Manager Regulatory System Evidence and Insights

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi; Wellington; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements (role‑de

Five weeks annual leave

Career development opportunities

Job summary

NZ Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi in Wellington, New Zealand, seeks an experienced people leader to head the Regulatory System Evidence & Insights team. You will build a strong evidence base to inform the regulation of New Zealand's land transport system and maintain a system-wide view of regulatory risk and performance for robust decision-making.

You will lead the Regulatory Evidence Centre, oversee end-to-end reviews, and develop risk assessments to strengthen oversight and assurance.

Qualifications

• Track record of developing high-performing teams.
• Ability to translate complexity into actionable insights.
• Experience working with senior leaders and building confidence in evidence-based decisions.
• Willingness to understand Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in public sector context.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing evidence and insights team.
• Deliver evidence and advice to support risk-based regulatory decision-making.
• Maintain a system-wide view of regulatory risks, issues, threats and opportunities.
• Lead regulatory risk assessments, including vulnerabilities and controls.
• Lead the Regulatory Evidence Centre and regulatory evidence profiles.
• Drive the use of hindsight, insight and foresight in regulatory decision-making.
• Identify and interpret emerging trends, signals and future risks affecting the regulatory system.
• Deliver high-quality reporting for executive, Board and Ministerial audiences.

Skills

Evidence leadership

Regulatory risk

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Education

Tertiary qualification desirable

Job description

• Shape how evidence informs regulatory decisions
• Drive foresight and risk-based thinking
• Build capability and inspire a high-performing team

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

We're looking for an experienced people leader to lead our Regulatory System Evidence & Insights team, helping NZ Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi (NZTA) build a strong evidence base to inform the regulation of New Zealand's land transport system.

The team develops and maintains a system-wide view of regulatory risk and performance, identifying emerging threats, risks, issues and opportunities, and providing evidence and insight to support robust regulatory decision-making.

This role is ideal for someone who is comfortable working across multiple sources of information and can bring together qualitative and quantitative evidence to identify patterns, understand risk, and translate complex information into clear, actionable insights.

The role will see you leading the ongoing development of our Regulatory Evidence Centre and regulatory evidence profiles, ensuring decision-makers have an up-to-date understanding of both the overall health of the regulatory system and the performance of its individual components. You will also oversee end-to-end reviews of regulatory system components, identifying strengths, weaknesses, risks, opportunities and areas for improvement. In addition, you will also lead the development of regulatory risk assessments, evaluating vulnerabilities, potential impacts, existing controls, and priorities for strengthening regulatory oversight and assurance.

A key part of the role is maintaining a future-focused view of the regulatory environment. The role will see you leading the identification and interpretation of emerging signals, trends and developments to understand potential future risks, opportunities and challenges that may affect NZTA's regulatory system.

By bringing together hindsight, insight and foresight, you will help NZTA better understand regulatory risk, anticipate emerging challenges, and inform the prioritisation of regulatory effort, investment and resources.

In This Role You Will

• Lead and develop a high-performing evidence and insights team.
• Deliver evidence, insights and advice that support risk-based regulatory decision-making.
• Maintain a system-wide view of regulatory risks, issues, threats and opportunities.
• Lead regulatory risk assessments, including vulnerabilities, controls and emerging risks.
• Lead the Regulatory Evidence Centre and regulatory evidence profiles.
• Drive the use of hindsight, insight and foresight in regulatory decision-making.
• Identify and interpret emerging trends, signals and future risks affecting the regulatory system.
• Deliver high-quality reporting and briefings for executive, Board and Ministerial audiences.
• Build strong relationships across NZTA and the wider regulatory sector.
• Develop frameworks, tools and approaches that strengthen evidence, insight and foresight capability.

Ko koe tēnei | About you

Above all, we're looking for an exceptional people leader who can bring together people, evidence and diverse perspectives to create clarity in a complex environment.

As a leader, you'll be someone who builds trust quickly, creates an environment where people can do their best work, and gets energy from helping others succeed. You will have a track record of developing high-performing teams, fostering collaboration, and creating a strong sense of purpose and connection.

You may have gained some of your leadership experience through transformation or significant organisational change. You'll be comfortable establishing or maturing functions, leading through ambiguity, bringing people on the journey, and balancing capability building with delivery.

You will be comfortable working with both data as well as numerous sources of qualitative information. This is not a hands‑on analytics role. What matters is your ability to understand multiple sources of information, apply strategic and systems thinking, exercise sound judgement, and translate complexity into meaningful insight and action.

Strong skills as a compelling communicator and influencer are vital. We're looking for someone who can engage a range of audiences, present complex evidence and risk in accessible ways, and build support for ideas through credibility, relationships and clear communication.

To Be Successful, You Will Bring

• Proven experience leading evidence, insight, risk or intelligence functions in complex environments.
• A strong track record of building engaged, high-performing teams and developing people to achieve their potential.
• The ability to bring people together, build trusted relationships and work collaboratively across organisational boundaries.
• Experience leading through change, ambiguity or the establishment of new functions, frameworks or approaches.
• Strong strategic and systems thinking, with the ability to identify connections, emerging risks and longer-term implications.
• Confidence working with multiple sources of information, and translating complex issues into practical insights and recommendations.
• Outstanding written, verbal and visual communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage a wide range of audiences.
• Experience working with senior leaders and building confidence in evidence-based decision-making.
• An understanding of regulatory systems, public‑sector decision‑making, or other complex operating environments.

A relevant tertiary qualification is desirable, or you may bring equivalent experience gained through senior regulatory or public-service roles where system risk assessment and the leadership of evidence and insights were key components.

You will demonstrate knowledge of, or a willingness to gain an understanding of Te Ao Māori and promote tikanga and Te Reo Māori. You will also have knowledge of, or a willingness to gain an appreciation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as it applies in the public sector.

Mō mātou | About us

Te Rōpū Waeture – Regulatory is the lead regulator for land transport. Our purpose is to ensure the system is safe, efficient and effective and operates in the public interest. We take a system view focused on improving safety outcomes and reducing harm, using education and encouragement to support compliance and enforcement where necessary.

The Regulatory Performance, Risk and Insights group provides system-wide oversight to give NZTA and the Director of Land Transport a clear, evidence-based understanding of performance, risks and outcomes across the land transport regulatory system. It uses evidence and intelligence to support regulatory decision‑making, continuous improvement and effective system stewardship.

Ka whiwhi koe i te aha | What you will get in return

This is an opportunity to lead a function with a system-wide regulatory perspective, shaping how evidence, insight and foresight are used to understand risk and support important decisions about regulatory priorities and resources.

Along with meaningful work and the opportunity to influence outcomes that impact on Aotearoa, we offer:

• A competitive salary and benefits package
• Flexible working arrangements (role dependent)
• Five weeks annual leave
• Income Protection and Critical Illness Insurance for permanent employees
• Career development opportunities across a large and complex organisation
• A values‑led, inclusive workplace where people are encouraged to grow, contribute, and succeed

Rā Katinga | Applications close

3 November 2026

For further information, email: [e-mail]

To be considered for this position you must have a legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Waka Kotahi is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion and are committed to providing a working environment that embraces these values. Please let us know if you need any support or have any access requirements that will help you through the recruitment process.

Please note that we may begin shortlisting as we receive applications. We encourage early applications as we may withdraw the advertising at any time.