Senior AI Engineer

JobsCloseBy Editorial Insights

Air New Zealand is seeking a Senior AI Data Engineer to join our Christchurch on-site, full-time team, part of the Data & AI Chapter spanning Commercial, Corporate, Cargo, Operational and Engineering domains. You’ll design trusted, AI‑ready data products and scalable pipelines that power analytics, automation and AI‑driven decision making, collaborating with both technical and non technical stakeholders and mentoring engineers while advancing DataOps, CI/CD, automated testing and observability under enterprise governance. The ideal candidate has proven enterprise‑scale data product delivery, strong ELT/ETL and data modelling, cloud experience (AWS, Azure or GCP), and hands‑on AI capabilities such as AI agents and semantic retrieval. To apply, tailor your resume to show measurable outcomes, clear business impact, and examples of cross‑domain collaboration, and note your ability to work onsite in Christchurch with Auckland support. Applications close 30 August 2026; benefits include travel discounts, FlexiLeave and development pathways, plus KiwiSaver.

Job Description

Kia ora!

At Air New Zealand, we're harnessing the power of data and AI to transform how we operate, innovate, and serve our customers. As a Senior AI Data Engineer, you'll play a key role in designing and delivering trusted, AI-ready data products and intelligent solutions that drive analytics, automation, and AI-powered decision-making across the airline. Working within our highly engaged Data & AI Chapter area and Agile Tribes spanning Commercial, Corporate, Cargo, Operational, and Engineering domains, you'll collaborate with diverse teams to solve complex business challenges at scale.

In this role, you will work with other both technical and non-technical stakeholders as a small team to establish Data and AI capabilities for the business area in Christchurch. You will have support from the strong team based in Auckland when needed.

This is an exciting opportunity to combine deep data engineering expertise with emerging AI technologies including AI agents, semantic retrieval, and AI-assisted engineering - to create reusable, governed, and high-performing data solutions that shape the future of aviation.

How you’ll make an impact: 

• Enable AI capabilities including intelligent automation, semantic retrieval, and AI-assisted workflows 
• Design and deliver scalable, trusted data products that support analytics, automation, and AI solutions 
• Enable data, information, knowledge or assets required for GenAI agents to use effectively 
• Build and optimise cloud-based data pipelines, semantic models, and reusable engineering frameworks 
• Drive engineering excellence through DataOps, CI/CD, automated testing, and observability practices 
• Ensure data products are governed, discoverable, secure, and aligned with enterprise standards 
• Partner with stakeholders to solve complex business challenges using data and AI 
• Mentor engineers and contribute to engineering standards, capability uplift, and innovation 

What we’re looking for: 

• Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale data products and modern cloud data platforms. 
• Strong expertise in data modelling, ELT/ETL and agentic analytic capabilities such as Snowflake Co-Work. 
• Experienced in AI solutions, including AI agents, semantic retrieval, intelligent automation, or AI-assisted engineering. 
• Experience with cloud technologies such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. 
• Experience with DataOps, CI/CD, automation, testing, and Infrastructure as Code. 
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to translate technical concepts into business outcomes. 
• AI first, able to deliver these using AI is advantageous. 

If you bring most of this experience, along with transferable skills and the drive to grow, we’d love to hear from you. 

Why join Air New Zealand? 

We want our people to live their best lives and access great benefits that support their lives outside work. Benefits include:  

• Discounted travel for you, your friends, and whānau 
• FlexiLeave, giving you the option to purchase up to four additional weeks of leave each year 
• Learning and development opportunities to support your growth and career progression 
• KiwiSaver and FlexiSaver contributions to help you plan for the future 

Ready for take-off? 

If you’re passionate about building trusted data foundations, enabling AI at scale, and influencing the future of engineering, we’d love to hear from you. Join a team where innovation, collaboration, and customer impact go hand in hand. 

Applications close on Sunday 30 August 2026. 

Additional Information

At Air New Zealand, we are proudly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and believe in creating a truly inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and thrive. Our people are our greatest asset – because while everything else we do in our operation can be replicated by our competitors, it is our people that truly set us apart. We are firm believers in celebrating the differences and diversity of thought our people bring to their roles. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, including those with a disability, additional health and mental health needs, and/or are neurodiverse to apply for our roles.

If you have encountered any accessibility barriers and require further information or reasonable accommodations to our recruitment process, please reach out to the recruiter listed on this job advert so they are able to support you to freely participate equitably in our recruitment and selection process.

Whāia te pae tawhiti kia tata. Ko te pae tata whakamaua, kia tina.

"Seek to bring distant horizons closer. Once near, seize them and make them your reality."