General Manager Digital, Data & Technology

Sheffield Group; Rangiora; Hybrid; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Nine-day fortnight

Flexible hours

Hybrid working

Phased retirement

Sabbatical leave

Extra annual leave purchase

Job summary

MainPower in Rangiora is seeking an Executive Leader responsible for turning current systems into an integrated data platform with AI and automation, backed by strong governance. You will provide cyber security accountability and oversee core business systems, collaborating with the GM Network & Future Energy on OT/IT convergence.

Reporting to the Chief Executive, you set the technology direction from day one and guide the organisation through a critical digital transformation in a regulated

Qualifications

• Senior digital, data or technology leadership at CIO/CTO level.
• Track record building enterprise data platforms and governance.
• Hands-on experience deploying AI and automation with measurable benefits.
• Executive-level cyber security accountability and reporting.
• Understanding OT/IT convergence and security implications.
• Ability to translate tech concepts for Board discussions.

Responsibilities

• Lead data strategy and build an integrated data platform the business trusts.
• Embed AI, automation, and governance across the technology stack.
• Assume executive accountability for cyber security and critical systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to align technology with business goals.

Skills

Executive leadership

Enterprise data platform

AI deployment

Cyber security accountability

OT/IT convergence

Board communication

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.

Newly created Executive Leadership Team role

Own the full stack: technology, data, cyber security and AI

Rangiora base, 20 minutes from Christchurch

Fixed term 18 months

About the Company:

MainPower has been distributing electricity to the North Canterbury region for around 100 years, delivering power to over 46,000 homes and businesses across the Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaikōura districts. Based in Rangiora, MainPower is consumer-trust owned, with a strong and growing focus on the outcomes that matter to the people it serves.

MainPower delivered a strong financial result in FY2025/26, with profit after tax of $14.4 million and comprehensive income of $27 million following a network revaluation. Reflecting this performance, the Board is lifting the consumer rebate returned to customers from $10 million to $14 million for FY2026/27 — meaning more than 80% of customers on the network can expect no increase, or even a decrease, in their lines charges, even as costs rise elsewhere in the industry. $37 million was invested in the network during the year, reflecting the need to support one of New Zealand's fastest-growing electricity networks in a thriving and rapidly expanding region.

About The Role:

Reporting to the Chief Executive, this is a new role responsible for turning current systems into integrated intelligence: building a data platform the whole business can trust, embedding AI and automation with real governance behind it, and giving MainPower a technology base that’s secure, well‑architected and built to last. It's a rare brief - most organisations this size are retrofitting digital leadership onto existing structures. Here, you're setting the direction from day one.

You’ll also carry executive accountability for cyber security and core business systems and work closely with the GM Network & Future Energy on the OT/IT convergence that a modern network depends on.

Skills & Experience:

Senior digital, data or technology leadership at CIO or CTO level - ideally somewhere regulated, asset-intensive, or utility-shaped

A track record of building enterprise data platforms and governance that people actually use

Hands‑on experience deploying AI and automation with measured benefit

Executive‑level cyber security accountability, including incident response and Board reporting

Working knowledge of OT/IT convergence and what it means for security

The ability to translate technology into terms a Board and non‑technical peers will act on

Culture:

MainPower's Executive Leadership Team is made up of seven General Managers who own their portfolios and lead the whole company first. The team works to the "control to trust" principle which its General Managers are expected to model. Expect autonomy and high standards along with a seat at the strategy table.

Benefits and Perks:

• a nine‑day fortnight
• flexible hours
• hybrid working
• phased retirement
• sabbatical leave
• option to purchase extra annual leave

You’re joining a small, tight‑knit Executive Leadership Team at a company that's investing seriously in its future - $37M into the network last year alone.

For more information please phone Kate Kennedy on [phone].

Applications close on 20 September 2026.