Data Scientist, Natural Hazard

Auckland Council; Waiheke; Hybrid; NZD 98,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Extra week of leave

KiwiSaver employer contribution 3.5%

Office in Auckland City Centre

Diversity & inclusion

Job summary

Auckland Council is establishing a Natural Hazards and Loss Modelling programme team to better manage natural hazard risks to its assets. We are recruiting a Natural Hazard Data Scientist to coordinate hazard assessment and risk management across the organisation, based in Auckland City Centre with flexible work from home.

You will build computational models, automate scenario testing, maintain hazard data, and apply data science to extract insights from asset, hazard, risk, and geospatial data

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in relevant field
• Strong knowledge of Auckland's natural hazards and infrastructure impact
• Experience with data pipelines and geospatial analytics
• Proven ability to communicate with technical and business stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Build computational models and conduct uncertainty analysis
• Automate scenario testing and data analysis
• Maintain and improve natural hazard data quality
• Apply data science techniques to asset, hazard, risk and geospatial data for resilience and insurance decisions

Skills

Data analysis

Data quality management

Communication

Geospatial analytics

Data cleansing

Data standardisation

Database management

Education

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

Tools

Python

R

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

• 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

We still encourage you to apply if you have some but not all these requirements.

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.

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.

Applications close: Sunday, 6 September 2026

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.