Head of Research Support

REANNZ; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

REANNZ in New Zealand is seeking an experienced Head of Research Support to set strategic direction and lead a high-performing team delivering expert support and engineering capability to the research community.

You will partner across Service Delivery, Advanced Computing, Product & Innovation, Networks and Partnerships to ensure a seamless researcher experience and translate insights into service improvements. Join a nationally significant organisation shaping digital research services.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in customer support, service delivery, professional services, engineering or technical operations environments.
• Proven success building and leading high-performing, multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and an ability to build trusted relationships across complex environments.
• Experience driving service improvement, operational excellence and customer-focused outcomes.
• The ability to translate technical complexity into practical, meaningful outcomes for users and stakeholders.
• A collaborative leadership style focused on enabling teams, building capability and delivering impact.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction for Research Support across REANNZ, aligning researcher needs, service delivery and organisational priorities.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team that delivers expert support, advice and engineering capability to the research community.
• Partner across Service Delivery, Advanced Computing, Product & Innovation, Networks and Partnerships to deliver a seamless end-to-end researcher experience.
• Ensure researcher insights, challenges and opportunities are translated into service improvements and organisational learning.
• Champion operational excellence, continuous improvement and best practice approaches to research support and engineering.
• Contribute as a senior leader, supporting REANNZ's mission, strategic direction and organisational success.

Skills

Senior leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Service delivery

Customer-focused outcomes

Technical communication

Cross-functional collaboration

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.

Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand (REANNZ) is entering an exciting phase of growth and transformation, strengthening the digital foundations that underpin Aotearoa's research, education and innovation ecosystem.

As demand for data-intensive research and global collaboration accelerates, the organisation is focused on expanding capability, modernising platforms, and enabling researchers to push the boundaries of discovery. Following the integration of advanced computing and researcher support capabilities, REANNZ is uniquely positioned to deliver nationally significant services that enable researchers to collaborate, innovate and achieve impact at scale. As demand for these services grows, we are investing in the people, capability and leadership needed to support the future of research in New Zealand. We are seeking an experienced Head of Research Support to lead this critical function and shape how researchers engage with and benefit from REANNZ's services.

What You'll Do

Set the strategic direction for Research Support across REANNZ, aligning researcher needs, service delivery and organisational priorities.

Lead and develop a high-performing team that delivers expert support, advice and engineering capability to the research community.

Partner across Service Delivery, Advanced Computing, Product & Innovation, Networks and Partnerships to deliver a seamless end-to-end researcher experience.

Ensure researcher insights, challenges and opportunities are translated into service improvements and organisational learning.

Champion operational excellence, continuous improvement and best practice approaches to research support and engineering.

Contribute as a senior leader, supporting REANNZ's mission, strategic direction and organisational success.

Your Skills Are

Senior leadership experience in customer support, service delivery, professional services, engineering or technical operations environments.

Proven success building and leading high-performing, multidisciplinary teams.

Strong stakeholder engagement skills and an ability to build trusted relationships across complex environments.

Experience driving service improvement, operational excellence and customer-focused outcomes.

The ability to translate technical complexity into practical, meaningful outcomes for users and stakeholders.

A collaborative leadership style focused on enabling teams, building capability and delivering impact.

The successful candidate will be motivated by creating an environment where researchers are supported to do their best work and where service excellence, collaboration and innovation are at the heart of everything we do.

About REANNZ

REANNZ is Aotearoa New Zealand's trusted digital backbone for research and education, providing high-performance network, computing and research support services that enable collaboration across the sector. As part of the global National Research and Education Network community, REANNZ helps connect New Zealand researchers with the world. We are a small, highly skilled organisation with a strong focus on innovation, practical solutions and meaningful impact. We offer a flexible and inclusive working environment where people can do their best work while contributing to the advancement of research and education across Aotearoa.

Next Steps

If you're excited by the opportunity to lead a nationally significant research support function and help shape the future of digital research services in Aotearoa, we'd love to hear from you. For more information, including the application process, visit www.careers.reannz.co.nz Applications close 5.00pm, Friday 18 September.