Principal Business Systems Advisor

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE); Wellington; On-site; NZD 108,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellness benefits

KiwiSaver contributions

Job summary

MBIE in Wellington is seeking a strategic IP technology expert to lead IPONZ product ownership, shaping roadmaps, guiding investment priorities, and directing platform direction. You will work with business users, technology specialists, and suppliers to ensure robust system delivery.

You will oversee operational performance, risks, and changes while enabling effective testing, data management, and user support across New Zealand and international interfaces.

Qualifications

• Experience advising on management and development of complex or regulatory systems.
• Ability to translate technical issues and risks for non-technical audiences including senior stakeholders.
• Ability to assess emerging technologies and recommend practical applications.
• Strong judgement balancing service continuity, user needs, risk and long-term sustainability.

Responsibilities

• Provide trusted expert advice on system roadmaps, investment priorities, and platform direction.
• Oversee operational performance, risks, changes, and system integrity.
• Lead product ownership for multi-year platform upgrades and project delivery.
• Monitor systems, incidents, testing methodologies, data management and user support.

Skills

Advising on complex systems

Translate technical issues

Technology assessment

Judgement balancing

Job description

Discover a career with purpose at MBIE

Location: Wellington Central
Discover a career with purpose at MBIE

• Help shape the future of New Zealand’s intellectual property systems
• Provide trusted technical leadership across nationally significant regulatory services
• Work with business experts and technology specialists in New Zealand and internationally
• Two-year Fixed Term Position Salary starting at $120k + wellness benefits and kiwisaver

About the Role - Tēnei tūranga:

The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) works with users of the intellectual property regulatory system in the examination, registration, and management of intellectual property rights: patents; designs; trade marks; geographical indications; and plant variety rights. IPONZ is a key part of the Intellectual Property (IP) regulatory system which, supports intellectual property owners, innovators and creators by incentivising innovation and investment and facilitating trade in new products and services to bring tangible societal and economic returns to New Zealand. IPONZ is part of international IP treaties, agreements, standards and systems that facilitates the protection and recognition of IP in international markets.

IPONZ delivers its services fully online, integrating with MBIE systems, international systems and customer interfaces via web and API.

The appointee has a strategic role as the key technical expert within IPONZ to ensure that its specialist applications and tools that deliver it services continue to operate and improve. The role performs key product and system ownership functions, providing trusted expert advice on system roadmaps, investment priorities and future platform direction, as well as overseeing operational performance, risks, controlled change and ongoing system integrity.

IPONZ is undertaking a significant multi-year upgrade of its core IP management platform and IT systems, and successful caniddate has the critical role of product owner for this project supporting its ongoing direction and delivery, managing priorities, working closely with the project team, subject matter experts and suppliers.

This role also works with other members of the team and vendors to provide a range of operational services including to monitor business systems, manage system issues and incidents, manage system changes and releases, testing methodologies, data management and reporting capability, and support users with advice and assistance to enable them to use the available technology efficiently and effectively.

Ngā pukenga me ngā wheako e hiahiatia ana - Skills and Experience Required

To be successful you will have:

• experience advising on the management and development of complex, business-critical or regulatory systems, overseeing their operational performance, and contributing to complex technology or transformation initiatives;
• demonstrated ability to translate technical issues, risks and options for non-technical audiences including for senior stakeholders;
• ability to assess emerging technologies and recommend practical applications;
• strong judgement when balancing service continuity, user needs, risk and long-term sustainability.

Candidates must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

About MBIE - Ētahi kōrero mō MBIE:

MBIE's goal is to create a resilient and high-performing economy that delivers real and ongoing quality of life for all New Zealanders.

We do this by working with others to create an environment that supports businesses to be more productive and internationally competitive, enables all New Zealanders to participate in the economy through improved job opportunities and by working to ensure quality housing is more affordable.

People are at the heart of our mahi, our way of working is guided by our values which shape our behaviours.

- Mahi Tahi – Better Together

- Māia – Bold and brave

- Pae Kahurangi – Build our Future

- Pono Me Te Tika – Own It

Our aspirations are echoed in our Māori identity – Hīkina Whakatutuki – which broadly means ‘lifting to make successful'.

MBIE recognises the partnership founded under Te Tiriti o Waitangi between Māori and the Crown and is committed to giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We will do this through enduring, meaningful and effective partnerships with iwi, Māori, other Māori groups/organisations and the Crown, as this is critical to enable economic and social development, both for Māori and for wider Aotearoa New Zealand. We are committed to continuing to partner with iwi in order to find new sustainable solutions to address long standing systemic and cross-cutting issues facing Māori and wider Aotearoa New Zealand and we are also committed to identifying opportunities for iwi to lead and creating an enabling environment for iwi to leverage these opportunities.

E mōhio ana a Hīkina Whakatutuki i puea ake te kōtuinga I waenganui i a ngāi Māori me te Karauna i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, kei te whai ia ki te whakaū ake i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Mā te whai kiko o ngā kōtuinga ahunga roa o ngā iwi, o ngāi Māori, me ētahi atu rōpū Māori ki te Karauna, ka tutuki tēnei. He āhuatanga nui tēnei e āhei ai ngā mahi whanaketanga ā‑ōhanga, ā‑pāpori hoki ki a ngāi Māori me Aotearoa whānui. E whai tonu ana mātou ki te kōtui atu ki ngā iwi mō te rapu huarahi hou ki te whakaara i ngā kaupapa kua roa nei e tāmi ana i a ngāi Māori me Aotearoa whānui, ā, e whai ana hoki ki te tautohu i ngā āheinga kōkiritanga mā ngā iwi, me te tautoko i ngā iwi kia whai mana ake ai ēnei āheinga.

Applications close on 23rd Of October 2025 5pm