Digital Earth Pacific Platform Engineer

• Noumea-based position
• Attractive expatriate package
• Join the principal development organisation in the region

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our unique organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

Role – Digital Earth Pacific Platform Engineer

The Digital Earth Pacific Platform Engineer provides technical direction and hands‑on platform engineering to operate, maintain and continuously improve the Digital Earth Pacific (DE Pacific) cloud-native infrastructure and services. The role ensures reliable ingestion, processing and access to Earth observation datasets and derived products, supports SPC teams and member countries to use DE Pacific capabilities effectively, and works with internal and external regional and international stakeholders to successfully deliver DE Pacific services.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Infrastructure Management

• Provision and manage Kubernetes clusters for deploying and scaling earth observation and scientific data processing workloads on the cloud.
• Configure and optimise cloud storage solutions for efficient storage and retrieval of large geospatial datasets.
• Automate infrastructure deployments and configuration management using tools such as Terraform, Helm and Flux.
• Optimise large‑scale data processing scalability with on‑demand instances.
• Enable orchestration of multiple parallel workflows for compute intensive long‑running jobs.
• Provide secure and effective user and access management.

Earth Observation Infrastructure Management

• Deploy and maintain cloud‑native applications for processing and analysing large‑scale earth observation data.
• Integrate Earth observation data with other data sources for machine‑learning applications in geospatial analysis.
• Maintain a deep understanding of existing and emerging Earth observation sensors to guide prioritisation and successful integration into the Digital Earth Pacific platform.
• Build APIs and web services to expose Earth observation data and processing capabilities to external users, including SPC member countries.
• Operate Open Data Cube and STAC API to catalogue and serve DEP datasets/products, ensuring consistent metadata and interoperable access.

Monitoring and Observability

• Implement monitoring and logging solutions for Kubernetes clusters and scientific computing applications.
• Develop dashboards and visualisations to track the health and performance of cloud‑based Earth observation workflows.
• Troubleshoot issues related to data processing, application deployments and Kubernetes cluster management.
• Incident management and timely communication to stakeholders.
• Maintain security and integrity of infrastructure and data.
• Identify risks and coordinate mitigation with the SPC ICT Security and Risk Specialist.

Data Management and Processing

• Design and implement data pipelines for ingesting, processing and storing Earth observation data, scientific models and in‑situ data on the cloud platform using high‑performance tooling.
• Develop and maintain data processing workflows using containerised frameworks running on Kubernetes.
• Implement data quality checks and ensure data integrity throughout the pipeline.

Capacity Building and Stakeholder Engagement

• Deliver training, coaching and mentorship to SPC staff and member country users on cloud deployment, operations and good practice.
• Build institutional capability by producing and maintaining clear documentation and knowledge products (e.g. user guides, runbooks, presentations, publications).
• Stay current with cloud technologies and translate relevant developments into practical guidance for technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Support strategic planning for long‑term cloud infrastructure scalability, resilience and sustainability.
• Contribute to relevant cloud and geospatial communities of practice to share lessons learned and adopt emerging good practice.
• Contribute to cloud governance by developing or improving policies, reference architectures, standards and migration playbooks for organisational reuse.
• Work with SPC IT and developer teams to identify and implement opportunities to modernise applications and enable innovation.
• Build and maintain long‑term relationships and collaboration with internal teams and regional/international stakeholders to support the delivery of DE Pacific operations and services.
• Represent the organisation at relevant events and conferences to share results, build partnerships and bring back insights.

People Management

• Provide day‑to‑day management of the direct report.
• Lead the performance appraisal and process for the junior engineer.
• Ensure that staff receive appropriate training and career development opportunities.
• Foster an environment that promotes high performance, collaboration and shared purpose in line with SPC’s values.

Key Selection Criteria

Qualifications

• Post graduate qualification in computer science, IT or related field, or equivalent body of knowledge and experience.

Technical Expertise

• 7 years of experience working in a similar role.
• At least 2 years’ experience managing people including mentoring, training and performance management.
• Linux system administration experience.
• Strong Kubernetes, Terraform, Helm and Flux experience.
• Containerisation and orchestration experience (e.g. Docker, Argo Workflows).
• Track record in continuous integration and continuous delivery workflows.
• Experience with one or more scripting languages such as Python or Bash.
• Experience working in an international, multicultural organisation.
• Experience working in the Pacific.

Language Skills

• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal).
• Fluent in English.

Interpersonal Skills and Cultural Awareness

• Knowledge of Pacific Island countries and territories is an advantage.

Salary, Terms and Conditions

Contract Duration – This contract is budgeted for 3 years and may be renewed depending on funding and performance.

Remuneration – The Digital Earth Pacific Platform Engineer is a band 11 position in SPC’s 2026 salary scale, with an initial salary range of SDR 4,397–5,400 per month (≈ XPF 634,433–779,190, USD 5,892–7,236, EUR 5,317–6,530). SPC salaries are not subject to income tax in New Caledonia. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews.

Benefits for Staff

Skills based abroad: Housing support in Noumea, entitlement to 25 working days of annual leave, health, life and disability insurance, education allowances for eligible dependents, and a Provident Fund with contributions.

Languages

Working languages are English and French.

Equal Opportunity Statement

SPC is an equal‑opportunity employer and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilingualism, and seeks to appoint candidates who respect these values.