Lead Domain Architect - AI

Te Tākinatanga - Our Story 

Ko tā Contact e whakapono nei, ko te taiao tonu te taonga nui katoa o te ao. 

Koinei mātou e whai atu nei kia mahue atu i a mātou tētahi ao hauora ake, tēnā i te ora i kuhu ai mātou. 

He pakihi whakarato hiko, ipurangi mātou, engari arā kē atu anō ā mātou taha. 

Kei te whakawhanake mātou i ā mātou mahi ake, i ngā ara hoki e whai hiko ai a Aotearoa, kei te kōkiri kia tukua te hiko tukurua, ā, kei te whakaputa i tētahi wheako matihiko mō ā mātou kiritaki kāore anō kia kitea i tēnei whenua. 

He tīma kotahi mano mātou nō ngā hau e whā, e ngākau nui ana ki ā mātou mahi, e aroha ana tētahi ki tētahi, e ako ngātahi ana, e whakapono tahi ana ki ā mātou tikanga ārahi: mā te manaaki kia toa, ka mana te katoa. 

At Contact, we believe home is the most important place in the world. It's all part of our vision to leave Aotearoa better than we found it. We’re a power, mobile, and broadband company, but we’re so much more than that. We are transforming the ways we mahi, and how Aotearoa is powered, leading the charge on renewable energy and digitising customer journeys in ways not yet seen here. A team of 1000+ from all walks of life who love what we do, look out for each other, and learn from one another every day, we’re stoked to be guided by our tikanga: we touch lives to make life better. 

Our newly formed Technology Innovation team is driving a technology and data-led future, partnering with business teams to deliver innovative, user-centric solutions that make a real impact.

Kōrero mō te tūranga | About the role    

As our Lead Domain Architect – AI, you’ll be part of our Enterprise Architecture Chapter, bringing your know-how and leadership in AI/ML to the table. You’ll shape what our future AI landscape looks like, making sure we’ve got the right foundations in place to support our business strategy. You’ll work closely with the Technology Innovation team and other teams across the business to make sure we’re building AI/ML solutions that are solid, smart, and actually fit the bill.

Here’s what you’ll get up to:

• Take the lead on defining and rolling out our AI/ML roadmap, making sure it lines up with where we’re heading as a business.
• Keep everyone in the loop with the latest on tech standards, industry buzz, and what’s new out there.
• Help set up and support good processes, frameworks, and policies for AI/ML and data governance—so we’re always doing things right.
• Design AI/ML environments and solutions that are built to last—scalable, flexible, secure, and focused on what the business actually needs.
• Work hand-in-hand with teams across data science, analytics, and transformation, and be a go-to advisor in governance groups.
• Be a champion for best-practice architecture—sharing frameworks, patterns, and tools with the wider team.
• Play a key part in bringing Contact’s technology vision and strategy to life, helping drive us forward into the future.

Ko wai koe | About You   

We’re on the lookout for a team player who’s not just a great communicator and leader, but someone who knows how to bring people together and get things done. You’ll be building real, production-level AI/ML solutions—not just tinkering with concepts—and making a real impact.

• Hands-on experience delivering AI/ML projects that go live and deliver value (not just prototypes)
• Deep expertise in AI/ML architecture, strategy, and governance
• A solid grounding in machine learning frameworks, data science basics, and stats
• Know your way around ML/AI ops, model lifecycle management, LLMs, and cloud tech (especially AWS & Databricks)
• Master’s degree (or higher) in computer science, data science, AI, or machine learning
• Top-notch at communicating, influencing decisions, and working across teams and at all levels
• An open, supportive style—happy to coach and lift up others and bring them on the journey
• Decisive, but always keen to hear new ideas and feedback
• Skilled at building relationships and managing stakeholders

Even better if you also bring:

• Industry-wide experience and a track record of leading AI delivery
• Influence outside your own company—maybe you’ve helped shape best practices or worked with external groups
• Know-how in digital integration, enterprise systems, and data architecture
• Skills in governance, ethics, data quality, and keeping things secure

We want someone who’s collaborative, open-minded, and excited to help shape where Contact’s AI journey goes next. If most of this sounds like you—even if you’re not ticking every box—get in touch. We’d love to find out what you can bring to our team.

If you’re keen to make a genuine difference and help chart the course for AI at Contact, we’d love to hear from you—even if your experience doesn’t tick every box. We believe fresh perspectives drive innovation, and we’re excited about the unique strengths and ideas you’ll bring to the team.

We support our people to work how, where, and when works best. Most of the team are based in Wellington and Auckland, but we’re open to applications from all over Aotearoa. The role is critical as Contact ramps up its AI capabilities, and you’ll play a crucial part in establishing and scaling AI initiatives.

Contact is not a place you’ll stagnate. We are growing and offer superb learning and development opportunities along with a bunch of other perks like free health insurance cover, boosted KiwiSaver, access to Contact Shares, a ‘Good to be Home’ annual payment toward your home set up & wellbeing, a trail-blazing parental leave policy, discounts on Contact Energy products, and more.

This ad will close automatically on Thursday 20th November but we’re considering applications as they come in so apply now if you’re interested.

Here at Contact Energy (Te Mata Hiko), we know our strength lies in developing a sense of belonging - one that helps us attract and retain people with a broad range of perspectives and experiences.

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of our customers and communities to help build a better Aotearoa New Zealand.

We have a rich community of talented people that we support to thrive at Contact.

Our inclusive hiring process is designed to embrace the diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand, ensuring a wide range of perspectives are included in our decision-making and helping reduce bias along the way.

The wellbeing of our kaimahi is super important to us.

We use employee insights to offer a range of initiatives and resources to support physical, mental, financial and emotional wellbeing – including flexible working arrangements, employee network groups and a market-leading parental leave policy.

At Te Mata Hiko, we want everyone to thrive. We welcome applicants far and wide - of every age, stage, background, and pride. Join us and be part of a team that values your passion and attitude just as much as your experience and skills.

Please note, only candidates with the right to live and work in New Zealand will be considered for this role.

Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet 60% of the criteria, women and those in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they tick every box. We're not about box ticking, so if you think you have what it takes but don't meet everything stated above, please still get in touch. We'd love to kōrero.

Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) does not accept any CVs received from recruitment agencies where a formal engagement has not been confirmed and agreed to with our Talent team. In the event that unsolicited CVs are submitted by recruitment agencies, Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and consider them for current/future vacancies without any financial obligation to the recruitment agency in question. This will also apply to any CVs sent directly to line managers.