Head of Customer Experience and Insights

Tiaki Wai; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working up to 2 days WFH

Wellbeing programme with a paid day

Professional development opportunities

5 weeks annual leave after 2 years

Job summary

Tiaki Wai is building a customer-centered organisation in the Wellington region. We are seeking a proven customer experience leader who can drive strategy, insights and service design across the organisation, translating customer understanding into real actions.

You will work with the Chief Customer Officer to shape the customer experience model, build capability and oversee governance, including a Customer Reference Group planned from early 2027.

Qualifications

• Senior-level experience in CX, service design, insights or strategy.
• Proven track record in establishing or maturing customer-focused capabilities.
• Expertise in customer research, segmentation and VOC approaches.
• Strong service design and journey mapping capabilities.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders across complex organisations.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Commitment to accessibility, inclusion and diverse communities.

Responsibilities

• Lead CX strategy, service design, insights and governance with CCO.
• Develop and mature customer-focused capabilities across the org.
• Oversee Customer Reference Group from 2027.
• Translate insights into actionable service improvements and investments.

Skills

Senior CX leader

Customer insights

Service design

Customer journey mapping

Stakeholder influence

Team leadership

Accessibility & inclusion

Job description

• Shape customer experience from the ground up
• Build a customer-first organisational capability
• Based in Petone

This is a full time position of 40 hours per week

The opportunity

Tiaki Wai is building something new. Our ambition is not simply to establish the systems and services needed to deliver water services, but to create an organisation that is genuinely centred on the customers and communities it exists to serve.

That means putting customer insight, experience and service design at the heart of how we develop services, make investment decisions and measure success. You’ll work with the Chief Customer Officer to lead that work.

Bringing together customer experience strategy, service design, research, insights, segmentation and voice of customer, you’ll build the capability that helps Tiaki Wai understand its customers and translate that understanding into action.

You’ll work across the organisation to ensure the customer and community perspective informs everything from service design and digital experiences to operational improvements and strategic investment. A key priority for this role will be ongoing oversight of a Customer Reference Group, planned to be established from early 2027.

This is an opportunity to do more than inherit an existing CX model. You’ll help create the model, build the capability and establish the disciplines that will influence how Tiaki Wai works for years to come.

About You

We’re looking for a proven customer experience leader who has the breadth to operate across strategy, customer insights, service design and organisational change.

You know how to move from research to insight, from insight to design, and from design to meaningful organisational change.

You’ll Bring

• Senior-level experience in customer experience, service design, customer insights or customer strategy.
• A track record of establishing, transforming or maturing customer-focused capabilities.
• Deep expertise in customer research, insight, segmentation and voice-of-customer approaches.
• Strong service design and customer journey capability, with experience redesigning services around customer needs.
• Experience integrating customer, digital and operational data to identify opportunities and influence decisions.
• The ability to influence senior stakeholders and create alignment across complex organisations.
• Experience building and leading multidisciplinary teams.
• A strong commitment to accessibility, inclusion and understanding the needs of diverse communities.

Rather than fitting customer experience into an established organisation, you’ll help establish an organisation with customer and community at its core.

Benefits

At Tiaki Wai, our purpose extends beyond delivering great water services for the region; we foster a thriving community, support a diverse workforce, and offer supportive development opportunities. We genuinely care about your safety and wellbeing.

Our Benefits Include

• Flexible working arrangements including up to 2 days working from home
• Comprehensive wellbeing programme, including one paid wellbeing day annually
• Formal and informal professional development opportunities
• 5 weeks annual leave accrual will be available following 2 years of continual service

About Us

Tiaki Wai is a council-owned organisation responsible for managing the delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services across Hutt Valley, Porirua, and Wellington.

We manage public-owned extensive water infrastructure and oversee the delivery of safe and reliable services for our communities. We focus on long-term investment, asset management, maintenance, and delivering major infrastructure projects that support public health, environmental protection, and regional growth.

Water is a precious taonga. At Tiaki Wai, we put care into every drop and are guided by our values of Integrity, Care, and Leadership. We work directly with water consumers and in partnership with councils and mana whenua to deliver better water outcomes for current and future generations.

Applications close: Wednesday, 18 November

For further information, email: [e-mail]

Applicants for safety sensitive roles will be required to undergo drug and alcohol testing prior to commencing employment with Tiaki Wai. You must also be legally entitled to work long-term in New Zealand or eligible to obtain a working visa.