Data Scientist, Natural Hazard

Auckland Council; Auckland; On-site; NZD 98,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Option to purchase extra leave

KiwiSaver contribution

Job summary

Auckland Council is hiring a Natural Hazard Data Scientist to join the Natural Hazards Team, working from our Auckland office with flexible work-from-home options. You will integrate hazard science, exposure, vulnerability modelling, financial risk analysis and geospatial data to support resilience, planning and insurance.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and strong Python, R, statistics, and data pipelines skills, plus experience with data cleansing, geospatial

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and strong knowledge of Auckland’s natural hazards.
• Experience applying data science to hazard risk management and asset analysis.
• Ability to engage with technical and business stakeholders and communicate insights.

Responsibilities

• Build computational models and conduct uncertainty analysis.
• Automate scenario testing and data analysis tasks.
• Maintain and improve natural hazard data quality and coverage.
• Apply data science and geospatial analytics to support resilience and planning.

Skills

Python

R

Statistics

Data pipelines

Data cleansing

Geospatial analytics

Data quality management

Database management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Earth Sciences, Geography, Geology, Disaster Recovery Management or equivalent

Tools

SQL

GIS/Geospatial tools

Job description

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• Help make Auckland and Aucklanders more resilient to natural hazards
• Flexible working and option to purchase an extra week's leave
• Salary will be $98,000 to $113,000 plus 3.5% KiwiSaver contribution

Auckland Council is establishing a Natural Hazards and Loss Modelling programme team to better manage the natural hazards risks to its $77 billion asset base, driven by climate change and population growth/intensification.

Because of our scale we have a unique opportunity to build our in-house capability to model these hazards and their consequences, to develop mitigation strategies to make Auckland more resilient and to reduce costs for our residents.

We are recruiting specialists and subject matter experts to be part of this team, from science, asset management, programme management and digital engineering backgrounds. Their work will integrate hazard science, exposure, vulnerability modelling, financial risk analysis and spatial data expertise into a single in-house function, streamlining Auckland Council’s approach to natural hazard risk management. This will enhance council’s ability to make consistent, evidence-based decisions about resilience, public safety, land use and insurance.

This programme team will be split across our existing Asset Management Centre of Excellence (who work to improve asset management practices across the whole Auckland Council Group), and our Natural Hazards Team (who coordinate our understanding and response to natural hazards across the organisation).

We are looking for a Natural Hazard Data Scientist who will be based in the Natural Hazards Team and will coordinate the natural hazard assessment and risk management activities within the organisation. In doing so, you could expect to work on:

• building computational models and handling uncertainty analysis
• automating scenario testing and data analysis
• maintaining, improving and assessing natural hazard data
• applying data science and consistent and repeatable analytical techniques to extract insights from asset, hazard, risk, and geospatial data to support resilience, planning and insurance

You will be based in our office in the Auckland City Centre and we offer some flexibility to work from home or at other council offices.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Earth Sciences, Geography, Geology, Disaster Recovery Management or equivalent, you have strong knowledge and experience in Auckland’s natural hazards, and the impact on infrastructure.

We will be looking for specific experience with the key role requirements:

• skilled in Python, R, statistics and data pipelines
• data cleansing and standardisation, and incorporating risk and geospatial analytics
• data quality management and database management
• excellent communication skills and ability to engage effectively with both technical and business stakeholders

At Auckland Council, you will join a dynamic, supportive environment where your mahi (work) will directly impact the lives of over 1.8million Aucklanders. We offer flexible working conditions, a focus on well-being, and a culture of continuous improvement.

We are proud to be recognised for our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We are accredited by GenderTick, a signatory of the Pride Pledge. These commitments reflect our ongoing efforts to create a workplace where all staff feel valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.

You will get immense satisfaction from working with a motivated and fun team which collaborates across the whole organisation to make Auckland – and Aucklanders – more resilient to natural hazards.

Together, we can create a Tāmaki Makaurau we can all be proud of.

Applications close: Sunday, 6 September 2026

This role has an indicative remuneration range of $98,000 - $113,000, commensurate on skills and experience

Our employer Kiwisaver contribution is additional to base salary offered.

#WorkingForAuckland #DataScience

Auckland Council is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and we are committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application to assist you through the recruitment process.