Senior Data Engineer

Our Canberra-based federal government client is seeking to engage a suitably qualified and experienced Data Engineer to deliver and support a range of ICT projects/programs.

The Data Engineer will be required to work within multi-disciplinary project teams to design, develop, and optimise ETL and data pipelines producing analytical datasets embedded as part of data rich products supporting election systems. This role is pivotal in shaping the data architecture that underpins the client’s analytics, forecasting and business intelligence capabilities leveraging the full power of the Microsoft ecosystem.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced Data Engineer with expertise in implementing analytical solutions using Microsoft technologies working closely with stakeholders and data modellers to develop an end-to-end solution.

They will be a self-starter with strong communication skills, a robust understanding of the data modelling and ETL lifecycle and have a bias towards collaborative problem solving.

The candidate must hold an active NV1 security clearance prior to commencement.

Estimated start date - Monday, 05 October 2026

Initial contract duration - 05 October 2026 to 30 June 2027

Extension term - 12 months

Number of extensions - 1

Experience level - APS6 equivalent

Location of work - ACT, NSW (Canberra or Sydney)

Working arrangements - Hybrid

Maximum hours - 40 hours per week

Security clearance - Must be able to obtain Negative Vetting Level 1

Closing date - Monday August 31

The Data Engineer will be responsible for, but not limited to:

• Design and build ETL/ELT pipelines in Azure Data Factory and create/manage linked services, datasets, and integration runtimes.

• Write and optimize complex T-SQL (stored procedures, functions, views) and performance tuning, query optimization, execution plans, indexing strategy

• Manage source control with Git (branching strategy, pull requests) and maintain Azure DevOps pipelines for automated deployment of ADF resources and infrastructure across Dev . Test . Prod environments.

• Work across Azure services: Data Lake Storage (ADLS Gen2), Blob Storage, Azure SQL, Synapse, Key Vault, Azure Functions, Logic Apps.

• Monitor pipeline runs, set up alerts (Azure Monitor, Log Analytics) and troubleshoot failures and analyse logs, metrics, and monitoring dashboards to detect anomalies and failures early.

• Collaborate with data architects, data modellers, analysts, and business stakeholders to understand data requirements and translate them into technical solutions.

• Following the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) methodology for software development and contributing to Agile ceremonies.

• Production Support: Monitor, maintain, and support data integration workflows, pipelines, and ETL processes using Azure Data Factory.

• Incident Management: Respond to and resolve incidents, service requests, and system alerts related to data platform operations in a timely manner.

• Problem Resolution: Investigate, troubleshoot, and remediate data and infrastructure issues, working closely with development and infrastructure teams as needed.

• Ability to participate in on-call support rotations and respond to high-priority incidents as needed.

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills

• Adhering to coding best practices and the client’s code quality standards including version control, code documentation, and testing.

The client has specified that each candidate must provide a one page pitch to address all criteria specified. This is equal to 5000 characters.

Essential criteria

• Demonstrated experience designing, developing, and orchestrating scalable ETL/ELT pipelines using Azure Data Factory — including parameterized, metadata-driven pipelines, integration runtimes, incremental loads, and robust error handling to move and transform data from diverse sources.

• Advanced ability to write, optimize, and troubleshoot complex T-SQL (stored procedures, functions, views), design dimensional data models (star/snowflake schemas), and perform performance tuning through indexing and query optimization.

• Practical experience ingesting and exchanging data via REST/SOAP APIs handling authentication (OAuth2, tokens, managed identities), pagination, rate limiting, and parsing JSON/XML responses into structured, analytics-ready datasets.

• Exceptional communication and documentation abilities, with a proven track record of collaborating across technical and business teams.

• Solid understanding of the wider Azure ecosystem (ADLS Gen2, Azure SQL, Key Vault, Azure Functions, Synapse) combined with strong analytical and troubleshooting skills to monitor pipelines, diagnose failures, and apply security best practices.

Desirable criteria

• Background in building and managing CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps, enabling streamlined deployment and operational efficiency.

• Prior experience in federal government data domains.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g. Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Engineering).

Please provide a one-page pitch addressing the selection criteria, in addition to a resume of no more than three pages, contact details for two referees and your preferred hourly or daily rate.

Candidates outside of Australia will not be considered for this role.

Why Data Knowhow?

As a contractor with Data Knowhow, you will be provided with mentoring and training to advance your career opportunities - we are keen to support you in your career journey and expand future opportunities for you. Data Knowhow provide expertise in data management, analytics and communication, with our staff mentoring and supporting you during your placement with our clients.

Data Knowhow provides EAP services managed by Wisdom Wellbeing ( https://www.wisdomwellbeing.com/au/) and salary sacrificing opportunities offered through Simplygreen ( https://www.simplygreen.com.au/).

12% superannuation is provided on top of your requested daily rate if you are successful in this position.

We are continually expanding our offerings to make life as a Data Knowhow employee a valuable experience.

Applications close Monday 31 August, 2026.

Lisa Cornish

Director, Data Knowhow

***email_hidden***

+61 412 073 ***