Cloud Platform Lead

Job Description

Kia Ora!

Air New Zealand is on a bold journey to become the world’s leading digital airline. Our Cloud Platform Lead role (Internal job title: Senior Infrastructure Operations Specialist) sits at the heart of this transformation, shaping the platforms that power digital products used by millions of travellers and internal teams every day. This is an opportunity to influence how we deliver seamless digital experiences at scale and lead the way in cloud innovation. 

As part of our Digital Platforms Tribe, you will bring vision, technical expertise, and leadership to a highly skilled squad. This role is about more than just managing infrastructure; it is about enabling product teams, driving adoption of cloud-first practices, and building platforms that are secure, scalable, and future-fit. At Air New Zealand, you will be part of an environment that encourages growth, embraces diverse perspectives, and positions you to make an enterprise-wide impact. 

How you’ll make an impact 

• Contribute to and deliver the strategy, roadmap, and standards for Air New Zealand’s Cloud platform portfolio across AWS, Azure and Google Cloud.  
• Employ strong product management practices for cloud platforms, balancing innovation with operational excellence. 
• Embed FinOps practices that drive value, efficiency, and cost transparency. 
• Enable product teams through self-service approaches that reduce toil and improve developer experience. 
• Oversee governance, risk management, and compliance for critical platforms. 
• Manage key vendor relationships, including hyperscale cloud providers and system integrators. 
• Lead a high-performing squad of architects, engineers, and specialists to deliver secure, resilient, and always-on platforms. 
• Drive continuous improvements to balance customer needs with operational stability. 

What we’re looking for 

• Proven leadership experience in motivating, coaching, and growing technical teams. 
• Expertise in AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, with strong knowledge of cloud governance frameworks. 
• Experience managing the full product lifecycle, from strategy through to delivery. 
• Solid background in DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering practices. 
• Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complexity and influence diverse stakeholders. 
• Commercial acumen, including experience managing budgets and business cases. 
• Collaborative and relationship-focused, with the ability to navigate competing priorities. 

If you meet most of these criteria and are excited by the opportunity to shape Air New Zealand’s digital future, we’d love to hear from you. 

• What’s in it for you
• We want our people to live their best lives and access great benefits that support them both inside and outside of work. As part of our whānau, you’ll enjoy: 
• Discounted travel for you and your whānau on Air New Zealand and partner airlines. 
• FlexiLeave, giving you the option to purchase up to 4 extra weeks off each year. 
• Access to Koruhealth, our low-cost medical cover scheme exclusive to Air New Zealanders and their families. 
• Up to 4% matching employer contributions to KiwiSaver or FlexiSaver. 
• A learning culture that accelerates your development and supports your next step, not just your current role. 
• Ready for take-off? 
• Join us in shaping the future of digital aviation. If you are ready to lead platforms that make a difference at scale, we encourage you to apply today. 

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."