Senior Design Analyst | Kaitātari Hoahoa Matua - Chrstchurch or Wellington
If you enjoy working with others to solve technical challenges and want to help shape meaningful outcomes for Aotearoa, this is the role for you!
Multiple roles, permanent and fixed-term, based in Christchurch or Wellington.
Use your skills to grow the capability of others and create lasting change.
Help us turn complex data into insights that shape real-world decisions.
About Us | Ko mātou
Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa is a Central Government employer of 1300+ people across Aotearoa. We provide data and statistics to support the decisions of Government, Māori and Iwi organisations, businesses, NGOs, and New Zealanders. Our work is About Aotearoa, for Aotearoa - data that improves lives today and for generations to come. We welcome every gender, ethnicity, ability, religion, age, and background and encourage all our people to be their authentic selves.
What's in it for you? | Ngā hua ka riro ki a koe
We encourage you to go to our careers site to learn more about the Way We Work at Stats NZ and also check out our benefits. We want working for us… to work for you!!
Starting salary: $96,307 - $113,303 + superannuation
Other benefits of joining Stats NZ include:
Flu Vaccines, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), Eye Tests and corporate rates for a variety of services and products
Develop and grow your career (coaching, training, study support, secondments)
Contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference to all people in Aotearoa
3 extra annual leave days (taken during Christmas office closure)
City based offices that cater to a variety of working styles and needs
The role | Te tūnga
There are four permanent and two 6 month fixed term roles available, a short description of each role is detailed below. Additional fixed-term opportunities may arise, and candidates may be considered for these as they become available. Applicants will be considered for all positions but please indicate your preferred role in your cover letter.
1. Senior Design Analyst - Census Design & Delivery (Permanent)
We're looking for someone to lead design and delivery elements of the census survey, ensuring it reflects the diverse needs of New Zealanders through inclusive, informed approaches. The focus of this role will be on driving integrated delivery across Stats NZ, working at the heart of cross-functional collaboration to bring the census design to life. You will keep customers, partners, and communities central to everything we do, ensuring census design and delivery is equitable, accessible, and responsive.
Our ideal candidate will be someone who:
thrives in complex environments and is experienced in navigating ambiguity,
can juggle multiple priorities, deliver in fast-paced settings, and remain calm under pressure,
is able to work autonomously and is comfortable being deployed across a wide variety of mahi,
enjoys working collaboratively and is experienced in coaching junior analysts.
2. Senior Design Analyst - Capability & Development (Permanent)
We are looking for a statistician or macroeconomic specialist with a passion for building capability in others to help prepare Stats NZ to undertake a huge transformational work programme. The focus of this role will be on supporting the development of learning initiatives and providing direct coaching and training to other analysts and help to lift statistical capability and macroeconomic subject matter expertise across the group.
Our ideal candidate would bring:
Previous experience producing official statistics or working within a national statistical office.
Hands on experience with statistical programming tool (preferably R and SAS).
Ability to translate technical expertise into practical solutions and learning products for others.
A background in learning and development and/or economics be an advantage for this role.
3. Senior Design Analyst - Population Estimates, Projections & Coverage (Permanent)
We're looking for a passionate expert in population or demographic data to help lead and deliver a diverse and impactful portfolio of work across population estimates and projections. This role includes a mix of statistical production, forward-looking methodological development, engaging with internal and external customers and stakeholders, and supporting and coaching other team members.
Our ideal candidate will bring:
Strong technical leadership experience - including decision-making, problem-solving, and leading complex statistical projects or workstreams.
Curiosity and a passion for innovation - with the ability to apply conceptual and creative thinking to troubleshoot and improve statistical designs, systems, and processes.
Advanced data analysis skills - particularly in R, or experience in other statistical tools such as Python, SAS, or equivalent.
Excellent collaboration and relationship-building skills - along with personal resilience and a commitment to working effectively within a team environment.
4. Senior Design Analyst - Customer Services & Support (Permanent)
We're looking for someone to provide strong technical leadership and bring innovative thinking to a team of analysts working across a wide range of subject areas. Our team delivers tailored data solutions to a variety of customers, including work with integrated datasets. This role will play a key part in driving creative approaches to meet customer needs, while also supporting the long-term sustainability of the team by developing talent and building collective knowledge.
Our ideal candidate would bring:
Proven leadership skills with the ability to foster innovation and drive continuous improvement in a technical environment.
Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities, with a strong track record of effective collaboration within teams.
Experience mentoring and coaching junior analysts, supporting their development and growth.
Advanced proficiency in R for coding and analysis; experience with SAS and SQL is also advantageous.
5. Senior Design Analyst - Statistical Infrastructure x2 (fixed-term, 6-month secondment backfill)
We are looking for two skilled analysts who can work in a multi-disciplinary support and enablement team. The team provides support for several enterprise platforms - MEP, EPIC and Gitlab, and maintains generic code packages and data processing pipelines with SME teams.
Experience with Python/R based GitLab repositories
Experience testing code: creating integration tests for code packages, implementing regression tests
Experience using BDD test automation of Pentaho ETL workflows
Experience with Gitlab CI/CD pipeline configuration, including test and deploy stages
Technical leadership experience: breaking down complex work, guiding others, delegating tasks, reviewing code changes
What you bring | Nōu te rourou
We understand transferable skills can come from experience gained from outside of work. We encourage you to be you in your application.
We are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and lifting our cultural capability. You don't need to be knowledgeable in all these areas already, but you do need to be on board with learning and have a genuine interest and willingness to grow on this journey with us.
Tell us about yourself in your cover letter, what attracted you to this role, and what you would bring to Stats NZ.
How to apply | Me pēhea te tuku tono
If this sounds like you, click on the Apply now button to be redirected to the application page on our careers site. The position description is located on the right-hand side of the page.
We will be screening applications as we receive them to move swiftly to interview. You may be asked to complete a pre-interview screen via phone or video. Please let us know in your application if we need to make any specific accommodations during our process.
Please reach out to recruitment@stats.govt.nz if you have any questions.
You must have the right to live and work in Aotearoa New Zealand. Background and various pre-employment checks are part of our recruitment process.
Note to Recruitment Agencies: unsolicited CVs will not be accepted.
