Lead Engineer

Southern Cross Health Insurance is shaping a healthier Aotearoa. Our purpose is simple: empowering our members to live well for longer. We’re here to give peace of mind through timely access to quality care, inspire healthier living, and lead positive change across the health system. As a New Zealand-owned, member-based organisation, we’re building a future where wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do — delivering exceptional value for our members and creating an environment where our people thrive.

Now is an exciting time to join us. You’ll be part of a high-performing, values-driven team and in return for your talent, you’ll have the opportunity to grow, make an impact, and be proud of the difference your work makes.

About the role

We’re on a bold journey to transform to help our members feel more connected, supported and empowered to live healthier lives.  We are building a new proposition that helps members build sustainable healthy habits, understand their health earlier, and feel supported in everyday life.

As Lead Engineer, you will lead technical decision-making within one of the squads behind the new proposition. You’ll work closely with the Technology Lead and Product Manager to keep what’s live running well, shape where it goes next and make sure technical choices support both squad goals and Southern Cross standards.

It’s a hands-on technical leadership role. You’ll guide solution design, code quality, testing, operability and release readiness while continuing to engineer alongside the team. You’ll help the squad deliver small, safe changes, strengthen the technical foundations and create patterns that can be reused as the proposition scales.

What you will do

Day to day, you’ll

Lead technical decision-making within the squad

Partner with the Technology Lead and Product Manager on priorities and trade-offs

Guide solution design and implementation approaches

Drive engineering excellence, code quality and testing standards

Coach engineers and lift technical capability across the team

Improve delivery flow, reliability and developer experience

Align technical decisions with Southern Cross engineering standards and golden paths

Surface technical risks early and help the squad make informed trade-offs

Champion operational excellence, observability and platform adoption

What you'll bring

You’re an experienced, hands-on technical leader who can create clarity without becoming a bottleneck. You bring strong judgement, coach through the work and know how to balance pace with long-term sustainability.

Significant software engineering experience in modern cloud native environments

Strong technical leadership and decision-making capability

Experience designing and building scalable, secure digital products

Deep understanding of code quality, testing, operability and release practices

A track record of coaching engineers and lifting team capability

Excellent problem-solving, communication and stakeholder skills

Comfort working with a product that’s live, evolving and still taking shape

Why join us

We’re investing – in people, in technology, and in the mission. At a time when the market is hesitant, we’re continuing to strengthen our foundations and build our capabilities. You’ll work closely with the Head of Technology, product and engineering leaders, and the wider Digital team, with real ownership over how the work grows.

We’re building something worth joining. Our teams are growing, our employer brand is gaining real traction, and the way we show up for our members and each other is being recognised. In 2026, Southern Cross placed 8th in the Kantar Corporate Reputation Index and 5th in New Zealand for Trust.

Who we are

Ngākau nui. Āhurutanga. Tikanga.

Join a proud, diverse team that's always there, always real, always true. If you thrive in a caring, honest and open culture, we think you'll love working with us.

We know our team's culture and wellbeing drive us forward. That's why we prioritise not only professional development but opportunities to thrive personally. We offer exceptional work/life balance, and our people are encouraged — and rewarded — for living well.

Southern Cross employee benefits include

Five days of wellbeing leave per year

Health insurance for you and your immediate whānau

Life insurance cover and discounts on pet and travel insurance

Extra parental leave benefits and financial wellbeing support

Participation in our workplace wellbeing programme

The option to purchase flexi leave for study, volunteering, or supporting your whānau

* An annual volunteer day to contribute to a cause with your team

This role is Auckland-based. While we appreciate interest from candidates in other locations, we're not able to consider remote options at this stage. If this sounds like the kind of work you want to help shape, we'd love to hear from you. Have questions? Check out our FAQs for help with the application and recruitment process.