Senior Digital Architect

At the Civil Aviation Authority, we don’t just keep New Zealand’s skies safe and secure, we help shape the future of aviation.

• Lead enterprise architecture with organisation-wide impact.
• Influence strategic technology decisions and future direction.
• Deliver solutions that support aviation safety outcomes.

About the Role

As Senior Digital Architect, you’ll play a key role in shaping the technology solutions that enable the Civil Aviation Authority to deliver on its safety and regulatory responsibilities. Working closely with business leaders, digital specialists, and external partners, you’ll provide architectural leadership across a range of initiatives, ensuring technology investments are practical, secure, scalable, and aligned with organisational objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of solution architectures across business and technology initiatives.
• Provide expert architectural advice and guidance to project teams and stakeholders.
• Develop architecture options and recommendations that support strategic outcomes.
• Ensure solutions align with enterprise standards, security requirements, and best practice.
• Partner with stakeholders to understand operational needs and translate them into effective solutions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to improve organisational capability.
• Lead architectural decision-making and maintain clear design documentation.
• Review and validate technical designs to ensure solutions are fit for purpose.
• Prepare business cases, including analysis of costs, risks, impacts, and benefits.
• Support the ongoing development of system, data, infrastructure, and network architecture capabilities.

The salary band for this role is $136,939 - $168,191. Starting salaries are based on knowledge, skills and experience the successful candidate brings to the role, as well as internal relativities.

For more information on the role please view the position description.

What You'll Bring

You’ll be a strategic thinker who enjoys solving complex problems and influencing technology decisions that deliver tangible business outcomes. You'll combine strong technical expertise with excellent stakeholder engagement skills and be comfortable working across a broad range of initiatives in a collaborative environment.

To succeed in this role you'll demonstrate:

• Significant experience delivering architecture and design solutions within complex organisations.
• The ability to translate business needs into practical and sustainable technology solutions.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and the confidence to influence decision-making.
• Experience evaluating technology options and balancing competing priorities.
• Sound analytical and problem-solving skills with a pragmatic approach.
• The ability to communicate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Experience leading architectural work across projects, programmes, or organisational initiatives.
• A collaborative working style and a commitment to building trusted relationships.
• Strong documentation, planning, and governance skills.
• Relevant professional qualifications or equivalent experience, with TOGAF certification highly regarded.

About Us

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is New Zealand’s aviation safety and security regulator. We play a critical role in protecting the travelling public, supporting the aviation sector, and strengthening New Zealand’s international reputation.

Our vision is simple and powerful: A safe and secure aviation system – so people are safe, and feel safe when they fly.

Our values - Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Transparency, and Collaboration - guide everything we do. We’re committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and supportive environment where everyone feels respected, safe, and valued. Our people are central to our success.

Why Join Us?

• 5 weeks annual leave, with an additional 2 days after five years of continuous service
• Sick leave entitlements from day 1 and ten days domestic leave annually
• Matching KiwiSaver contributions up to 4%
• Vision assistance
• Flu vaccinations
• Employee Assistance Programme

Ready to Apply?

This is an opportunity to apply your architectural expertise in a role that contributes directly to the safety and effectiveness of New Zealand’s aviation system. If you enjoy influencing strategic technology outcomes and working with people across an organisation to solve complex challenges, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply directly by completing the online application form and submitting your CV and cover letter. Your cover letter will be a key part of our assessment process, so please highlight how your experience aligns with the requirements of this role.

We want to ensure accessibility needs are well supported, so the recruitment process is fair and equitable for all. Please let us know if there is any support we can provide to ensure the recruitment process is fully accessible to you.

If you have any questions about the role or application process, contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@caa.govt.nz.

Applications close: 11 October 2026

Please be aware that we may start shortlisting as applications come in. We encourage early applications, as the advertisement may close sooner than stated.