Introduction
In today’s global tech talent marketplace, Australia and New Zealand are lining up ambitious hiring drives in the technology sector and if you’re a tech professional looking to explore opportunities down under, the time could be ripe. In particular three major organisations, Air New Zealand (NZ), Telstra (Australia) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) are either explicitly or implicitly participating in strategies to attract, recruit and retain tech talent, including from abroad.
In this post we’ll look at how these organisations are approaching tech hiring, what sponsorship (visa) possibilities exist, what salary bands you can expect, and finally I’ll provide you with application-template guidance you can customise. Whether you’re already based in Australia/New Zealand or considering relocation from Lagos (or anywhere in the world), this is for you.
We’ll move from the big picture into company-by-company breakdowns, then comparisons, key insights, and a conclusion with actionable take-aways.
Tech Talent Drives in Australia & New Zealand
Before diving into each company, it’s worth setting the context. Both Australia and New Zealand are experiencing strong demand for tech talent — for cloud, cybersecurity, data science, devops, software engineering and more. Salary guides show healthy bands in the region (for example, one Australia/NZ tech salary guide shows network automation engineers in Australia/NZ earning AUD 140k–180k+ for mid/high levels). (TechSalaries)
Visa/sponsorship frameworks in both countries are also designed to plug skill shortages; for example one list of Australian companies mentions that Commonwealth Bank and Telstra both “offer visa sponsorship for select technical roles.” (CampusCybercafe)
So for tech talent from abroad, this means there are three practical components to evaluate:
- Sponsorship / visa eligibility: Is the company open to sponsoring foreign candidates?
- Salary bands: Are the pay levels competitive and transparent?
- Application readiness: How do you structure your résumé, cover letter and showcase your tech skill-set to align with what they’re looking for?
With that context, let’s zoom into the three organisations.
Company 1: Air New Zealand
Sponsorship / Visa
Although not every job advert will explicitly say “visa sponsorship available”, as a national carrier and major NZ employer, Air New Zealand lists itself as committed to building and training talent in New Zealand. Their “In the community” and careers information emphasise partnerships and regional development. (Air New Zealand)
While that doesn’t guarantee every role accepts foreign nationals, it does show the company has a broader stance on nurturing talent and regional capability. If you’re considering relocation to NZ, it’s entirely reasonable to apply and ask directly about the visa sponsorship/clause early in the process.
Salary Bands: Tech Roles
Here are some indicative salaries for tech roles at Air New Zealand, based on submissions to Glassdoor:
- Software Engineer: NZ$ 69 k–117 k total package; median base around NZ$ 91 k. (Glassdoor)
- Senior Software Engineer: base roughly NZ$ 100 k–125 k, average ~NZ$ 120 k + bonuses. (Glassdoor)
- Data Engineer: base ~NZ$ 85 k + ~$11 k additional pay. (Glassdoor)
These bands are helpful benchmarks — though note that they vary by experience, location (Auckland vs regional NZ), and specific discipline (cloud, data, DevOps vs legacy).
Application Template / Tips
When applying to Air New Zealand for a tech role, consider the following:
- Tailor your résumé to emphasise end-to-end software delivery, data pipelines, or cloud architecture, whichever fits the job.
- Highlight any New Zealand-relevant experience (even if remote): international teams, remote delivery, working across time zones.
- Include a short cover letter (1-page) that says:
“I am excited to contribute to Air New Zealand’s mission of digital transformation and to bring my [X] years experience in [Y: e.g., AWS+Kubernetes or data engineering for large scale systems]. I am prepared to relocate to New Zealand and welcome the opportunity to discuss visa/sponsorship details.”
- If you already hold rights to work in NZ (like an ANZ visa, partner visa, or NZ citizen/permanent resident status) say this clearly — it simplifies the logistics for the employer.
Company 2: Telstra
Sponsorship / Visa
In Australia, major tech-oriented employers routinely mention being open to “global talent” and sponsorship. For example one blog list cites Telstra as a telecommunications company “known for hiring international professionals in the IT and network engineering fields” with visa-sponsorship available. (travel.jobparrot.com.ng)
So if you’re a tech professional outside Australia, and you hold strong credentials (cloud, network security, devops, data), Telstra is a realistic target.
Salary Bands: Tech Roles
Here are typical salary bands at Telstra (Australia):
- Technology Specialist: average base ~A$ 88 k + ~A$ 6 k extra pay. (Glassdoor)
- Tech Lead: base ~A$ 113 k and some role estimates up to A$ 140-190 k (depending on seniority) based on Glassdoor data. (Glassdoor)
- Broader salary guide: for roles like Product Manager ~A$ 120 k, Solution Architect ~A$ 137 k. (themartec.com)
To summarise: for mid-senior tech roles at Telstra you’re looking at base salaries in the A$ 90-150 k range (pre-bonuses etc).
Application Template / Tips
When applying to Telstra:
- Emphasise Australian/Asia-Pacific regional experience if you can. Even remote projects for APAC region help.
- Highlight cloud, network engineering, cybersecurity or digital transformation expertise — these are cited as high-demand.
- Clearly indicate your visa status. If you’re outside Australia, mention your willingness to relocate and your understanding of visa sponsorship. Something like:
“I welcome relocation to Australia and am eligible to discuss visa sponsorship under the Skilled Migration Program / Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa.”
- Provide measurable outcomes—e.g., “Improved cloud-infrastructure resilience by 40% over 12 months,” etc.
Company 3: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)
Sponsorship / Visa
CBA is another major employer in Australia’s tech space, and reports list it among companies “actively recruiting global talent … especially in technology and financial services.” (CampusCybercafe)
So if you’re looking for tech roles in financial services (banking + fintech + data), CBA is a strong contender for sponsorship-enabled roles.
Salary Bands: Tech Roles & Market Context
CBA’s specific salary bands for tech roles are a little harder to source directly in public open data, but we can use contextual data:
- For Australia in general, tech workers (senior) are seeing salaries “around A$ 250k plus superannuation and bonuses” in some cases. (The Australian)
- One anecdotal Reddit post indicates senior devops/data roles in NZ (which is similar region) are on NZ$ 150-200k+ in Auckland. (Reddit)
Given that CBA is a large bank with deep tech investment and Australia has a high-cost environment (Sydney etc.), a mid-senior tech role there would likely be in the A$ 120-180k+ band base, with bonuses and benefits on top.
Application Template / Tips
When applying to CBA in Australia:
- Emphasise fintech/financial sector experience plus tech: e.g., “built microservices processing >$X volumes”, “delivered data analytics platform for banking risk teams.”
- Stress security, cloud, data governance — banks demand these heavily. CBA’s own newsroom mentions programs delivering virtual work experience in cyber, data and networking engineering. (CommBank)
- State your visa / relocation status up front:
“I am ready to relocate to Australia and am eligible for employer-sponsored visa or I currently hold [specify].”
- Show your impact: “Reduced fraud-detection false-positives by 35% via novel ML pipeline,” etc. Use numbers.
Comparison Table: Sponsorship, Salary & Role Types
Here’s a comparison table summarising what we’ve looked at — helpful to quickly contrast the three employers.
| Company | Sponsorship Possibility | Typical Salary Bands* | Key Tech Roles in Demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air New Zealand | Moderate to good — open to international talent + relocation to NZ | Software Engineer NZ$ 69k–117k; Senior ~NZ$ 100k–125k+ (Glassdoor) | Software Engineering, Data Engineering, Cloud, Devops |
| Telstra (Australia) | Good — explicit in list of companies sponsoring tech roles (travel.jobparrot.com.ng) | Technology Specialist A$ 88k+; Tech Lead up to A$ 140-190k (Glassdoor) | Network Engineering, Cloud Infrastructure, Cybersecurity |
| Commonwealth Bank (CBA) | Good — global tech talent recruitment noted (CampusCybercafe) | Senior tech roles Australia A$ 120k-180k+ base, senior up to A$ 250k+ regionally (The Australian) | Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Banking Tech, Cloud Migration |
*Note: Salary bands are indicative, vary by city, experience, specialism and include base only unless otherwise noted.
Key Insights & What This Means for You (from Lagos or elsewhere)
Here are a few broader take-aways and practical pointers if you’re considering applying:
1. High demand means opportunity — but also competition
The fact that major firms in Australia / NZ are willing to sponsor talent signals a recognition of skills shortage. But since you’re competing globally, you’ll need to stand out: strong technical credentials, portfolio of work, perhaps open-source contributions, and an ability to articulate business impact of your tech work.
2. Visa/sponsorship is feasible but check early
Because you’re applying from elsewhere, the visa/sponsorship part is critical. When you apply:
- Check the job advert for “Visa sponsorship available” or “Relocation assistance”.
- If not stated, in your cover letter ask politely whether the role is open to relocation and sponsorship.
- If you already hold a visa or residency status (or are eligible) mention it — this boosts your competitiveness.
- Be ready to relocate: employers favour candidates willing to move rather than remote-only from another country (though remote may be possible).
3. Understand salary expectations & negotiate smart
Use the salary bands above as benchmarks, but adapt for your own seniority, discipline, city cost-of-living (Sydney vs Adelaide vs NZ regional). When negotiating:
- Ask for total package: base + bonus + benefits.
- Clarify relocation support (visa, flights, accommodation).
- Research cost of living in the target city so you can evaluate offers fairly.
4. Tailor your application — show outcomes not just tasks
Tech hiring is increasingly outcome-oriented: how did your work drive business value? So in your résumé and cover letter:
- Quantify your achievements (“reduced downtime by 40%”, “handled 1B+ transactions per day”, etc).
- Highlight modern tech stacks and practices (cloud, containerisation, observability, security-by-design).
- If you have international experience or cross-border remote collaboration, mention it (it signals you’re ready for relocation/global context).
- Show that you’re culturally adaptable and ready for change — relocating countries means adjusting to new norms.
5. Application template strategy
Here’s a mini-template you can adapt:
Résumé (2 pages recommended):
- Header: Name | Location (Current city, Country) | Email | LinkedIn/GitHub
- Professional Summary (3-4 lines): “Experienced Software Engineer with 7 years’ experience in cloud-native systems, data pipelines and DevOps. Proven record delivering multi-million user platforms. Open to relocation to Australia/New Zealand for roles with visa sponsorship.”
- Key Skills (bullets): e.g., AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, Python, Spark, Agile Scrum, CI/CD pipelines.
- Experience: For each role list: Company | City/Country | Dates; then 3-5 bullet points showing achievements with metrics.
- Education & Certifications: e.g., BSc Computer Science, AWS Solutions Architect, etc.
- Additional: Open-source contributions, published articles, relocation willingness, visa-status placeholder (“Eligible for employer-sponsored visa”).
Cover Letter (one page):
Paragraph 1: Why you’re excited about the company (mention the company by name, show you’ve done research).
Paragraph 2: Summary of relevant experience + biggest achievement.
Paragraph 3: Why you’re a good cultural/fit — mention relocation readiness, global mindset, your adaptability.
Paragraph 4: Note about sponsorship: “I understand the role may require relocation and employer-sponsored visa support. I welcome the opportunity to discuss these logistics.”
Closing: Thanks, “I look forward to discussing how I can contribute to [Company]’s tech team.”
Conclusion
To wrap up: If you’re a tech-talent professional looking at opportunities in Australia or New Zealand, the environment is favourable right now. Employers like Air New Zealand, Telstra and Commonwealth Bank are actively hiring in tech, offering competitive salary bands and in many cases are open to sponsorship for international talent.
Key to success: research the company and role, ensure you meet the skill-set demand, tailor your résumé and cover letter properly, make your relocation/sponsorship readiness clear, and negotiate compensation smartly so you’re aligned with local market rates.
If I were advising someone in Lagos: start by mapping your current skill-set to what these companies demand (cloud, data, DevOps, network security), polish your résumé to showcase measurable outcomes, apply to companies like Telstra or CBA with relocation readiness, and be ready to demonstrate your international adaptability. Also factor in relocation logistics: cost of moving, visa timelines, living cost differences (Sydney/Melbourne/Auckland) and of course tax/residency rules.