Senior Platform Engineer
Date: 6 May 2026
Location: Wellington, NZ
Company: Ministry of Social Development
- Own and shape the Azure platform for a small, high impact central agency
- Hands on, senior technical role with real influence over design and standards
- Permanent role, Wellington based with flexible working options
It’s an exciting time to join us as we continue to grow and mature our technology platforms to support better social outcomes for New Zealanders. This role offers the opportunity to work across the full lifecycle of a modern Azure environment and make a tangible difference in how government delivers social services.
Kōrero mō te tūranga | About the role
As our Senior Platform Engineer, you will be the technical authority for the Social Investment Agency’s Azure platform and Azure‑based data services. This is a senior, hands‑on engineering role where you will design, build, operate and continuously improve secure, reliable, and well‑governed cloud environments.
You’ll have end‑to‑end ownership of our Azure environments and play a key role in how our platforms integrate across the wider technology landscape. This includes designing and operating integrations with core business systems such as Salesforce and Oracle, and working closely with colleagues and vendors as we implement and embed a new security tooling suite across the organisation.
Key aspects of the role include:
- Designing, operating, and uplifting Azure platform and data services, including production support and incident response
- Owning and improving integrations between Azure and enterprise platforms such as Salesforce and Oracle
- Implementing and operationalising security tooling and controls as part of our evolving security ecosystem
- Driving automation and DevOps practices to improve reliability, security, and delivery outcomes
- Acting as a trusted technical advisor, setting standards, documenting platforms, and mentoring others
This role combines deep technical delivery with pragmatic leadership and influence, and is well suited to someone who enjoys owning complex environments and making them work together safely and effectively.
He kōrero mōu | About you
We’re looking for an experienced cloud or platform engineer who enjoys owning complex environments end‑to‑end and working close to the technology.
You’ll bring strong Azure experience and be comfortable operating in a regulated environment, balancing best practice with what’s appropriate for a small but growing agency.
You will ideally have:
- Extensive hands‑on experience designing and operating Microsoft Azure environments
- Strong capability across platform engineering, DevOps, automation, and operational support
- Experience implementing security, governance, and access controls in regulated or government contexts
- Confidence communicating complex technical concepts clearly to a range of audiences
- A practical, solution‑focused mindset with a strong sense of ownership and accountability
You don’t need to meet every requirement — we’re interested in what strengths and experience you’ll bring, and how you’ll contribute to lifting platform maturity over time.
Utu ā-tau | Salary
The salary range for this role is $126,905 to $179,160. Starting salaries reflect skills and experience relevant to the role with offers generally made between $126,905 - $149,300.
Ko wai mātou | About us
The Social Investment Agency is a central agency, set up to lead the social investment approach to improve people’s lives and to support the Government to achieve better outcomes from social service expenditure. Social investment involves using data to understand people’s needs and the best prevention points, implementing evidence-based approaches to improving outcomes, and testing that they’ve been successful. The Agency has a particular focus on cross-sector work to address the most pervasive social sector challenges.
We are committed to have a safe and inclusive workplace and we value the diversity everyone brings. We are proud to have achieved the Rainbow Tick and the Domestic Violence Free Tick.
We welcome applications from everyone, regardless of gender identity, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or religion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so we can assist you through the recruitment process.
Tono mai | How to Apply
To apply for this role please click the ‘Apply Now’ button and follow the online process. To view a copy of the position description please click here.
Applications close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 20 May 2026; however, we will review applications as they come in and may invite people to interview before the close date. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if an ideal person is found before the close date.
If you have any questions, please email peopleandculture@sia.govt.nz
We look forward to receiving your application.
