This is a 12-month contract at the heart of one of New Zealand's most complex government transformation programmes. You'll lead delivery of a national data strategy, working across multiple agencies and regional partners to get governance frameworks, access mechanisms and data practices off the page and into operation. It's a role that demands both the big picture and the ability to navigate the messy middle of multi-agency delivery.
The Role
Working across a programme with national reach, you'll be responsible for:
- Establishing and operationalising data roles and responsibilities (owners, custodians, stewards) across multiple agencies
- Aligning data governance and decision-making processes across participating organisations
- Ensuring consistent application of data classification, metadata standards, access controls and policies
- Coordinating data management practices to support reporting, analytics and insight generation
- Leading delivery of approved data access mechanisms, enabling agencies to consume data in line with their needs and maturity
- Keeping data access scalable, secure and privacy-compliant
- Driving operational readiness for the ongoing use and evolution of national data services
You'll need solid delivery credentials and the kind of EQ that gets things done in complex stakeholder environments:
- Proven delivery of complex programmes in high-pressure settings
- Hands-on experience with data, information management or platform-adjacent initiatives
- Sound understanding of data governance, privacy and regulatory obligations
- Comfortable in matrixed environments where influence matters more than authority
- Clear, practical communicator when it comes to risk and issues
- Able to hit the ground running and adapt under tight, staged timeframes
- Credible with senior stakeholders across government and operational teams
Why Apply
The programme has national significance and the data workstream is genuinely complex. You'll be working with senior leaders across multiple organisations, shaping how data is governed and used at scale. Substantive work, tight timeframes, and outcomes that last.
