Senior AI and Data Analytics Architect

About us

At Sydney Water, we’re passionate about making a difference to the lives of our customers and communities, and our employees. We have a proud heritage and a progressive future, providing world class drinking water and beautiful waterways from the mountains to the sea. Our people and their jobs are as diverse as the communities we serve. 

About the role

The Senior AI and Data Analytics Architect is responsible for providing enterprise-wide data, analytics, and AI architectural expertise, governance, and solution design to support a range of strategic initiatives across Sydney Water.

This role ensures that all data, analytics, and AI solutions align with established architectural standards, policies, and guidelines, while contributing to their ongoing development and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Provide architectural leadership and oversight across data, analytics, and AI initiatives.
• Ensure alignment of projects with enterprise architecture standards, governance frameworks, and best practices.
• Develop and maintain reusable solution patterns to guide consistent implementation across the organisation.
• Ensure compliance with data privacy, security, and ethical AI principles in all solution designs.
• Evaluate and recommend tools, platforms, frameworks, and methodologies for enterprise adoption.
• Define and promote best practices for AI/ML model development, deployment, monitoring, and lifecycle management.
• Ensure seamless integration of data, analytics, and AI solutions with enterprise data platforms and broader technology ecosystems.
• Collaborate with business and technology stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable, value-driven solutions.
• Contribute to the continuous evolution and maturity of Sydney Water’s data, analytics, and AI capabilities.

Qualification and Experience:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent, with demonstrated experience in Data and Analytics architecture delivery.
• Extensive experience in an Architect and/or similar role, with significant years of experience in IT, focusing on developing and managing Data & Analytics (D&A) and AI architectures.
• Proven track record in architecting, designing, delivering, and managing end-to-end D&A and AI platforms, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Expertise in evaluating and recommending AI tools, frameworks, and methodologies for enterprise adoption.

Desired:

• Certifications in Azure, Databricks, and AI
• Master’s degree in computer science

Key Skills & Requirements

Databricks Technical Expertise:

• Expertise in - Delta Lake (ACID transactions, time travel, schema evolution; Databricks SQL and performance optimization
• Experience designing end-to-end data pipelines (batch + streaming)
• Knowledge of Unity Catalog (data governance, access control, lineage

AI / Machine Learning / Advanced Analytics

• Strong understanding of Generative AI (LLMs, prompt engineering, RAG frameworks)
• Databricks ML / AutoML capabilities
• Familiarity with AI governance, ethics, and responsible AI principles

Data Architecture & Engineering

• Design of modern data architectures Lakehouse, Data Mesh, Data Fabric
• Streaming architectures (Kafka, Event Hub)
• Experience with APIs and connectors between Databricks and Collibra

Applicants must be Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents.

Dive into Our Great Benefits: 

• Competitive Compensation: We’ll ensure that your skills and contributions are valued and rewarded appropriately. 
• Hybrid Work Environment: We offer a hybrid work model that balances remote work and office collaboration, supporting our team's productivity and well-being. 
• Continuous Professional Growth: We will invest in your career with leadership and development programs to propel your success. 
• Novated Leasing: Get in the driver's seat of your financial future with our novated lease options.

Closing date: 21 June 2026

Please see the position description for the role’s full accountabilities.

For more information, you can contact sunil.nagarajan@sydneywater.com.au

Sydney Water welcomes you to apply if you feel you meet the selection criteria. The successful completion of a Criminal History Check and Medical Assessment form part of the application process. Please advise if you require any adjustments to actively participate in the application and recruitment process.

Our vision is to create better lives through world-class services, and we believe that starts with our people. Our people and their jobs are as diverse as the communities we serve. Our diverse skills, mindsets and backgrounds work together on exciting and challenging projects that make a difference and help ensure Sydney remains one of the most iconic and liveable cities in the world.

 We welcome and encourage applications from diverse backgrounds, including First Nations people, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disability, people with caring responsibilities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and veterans. 

 As part of the application process, Sydney Water will be collecting your personal information to assess your suitability for the role. We will also use your personal information to establish a LiveHire talent profile in our Talent Community. We look at our Talent Community first when new opportunities come up when you apply for a role. Your personal information will be collected in accordance with LiveHire’s Terms, Privacy Policy and Sydney Water’s Privacy