• Support AI use cases through intelligent automation, semantic retrieval, and AI-enabled workflows.
• Develop scalable and reliable data products that serve analytics, automation, and AI needs.
• Prepare the data, information, knowledge, and related assets that GenAI agents need to operate effectively.
• Create and refine cloud-based data pipelines, semantic models, and reusable engineering patterns.
• Strengthen engineering quality through DataOps, CI/CD, automated testing, and observability practices.
• Keep data products governed, searchable, secure, and aligned with enterprise standards.
• Work with stakeholders to address complex business challenges using data and AI.
• Coach other engineers and help improve engineering standards, team capability, and innovation.

What You Should Bring

We are looking for someone with experience delivering enterprise-level data products and modern cloud data platforms. Strong capability in SQL, data modelling, analytics engineering, and ELT/ETL design is important, with Snowflake experience preferred. You should also have exposure to cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

A solid understanding of DataOps, CI/CD, automation, testing, and Infrastructure as Code is expected. Experience with AI-enabling work such as AI agents, semantic retrieval, intelligent automation, or AI-assisted engineering will be valuable. You should be comfortable working with stakeholders and explaining technical ideas in business-friendly terms.

A relevant tertiary qualification is preferred, and industry certifications would be an advantage. If you have most of this experience along with transferable skills and a willingness to learn, the employer encourages you to apply.

Benefits

• Discounted travel for you, your friends, and whānau.
• FlexiLeave, which allows you to buy up to four extra weeks of leave each year.
• Learning and development support to grow your skills and career.
• KiwiSaver and FlexiSaver contributions to support your future planning.

Additional Information

Air New Zealand says it is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and aims to provide a workplace where people can be themselves and succeed. The company values differences and diverse thinking across its teams. Candidates from diverse backgrounds, including people with disabilities, additional health or mental health needs, and neurodiverse applicants, are encouraged to apply.

If you face accessibility barriers or need reasonable adjustments during recruitment, you can contact the recruiter named in the advert for support so you can participate fairly in the process.

Applications close on 22 July 2026.

Kia ora. “Seek to bring distant horizons closer. Once near, seize them and make them your reality.”