Manager Customer Change

Auckland Council; Auckland; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary review

Training and development

Job summary

Auckland Council is seeking a seasoned Manager Customer Change to set the strategic direction for major customer-focused change across the organisation. You will drive proactive change, oversee complex transformation programmes, and ensure sustainable outcomes with strong team engagement.

You will lead a team of approximately eight Change Managers, collaborate with Technology Services and Auckland Transport, and work across council groups to deliver well-coordinated, customer-focused change.

Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years' experience in organisational change, transformation or HR.
• Minimum eight years in leadership roles.
• Experience leading large-scale transformation in complex environments.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction for customer change across major transformation programmes.
• Provide trusted advice to senior leaders on change strategy and readiness.
• Inform priorities using customer insights and cross-department collaboration.
• Lead stakeholder engagement and develop organisational change capability.

Skills

Change management

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Job description

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• Shape the strategic direction of customer change across Auckland Council
• Lead complex transformation across Council, Technology Services and Auckland Transport
• Inspire and develop a high-performing team of Change Managers

As Manager Customer Change, you'll lead the strategic direction for major customer-focused change across Auckland Council, helping the organisation move from a reactive approach to one that anticipates change and plans proactively. You'll ensure our largest and most complex transformation programmes deliver meaningful, sustainable outcomes through strong kaimahi engagement, successful adoption and minimal disruption to day-to-day performance. Working closely with senior leaders, Technology Services, Auckland Transport and teams across the council group, you'll maintain a whole-of-organisation view of change, ensuring key programmes, risks, impacts and interdependencies are visible and inform decision‑making.

In this role, you will:

• Set the strategic direction for customer change across major transformation programmes, focusing resources and effort on initiatives that deliver the greatest customer and organisational value.
• Provide trusted advice to senior leaders on change strategy, organisational readiness, delivery impacts, risks and interdependencies.
• Use customer insights, organisational data and cross‑departmental collaboration to inform priorities, strengthen decisions and coordinate change across Auckland Council and Auckland Transport.
• Lead effective stakeholder engagement and strengthen organisational change capability, continuously improving how change is planned, sequenced, delivered and sustained.

You’ll be an accomplished strategic change leader who can confidently navigate complexity, ambiguity and competing priorities. With a strong whole-of-organisation perspective, you'll understand how readiness, risk, organisational design and programme interdependencies influence successful transformation. You'll be a credible partner to senior leaders and an engaging communicator who can translate complex information into clear direction, influence important decisions and bring diverse stakeholders together around shared outcomes.

As a people leader, you'll lead and develop a team of approximately eight Change Managers, creating a high-performing environment built on accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. You'll work closely with Technology Services, Auckland Transport and departments across the council group, using insights to anticipate emerging needs and ensure customer‑focused change is well coordinated, successfully adopted and delivers lasting value.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• At least 12 years' experience in organisational change, transformation or human resources, including a minimum of eight years in leadership roles.
• Proven experience leading organisational design and large‑scale transformation within complex environments, including programmes involving significant cultural and behavioural change.
• A strong track record of developing and delivering people and performance strategies, organisational structures and effective operating models.
• Deep expertise across change management, governance, risk, stakeholder engagement and capability building, with the ability to lead confidently through uncertainty and deliver sustainable outcomes.

Auckland Council is one of the largest local authorities in the South Pacific providing essential services and facilities to more than 1.6 million people. We are progressive socially, culturally and environmentally while we work towards creating change having an impact on our journey to becoming a city we are proud of for our ratepayers and residents.

Ehara taku toa, he takitahi, he toa takitini My success is not mine alone, but the success of many.

• In return for your hard work, you will be rewarded with a competitive salary and be a part of a friendly and collaborative team that is dedicated to our customers.
• You will receive dedicated training and development to help build your career and on top of this, as part of our Auckland Council Group, you will gain access to many benefits and discounts.

Applications close Wednesday 16 September 2026

Auckland Council is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and we are committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application to assist you through the recruitment process.