Digital Domain Change Lead

New Zealand Government; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 134,000 - 163,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five weeks annual leave

Life Insurance

Income protection

Critical illness insurance

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

New Zealand Government seeks an experienced Digital Domain Change Lead to provide strategic change leadership across Te Aukaha | Digital. You will help embed the evolving operating model, define roles and working relationships, and connect delivery activity across the organisation to strengthen how teams collaborate. This enduring leadership role focuses on a post‑restructure Security transition and ongoing capability building within Digital.

Qualifications

• Seasoned change professional with strategic level credibility.
• Experience in operating model change and large organisational restructures.
• Ability to translate operating model into practical, sustainable ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Work strategically with Digital senior leaders and leadership teams to provide trusted advice on pressure points and readiness risks.
• Maintain an integrated view across Digital to identify dependencies, risks and opportunities.
• Help leaders and delivery teams translate Digital's operating model into practical, sustainable ways of working.
• Build strong relationships across Digital and the wider organisation, connecting people and activity for a joined‑up approach.
• Coach leaders and teams to strengthen leader‑led change capability and embed new ways of working.
• Step into complex or ambiguous situations to establish clarity and keep work moving.

Skills

Change leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Coaching

Facilitation

Risk management

Agile

Maori knowledge

Job description

Lead how people, teams and ways of working come together across DigitalPartner with senior Digital leaders to embed and strengthen ways of working and build lasting capabilityEnduring leadership role with an immediate focus on Digital's evolving operating model and Security transitionPermanent, full-time position. Wellington preferred (but Auckland may be considered)Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunityWe're looking for an experienced Digital Domain Change Lead to provide strategic change leadership across Te Aukaha | Digital helping our people and leaders translate our delivery excellence goal into practical, sustainable ways of working.This is a senior, influential role working alongside Digital leadership teams to connect activity across Digital, identify where priorities, people and ways of working are connected or colliding, and help leaders resolve issues that cut across organisational boundaries. You'll provide strategic advice, challenge and support to leaders, build change capability, and help translate the operating model into clear and sustainable ways of working.Your initial focus will be the transition following the restructure of Security. You will work across Security, Digital and the wider organisation to clarify how the new structure will operate, including roles, decision-making, working relationships, processes and capability needs.More broadly, you'll play an important role in integrating and embedding Digital's operating model, looking across the delivery system to identify gaps and risks, conflicting priorities and dependencies while strengthening connections across Te Aukaha and the organisation which will improve how people work together.Importantly, this isn't a traditional project-based change management role. It's an enduring leadership role embedded in Te Aukaha | Digital. You'll stay close to what is happening in the business, and move between strategic advice and hands-on problem solving to make sure new structures and ways of working are working in practice.In this role you will:work strategically with Digital senior leaders and their leadership teams, providing trusted advice to give them a clear view of pressure on their people, readiness risks and where intervention is neededmaintain an integrated view across Digital, identifying pressure points, dependencies, risks and opportunitieshelp leaders and delivery teams translate Digital's operating model into practical, sustainable ways of workingbuild strong relationships across Digital and the wider organisation, connecting people and activity where a joined-up approach will deliver better outcomescoach leaders and teams to strengthen leader-led change capability and successfully embed new ways of workingstep into complex or ambiguous situations, establish clarity and keep work movingYou will find out more about the role here: Position Description. Appointment salary is between $133,632 to $163,328 commensurate with skills and experience.Ko koe tenei | About youYou'll be a seasoned change professional who operates comfortably at a strategic level and can build credibility quickly with senior leaders. You'll bring executive presence, sound judgement and the confidence to challenge constructively, while building trusted relationships.Credible experience within a Digital environment is essential. You'll understand the context Digital leaders and teams operate within and be able to confidently navigate conversations about operating models, ways of working and the complexity of a large organisation.Ideally, you'll bring:extensive change leadership experience within complex organisations in a digital context, with a strong track record of delivering and embedding sustainable changeexperience supporting operating model change, organisational restructures, resets of ways of working or significant process improvementstrong strategic and whole-of-system thinking, with the ability to see connections and impacts across multiple areascredibility and confidence working closely with senior leaders and leadership teamsstrong influencing, facilitation, coaching and stakeholder engagement capabilityexperience strengthening organisational and leader-led change capabilitythe ability to work comfortably with ambiguity while picking up complex problems and working out what is getting in the waysound analysis, judgement, political acumen and risk management capabilityexperience with Agile and/or Change Lean approaches.You will demonstrate knowledge of, or a willingness to gain an understanding of Te Ao Maori and promote tikanga and Te Reo Maori. You will also have knowledge of, or a willingness to gain an appreciation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as it applies in the public sector.Mo matou | About usTe Aukaha | Digital strengthens NZTA through supporting our people and delivering future-focused solutions. We enable digital change, provide quality data, information and security services, and create flexible and collaborative workspaces.The Digital Performance team strengthens Te Aukaha | Digital by providing operational and strategic leadership, ensuring our digital foundation is well managed and our stakeholders are seamlessly connected.Ka whiwhi koe i te aha | What you will get in returnThis is an opportunity to step into an influential Digital change leadership role where you can work closely with senior leaders, shape how change is approached across a complex environment, and help build capability that lasts beyond individual initiatives.We offer:A competitive salary and benefits packageFlexible working arrangements (role dependent)Five weeks annual leaveFree Life, Income Protection and Critical Illness Insurances for permanent employeesCareer development opportunities across a large and complex organisationFind out more about our benefits here.If you enjoy working at the intersection of people, Digital and strategy, and get satisfaction from making new ways of working stick, we'd love to hear from you.Me pehea te tuku tono | How to applyPlease click apply to upload your CV and cover letter detailing your suitability for the role.Ra Katinga | Applications close:23 November 2026For further information, email: [e-mail] be considered for this position you must have a legal right to live and work in New Zealand.NZTA| Waka Kotahi is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion and are committed to providing a working environment that embraces these values. Please let us know if you need any support or have any access requirements that will help you through the recruitment process.Please note that we may begin shortlisting as we receive applications. We encourage early applications as we may withdraw the advertising at any time.