The world of data has changed
Modern data platforms and AI have changed the game. Building the pipeline isn’t the hard part anymore. Putting numbers on a dashboard isn’t either. The hard part is understanding the
business well enough to know which decisions actually matter, which questions
are worth answering, and which data the client should genuinely trust.
That’s what we’re hiring for. We need experienced data developers who can sit across from a client, understand their world, shape a data solution that genuinely fits, and then make it real.
The technical depth is what gives you credibility and what makes your recommendations have weight. But we need that depth paired with commercial awareness, and the consultative confidence to say, “here’s the data story you should actually be telling, here’s what I’d recommend building, and here’s why.”
What this role is, and what it isn’t
It is a developer role first, with deep data expertise on top. You’re someone who’s built things
beyond data work and brings that engineering rigour to data problems. You’ll be
writing code, designing pipelines, modelling data, building reliable platforms,
and helping clients figure out what’s worth building in the first place.
It isn’t a Data Reporting role. We’re not hiring someone to live in Power BI building reports against
data that already exists.
It isn’t a Data Scientist role. We’re not hiring someone to build statistical models or run ML
experiments.
This is the engineer who makes the data trustworthy, the platform reliable, the visualisations land, and the conversation with the client honest.
About Enlighten Designs
We’re an award-winning data and software agency, one of New Zealand’s leading Microsoft Partners with advanced specialisations in Analytics, Data and AI, and at the forefront of AI-enabled
delivery. As a proud Microsoft Partner in Data Journalism, we don’t just deliver data, we tell the stories inside it, designing and building intelligent data solutions that turn complex information into something decision-makers can act on, for clients across local, national, and international markets.
With 25+ years behind us, we combine deep technical capability with a genuinely people-first culture. We recently sponsored Outstanding AI Implementation at the Aotearoa AI Awards. We care about doing great work, building strong relationships, and creating an environment where talented humans thrive.
A week in your life
No two weeks are the same, but here’s a flavour:
Monday: You’re leading a discovery workshop with a new client. You’re asking the hard questions about how decisions get made, mapping their data sources and reporting pain points,
and starting to shape 2–3 solution options with trade-offs the client can
evaluate.
Tuesday: You’re pairing with a junior on a data model decision, then using AI-assisted workflows to
rapidly prototype an approach that de-risks a key assumption before you commit to it.
Wednesday: You’re writing a proposal section for a data platform engagement; scoping, estimating, and articulating the value case. You’re calibrating against historical data and flagging where the assumptions are thin.
Thursday: Heads-down delivery; building pipelines, writing SQL and Python/C#, modelling data,
leveraging AI tools to accelerate, reviewing PRs, and making sure the solution aligns with what the client actually needs (not just what the ticket says).
Friday: You’re running a client demo of a Power BI report you’ve designed to land a specific decision
(not just to show every chart you could fit on a page), facilitating a retrospective with your team, and mentoring a developer on how to translate a technical data update into the story a business stakeholder actually cares about.
What you’ll be doing
- Leading client engagements from discovery through
delivery; facilitating workshops, shaping data solutions, and maintaining
trusted advisor relationships
- Designing and building robust data solutions across the
Microsoft data stack (Azure Data Factory, Synapse, Fabric, Power BI, SQL) using
modern languages such as Python, C#, or JavaScript
- Designing reports and visualisations that don’t just
show the numbers, they tell the story decision-makers need to hear, and make
the right next action obvious
- Driving AI-enabled delivery. Integrating agentic tools
into your data engineering workflow, and evolving our SDLC and architecture
patterns (e.g. TDD for data warehouse work) so agentic approaches deliver
trustworthy data solutions
- Contributing to presales: discovery, solution shaping,
estimation, proposals, and value articulation for data and analytics work
- Presenting options with clear trade-offs, managing
scope and risk transparently, and recovering trust when things go sideways
- Mentoring and guiding other data developers, both
technically and in how they engage with clients
- Balancing commercial awareness with technical
excellence. Designing solutions that are right for the client, right for the
data, right for the timeline, and right for the business
What you bring
You’ve been around long enough to know that the best data solution isn’t always the most technically elegant one; it’s the one that fits the client’s reality and the decisions they need to make.
- 5+ years of software/data development experience, with
strong exposure to the Microsoft data stack, Azure Data Factory, Synapse,
Fabric, Power BI, SQL, alongside a programming language such as Python, C#, or
JavaScript
- Strong data engineering fundamentals. ETL/ELT, building
reliable and scalable pipelines, modelling foundations that survive changing
business requirements, and applying engineering best practices
- A sense for what makes a data visualisation land. Accurate,
clear, and built around the decision the user is trying to make
- Ability to mentally model and visualise data to solve
complex problems, and to communicate that thinking clearly to non-technical
stakeholders
- Demonstrated client-facing experience. You’ve been in
the room, run sessions, presented solutions, and handled the hard conversations
- A consultative mindset. You combine technical expertise
with clear communication, commercial instinct, and a genuine interest in
solving the client’s real problem
- Experience with Git, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code
in a modern development environment
- Experience contributing to estimation, scoping, or
proposal work
- Passion for leveraging AI tools to create value. Not
just using them, but thinking critically about when and how
- A balanced approach to mentoring
- Strong facilitation skills
- A relevant degree (Computer Science, Software
Engineering, Data, or similar) or equivalent practical experience
Why you’ll want this role
- Have real impact. Your recommendations shape which data
the client trusts and what gets built, not just how it’s wired up
- Work at a firm that’s genuinely leading in AI-enabled
delivery across New Zealand
- Complex, high-value data projects for enterprise
clients across a range of industries, all trying to work out how they can get
the most value from their data
- Help build the next generation of data developers
- Work with an extraordinary group of people who treat
talent as the organisation’s most valuable asset
- Flexible working arrangements. Hybrid from our Hamilton
office (at least two days a week)
- A collaborative, geeky environment where fun and
technical innovation coexist daily (ask us about regular games sessions, hacky standups, or why all the ducks)
Research shows women and other underrepresented groups are more likely to self-select out of applying for roles unless they match 100% of the criteria. If you are interested in this role and working with us at Enlighten, but your experience doesn’t line up exactly, please still consider applying. You could be the right person for us.
