About the role:

This role provides the opportunity to join a progressive and forward-thinking organization at the cutting edge of agri-tech. As a pivotal role within LIC Agritechnology, you will have the support of the business and senior leaders who understand the value that the technology function brings to LIC. The team you will lead is highly engaged and genuinely passionate about driving LIC's mission to deliver superior genetics and technological innovation to dairy farmers.

In this role, you will lead our Data Platform as a Service (PaaS) initiatives, primarily focusing on the analytics side of the business. You will design, implement, and maintain scalable data solutions that enable seamless data sharing and integration across the organization. Your expertise in automation scripts, Terraform as code, and PaaS thinking will be crucial in driving efficiency and innovation.

Key responsibilities:

• Solution Design: Work with the Principal Technologist and Product Owner to design systems that achieve business goals within time and budget constraints.
• Delivery Management: Manage the end-to-end delivery of products and systems, ensuring they meet quality and operational standards.
• Team Culture: Cultivate a high-performing, engaged team that embodies LIC's values and strives for continuous improvement.
• Leadership: Mentor and coach team members, upholding high standards and technical integrity across all solutions.
• Technical Skills: Leverage tools like WhereScape RED, SAP Business Objects, Snowflake, Tableau, Confluent, Python, SparkSQL, Terraform templates, CI/CD pipelines, and event processing with Confluent Kafka and Flink to drive innovation and efficiency.
• Platform Skills: Apply PaaS thinking, automation scripting, Terraform as code, SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management), and IAM (Identity and Access Management) to ensure seamless data sharing and integration using Open Data Lake formats like Delta and Iceberg.

Why join us?

Joining LIC Agritechnology means becoming part of a dynamic environment where your contributions directly impact the success of dairy farmers. You'll work with cutting-edge technology and a passionate team, all while enjoying the support and recognition from senior leaders who value the technology function. This role not only offers professional growth but also the chance to make a meaningful difference in the agri-tech industry.

About you:

Our ideal candidate will bring a blend of technical expertise, leadership skills, and a passion for innovation. You will be someone who thrives in a dynamic environment and is committed to driving value for our farmers through cutting-edge technology solutions.

To ensure your success, you will demonstrate:

• Technical Proficiency: Strong working knowledge of large-scale software systems, automation techniques (CI/CD, IaC, test automation), and current development tools and techniques.
• Leadership Skills: Proven experience in coaching, mentoring, and managing teams, with the ability to foster a high-performing, engaged team culture.
• Business Acumen: Strong business engagement skills, with the ability to strategize, conceptualize, and design solutions that align with business goals.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, enabling you to convey technical ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience: 2+ years as a technical or team leader in an agile software development environment, and 4+ years in Data Engineering or solution architecture.
• Education: A degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience in software engineering or architecture.

In return:

Based 10 minutes from Hamilton, in a semi-rural location, the role provides the opportunity for a lifestyle change for those seeking a better work -life balance and wanting to escape the 'rat race' and cost of living in bigger cities. Alternatively, we are open to flexible and remote working arrangements.

In addition to a competitive salary, you'll receive some great benefits including:

• Extra leave days
• Flexible working options
• Discounted health, life, income and disability insurances
• Access to our employee shares scheme
• Wellbeing discounts
• Free onsite parking
• Our Hamilton office is located in a park-like setting, with tennis court, pool, and onsite café and social club!

This is a highly visible and pivotal role, where you'll have plenty of opportunity to achieve great results. You'll be joining a values-led, progressive organisation, where you'll play a role in driving the future of dairy in NZ.

About LIC: 

LIC have been pioneering innovative farming solutions for over a century, and today, we're proudly NZ's leading agri-tech and dairy herd improvement cooperative. Ranked #8 in the latest TIN200 top tech companies in NZ, we're busy implementing software solutions that are set to revolutionise NZ-centric products on a global scale. Join us as we redefine the landscape of farm information solutions!