Domain Principal, Organisational Development - Digital Capability

New Zealand Government; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

New Zealand Government is seeking a senior Domain Principal in Organisational Development to provide thought leadership on how IR designs work, roles and capability, and to help our people and leaders build confidence, judgement and adaptability in a digitised, AI-enabled environment.

You will partner with senior stakeholders, shape workforce strategy, strategic planning and future ways of working, and translate digital ambition into practical workforce foundations.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering practical solutions that connect digital, AI or future-of-work priorities with workforce and organisational capability.
• Credible with senior stakeholders, collaborative with peers, and capable of influencing decisions with evidence-informed advice.
• Experience in the public sector, large service organisations, or complex enterprise environments would be useful.
• Ability to translate digital ambition into workforce and capability foundations for the organisation.

Responsibilities

• Provide thought leadership on how IR designs work, roles and capability.
• Support IR's workforce strategy and strategic workforce planning.
• Shape future-focused role design and ways of working, strengthening capability frameworks.
• Develop clear frameworks and interventions to build capability for the future.
• Work across business groups to provide advice, influence decisions and shape enterprise approaches.

Skills

Systems thinking

Workforce strategy

Role design

Capability frameworks

Stakeholder engagement

AI change management

Job description

IR is continuing to evolve how we work and deliver for New Zealanders in an increasingly digital, data-led and AI-enabled environment. We are looking for a senior, experienced organisational development specialist to help build the workforce capability, leadership and ways of working needed to deliver on IR's digital ambition.

The opportunity - Ara whiwhi mahi

As a Domain Principal in Organisational Development, you will provide thought leadership and practical advice on how IR designs work, roles and capability. You will help our people and leaders build the confidence, judgement and adaptability to use digital tools, data and AI well.

The work will be varied and enterprise-facing. It includes supporting IR's workforce strategy and strategic workforce planning, shaping future-focused role design and ways of working, strengthening capability frameworks, and helping leaders understand what digital and AI-enabled change means for people, work and teams.

In this role you will help translate IR's digital ambition into the workforce, role and capability foundations needed to support it. You will develop clear advice, frameworks and interventions that support people, leaders and teams to adapt how they work and build capability for the future.

About you - Mōu

You are a systems thinker who understands people, work and organisations. You are curious about digital change and AI, and grounded in what it takes to build confidence, capability and behaviour change in large, complex organisations.

You will be credible with senior stakeholders, collaborative with peers, and confident providing advice that is clear, evidence-informed and pragmatic. Experience in the public sector, large service organisations, or complex enterprise environments would be useful.

Experience delivering practical solutions that connect digital, AI or future-of-work priorities with workforce and organisational capability is essential.

You will also be able to demonstrate experience in the following:

• leading organisational development work in complex or changing environment
• shaping workforce strategy, strategic workforce planning, role design or future ways of working
• developing capability frameworks or workforce development approaches that are practical and usable
• working across business groups and specialist teams to provide clear advice, influence decisions and shape enterprise approach
• turning complex ideas into simple, practical guidance for different audiences

This is a chance to work on meaningful, high-impact organisational development that supports IR's digital ambition and strategic priorities. You will be part of a small, expert team that works across the organisation to build the leadership, capability and organisational foundations IR needs now and for the future.

Applications close at 5pm on Monday, 7 September 2026.