We are looking for a senior, technically credible analyst-advocate on data platform and data product engagements, acting as the customer’s proxy inside delivery. This is a data specialist, not a software or process BA: the person understands how data moves, how it is structured, where it comes from and what it means in business terms, reads data models and source-to-target mappings, and gets into the data to verify it. SQL fluency is essential. You will understand the client’s problem more deeply than anyone in the room, form and defend a clear point of view, shape the solution alongside the tech lead, and turn that into the requirements and documentation that keep engagements moving. Because this is a consulting role, you can also step beyond requirements into a data product lens, thinking in outcomes, prioritisation and value when an engagement calls for it. It flexes across data platform, data product and governance initiatives.
Requirements
Required background:
- A data-focused technical BA, engagement analyst or consultant, or an engineer / analyst who moved into the analyst seat, or wants to
- Deep data understanding: how data moves, is structured, where it
- comes from and what it means in business terms
- SQL-fluent (must-have): explores, profiles and validates data independently
- Reads and reasons about data models and source-to-target mappings; knows a modern cloud data stack and ETL / ELT
- Strong requirements craft: elicitation, workshops, acceptance criteria, backlog, RAID
- Not a software, process or ERP BA; user-story-only BAs without SQL are not a fit
Core capabilities:
- Data fluency: how data moves, is structured, sourced, and what it means in business terms
- Requirements elicitation, analysis and prioritisation
- Customer advocacy and stakeholder proxy
- Critical thinking, problem solving and logical reasoning
- Translation between business intent and technical delivery
- Workshop facilitation, acceptance criteria, validation and UAT
Technologies and ecosystems, exposure to – not mandatory:
- SQL (must-have, fluent: explore, profile, validate)
- Data modelling and source-to-target mapping
- Modern stack: Databricks / Snowflake / BigQuery, dbt, Azure / AWS / GCP
- Pipelines and ETL / ELT; Jira / Confluence
- Written and communication capabilities:
- Strong, structured written craft: status reports, proposals, specs
- Clear executive communication; produces high-quality material independently
About Simple Machines
Simple Machines is a global, independent technology consultancy operating across Sydney, New Zealand, London, Poland and San Francisco. We design and build modern data platforms, intelligent systems, and bespoke software at the intersection of Data Engineering, Software Engineering and AI.
We help enterprises, scale-ups, and government turn complex, high-value data into products, platforms, and decisions that drive real impact.
We don't do generic. We build things that matter - We engineer data to life™.
Skills Required
- SQL fluency (explore, profile, validate data independently)
- Deep data understanding: how data moves, is structured, sourced, and what it means in business terms
- Reads and reasons about data models and source-to-target mappings
- Knowledge of modern cloud data stack and ETL/ELT processes
- Strong requirements craft: elicitation, workshops, acceptance criteria, backlog management, RAID
- Customer advocacy and stakeholder proxying skills
- Workshop facilitation, validation, UAT experience
- Data-focused technical BA, engagement analyst, consultant, or engineer-turned-analyst background
- Strong written communication: status reports, proposals, specifications, executive communication
- Familiarity with Databricks, Snowflake, BigQuery, dbt, Azure, AWS, GCP (exposure preferred)
- Experience with Jira and Confluence (preferred)
What We Do
Simple Machines is a global team of creative engineers and expert technologists. We partner with organisations to unleash their data’s potential in new and impactful ways. We design and build data platforms and unique software products. We create and deploy intelligent systems. We engineer data to life. Our heritage is architecting and engineering highly performant, distributed, data driven platforms and data driven applications that perform at massive scale. We partner with enterprise, governments and global technology companies to put their data to work in the real world. Simple Machines is partners with leading technology providers including GCP, AWS, Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, Confluent, Immuta. Sydney | London | Christchurch | San Francisco
