Senior Project Manager – Social and Community Statistics | Kaiwhakahaere Kaupapa Matua

StatsNZ; Telford; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

A government statistics agency is looking for a Senior Project Manager to lead significant projects that improve community wellbeing. This role involves overseeing surveys related to Māori wellbeing and disability, collaborating with diverse stakeholders, and requiring strong project management experience. The position offers a competitive salary and additional benefits such as extra annual leave and a work-life balance.

Benefits

3 extra annual leave days

Meaningful work that makes a difference

Balance life and work commitments

Qualifications

• Experience in all phases of the project lifecycle.
• Comfortable engaging with governance boards and senior leaders.
• Commitment to applying Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles.

Responsibilities

• Lead the successful launch of the General Social Survey in 2026.
• Oversee planning of the 2028 Te Kupenga Survey.
• Support the creation of the Disability Data Framework.

Skills

Experience leading and delivering projects

Highly organised

Excellent relationship management

Strong communication skills

Adaptable and resilient

Understanding of mātauranga Māori

Job description

Lead impactful projects that shape insights into New Zealand's diverse communities and help improve the wellbeing of Māori, disabled people, and other priority groups.

This two-year fixed-term position is ideally based in Wellington, though Christchurch may be considered for the right candidate.

The Social and Community Unit produces statistics about people's wellbeing and social conditions, with a focus on priority population groups (e.g. disabled people, Māori) and using concepts and frameworks that are relevant and useful for government, stakeholders, customers and the communities themselves. We work closely with others across Stats NZ to ensure that we provide a coherent picture of communities and how they live. Our key external stakeholders include: a range of government agencies, Iwi Māori, NGOs, community groups and other data users.

We have a regular statistical release programme alongside significant development work for updating/redesigning less frequent regular releases, designing new surveys or tailored solutions for communities such as data frameworks, building data capability or improving administrative data.

About Us | Ko mātou

Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa is a Central Government employer of 1200+ 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 theWay We Workat Stats NZ and also check out ourbenefits. We want working for us… to work for you!!

Starting salary: $118,609 - $160,471 + superannuation

Other benefits of joining Stats NZ include:

• Contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference to all people in Aotearoa
• 3 extra annual leave days (taken during Christmas office closure)
• Balance life and work commitments.

The role | Te tūnga

The purpose for the role is to bring a strong project management capacity and capability to support the delivery of pieces of work that are significant, complex and above the scale of what can be handled within BAU without additional support. The successful candidate will have sound foundations in project management, whether that is supporting day to day running of the workstreams, experience in handling interdependencies across different units, be capable in supporting the delivery of key milestones, and actively supporting good decision making where trade-offs are required.

The Senior Project Manager will collaborate closely with the Unit Manager, Senior Analysts, and other team members to:

• Lead preparations for the successful launch of the General Social Survey in 2026
• Oversee the planning and development of the 2028Te Kupenga(Māori wellbeing) Survey
• Support the creation and implementation of a Disability Data Framework
• Coordinate resources and manage interdependencies across the Unit's workstreams
• Provide additional project management support to enable the effective delivery of the Unit's work programme.

What you bring | Nōu te rourou

We aim to match our people with mahi that complements their strengths and provides opportunities to learn and grow. We understand transferable skills can come from experience gained from outside of work. We encourage you to beyouin your application. Tell us about yourself in your cover letter, tell us what attracted you to this role, and tell us what you would bring to Tatauranga Aotearoa Stats NZ.

We're looking for someone with the following:

• Experience leading and delivering projects through all phases of the project lifecycle
• Highly organised, with a strategic, pragmatic, and solutions-focused approach
• Comfortable engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including governance boards, and ideally Ministers or senior public sector leaders
• Excellent relationship management and communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for diverse audiences
• Resilient and adaptable, with the ability to lead others through complexity and ambiguity
• Enthusiastic about contributing to the Project Management Community of Practice and supporting continuous improvement
• A demonstrated understanding of mātauranga Māori, use of te reo Māori, awareness of tikanga, and a commitment to applying Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles in a professional setting.