Summary:
As a Principal Consultant – Data and AI, you will work at the intersection of data strategy, modern architecture, and AI enablement — guiding clients from ambition to execution, and from experimentation to scale. Enterprise AI is no longer a future ambition; it is happening now, and the organisations that get it right are the ones with
the right people shaping it. This is not a role for someone who wants to
maintain the status quo. It is for someone who wants to define what comes next.
You will be the person in the room who can translate complexity into clarity, challenge thinking at the executive level, and still roll up your sleeves to build and deploy the
solution. This is a permanent, full-time role based in Christchurch with hybrid
working arrangements.
Responsibilities:
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Shape AI-ready enterprises: Lead strategic engagements that help clients define and deliver data and AI roadmaps — from the foundations that make AI trustworthy, to the agentic architectures that make it transformative.
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Architect modern data platforms: Design and deliver scalable, governed data platforms across MS Fabric, Databricks, Snowflake, and beyond. You know the trade-offs, you have made the calls, and you can defend them in front of an engineering team and a CFO alike. Ensure solutions embed lineage, quality, security, and access controls — the foundations that separate AI that works from AI that creates risk.
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Lead pre-sales and solution design: Bring technical credibility and strategic depth to client conversations. Shape proposals, respond to complex RFXs, author statements of work, and help prospective clients understand what is genuinely possible and what it takes to get there.
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Drive client relationships: Build trusted advisor relationships with business and technical stakeholders.You are as comfortable engaging with senior client stakeholders on data and AI strategy as you are reviewing a data model with a senior engineer. Identify and develop opportunities for value creation that support Data Domain’s growth.
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Mentor and uplift: Coach mid-level consultants, share what you know, and invest in the capability of the team around you. Support recruitment, onboarding, and a culture of continuous learning, experimentation, and innovation.
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Stay ahead: The data and AI landscape is moving faster than at any point in its history. Track it, synthesise it, and bring informed perspectives to clients and colleagues. Contribute to the development of new service offerings, solution accelerators, and thought leadership content.
Qualifications:
- 15+ years in data consulting, architecture, or advanced analytics roles.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science or a related field.
- Deep hands-on experience delivering cloud data platforms i.e. Azure, AWS, Snowflake, Databricks, MS Fabric, BigQuery, or similar.
- Experience with data transformation and orchestration tooling i.e. dbt, Coalesce, Apache Airflow, Prefect.
- The ability to move fluently between executive stakeholders and engineering teams without losing credibility in either room.
- Hands-on experience with Agentic AI solutions, AI/ML data pipelines, or real-time streaming architectures.
- Strong AI and ML enablement experience i.e. understanding how data architecture decisions upstream determine AI outcomes downstream.
- Expertise across data strategy, governance, architecture, modelling, and engineering. Proven pre-sales capability, including proposal responses, commercial shaping, client discovery, and the ability to translate a client’s ambition into a credible, costed engagement.
- A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or a related field.
- Relevant certifications across cloud platforms, tools, and methodologies i.e. Databricks, Snowflake, MS Fabric, Data Modelling, PRINCE2, Agile, DAMA.
- People leadership experience.
Key Performance Indicators:
Client Leadership & Engagement
- Serve as a senior trusted advisor to client stakeholders, guiding them on data and AI strategy, modern architecture, agentic systems, and AI enablement.
- Lead and deliver high-impact data, analytics, and AI consulting engagements from discovery to execution.
- Translate complex business challenges into data-driven solutions and roadmaps.
- Build strong, long-term client relationships and identify new opportunities for value creation.
- Identify solutions and spot opportunities for value-adds which supports Data Domain’s sales teams.
Solution Design & Delivery
- Design and deliver scalable, governed data platforms and AI solutions across MS Fabric, Databricks, Snowflake, BigQuery, and the broader modern data and AI stack.
- Lead and deliver data and AI engagements end-to-end — from discovery and architecture through to deployment
and adoption — ensuring solutions embed data quality, lineage, security, and
governance from the outset.
- Ensure project delivery excellence, managing quality, timelines, and stakeholder expectations.
- Collaborate with personnel such as data engineers, analysts, and data scientists to ensure cohesive, scalable solutions.
Thought Leadership & Innovation
- Act as a thought leader on data, AI, and agentic technology trends — both internally and externally — synthesising what is happening in the market and bringing informed perspectives to clients and colleagues.
- Develop and present whitepapers, case studies, and frameworks to showcase our expertise.
- Contribute to the development of new service offerings and solution accelerators.
Team & Practice Development
- Mentor and develop consultants, analysts, and technical specialists within the team.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, and capability building across the team.
- Champion a culture of continuous learning, experimentation, and innovation.
