Principal Enterprise Architect - Digital & System Leadership

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi; Palmerston North; Hybrid; NZD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Five weeks annual leave

Insurance protection

Career development

Collaborative culture

Job summary

NZ Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) seeks a Principal Enterprise Architect – Digital & Systems Leadership to shape NZTA's digital capabilities, enterprise platforms and technology landscape. The role translates business strategy into target states and capability roadmaps, providing strategic advice to senior leaders and aligning decisions with enterprise direction.

This business-led, upstream role influences investment decisions, sets standards, patterns and guardrails, and collaborates across

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in enterprise architecture, business architecture or strategic advisory roles.
• Strong business capability modelling and enterprise planning experience.
• Ability to translate business strategy into clear enterprise direction.
• Experience influencing executives and senior decision-makers.
• Understanding of investment planning, governance and organisational priorities.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to simplify complexity and provide clear, actionable advice.
• Collaborative approach across business, architecture, digital and delivery communities.

Responsibilities

• Shape enterprise capability strategies and future-state direction.
• Build trusted relationships with senior business leaders across Digital & System Leadership.
• Provide enterprise architecture advice on emerging needs, opportunities and risks.
• Identify opportunities to simplify and align capabilities and services.
• Influence investment decisions from an enterprise-wide perspective.
• Connect business priorities with digital, data and technology opportunities.
• Engage business and Digital early to understand opportunities, constraints and implications.
• Identify and resolve cross-organisational dependencies to support coherent outcomes.

Skills

Enterprise architecture

Business architecture

Strategic advisory

Stakeholder engagement

Investment governance

Big-picture thinking

Job description

• Shape enterprise architecture and strategic direction
• Connect architecture, business and digital strategy
• Use architecture insight to guide future investment

We are strengthening Architecture's role in setting enterprise technology direction and enabling better long-term decision making by building deeper Principal Architecture capability, creating greater capacity to look across NZTA, set clear direction and support delivery through stronger standards, patterns and guardrails.

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

As Principal Enterprise Architect – Digital & Systems Leadership you will partner with senior leaders across Digital and System Leadership to help shape the future direction of NZTA's digital capabilities, enterprise platforms and technology landscape.

This is a business-led enterprise architecture leadership role. You'll work upstream of delivery, translating business strategy, organisational priorities and future capability needs into enterprise target states, capability roadmaps and clear strategic advice.

As a trusted advisor to senior leaders, you'll bring an enterprise-wide perspective to complex challenges and opportunities, helping ensure decisions are informed by a clear understanding of impacts, dependencies and possibilities.

You Will

• Shape enterprise capability strategies and future-state direction
• Build strong, trusted relationships with senior business leaders across Digital & System Leadership
• Provide enterprise architecture advice on emerging needs, opportunities and risks
• Identify opportunities to simplify and better align capabilities and services
• Influence investment decisions through an enterprise-wide perspective
• Connect business priorities with digital, data and technology opportunities
• Ensure business and Digital engage early enough to understand opportunities, constraints and enterprise implications before investment and delivery pathways are established
• Identify and help resolve cross-organisational dependencies to support coherent enterprise outcomes.

Rather than focusing on specific technologies or delivery solutions, you'll influence thinking early, helping leaders make deliberate and informed decisions about where technology can provide value and how future investments align with enterprise direction.

You will find out more about the role here -

Position Description

Ko koe tēnei | About you

You'll be a strategic thinker who can see the bigger enterprise picture while building the credibility and trusted relationships needed to influence at senior levels.

To Be Successful In This Role, You Will Bring

• Extensive experience in enterprise architecture, business architecture or strategic advisory roles
• Strong business capability modelling and enterprise planning experience
• The ability to translate business strategy into clear enterprise direction
• Experience influencing executives and senior decision-makers
• An understanding of investment planning, governance and organisational priorities
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills
• The ability to simplify complexity and provide clear, actionable advice
• A collaborative approach that builds alignment across business, architecture, digital and delivery communities.

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 service.

Mō mātou | About us

The Chief Technology Office (CTO) is a strategic business enabler within NZTA, providing the digital skills, capabilities, platforms and leadership needed to support our operational performance, regulatory responsibilities and future transport vision.

The CTO helps ensure our digital investments, platforms and services align with organisational priorities and deliver value across NZTA. It plays an important role in enabling efficient service delivery, improving customer experience, managing risk and supporting long-term planning.

As part of Te Aukaha | Digital, you'll contribute to improving our services and decision-making and providing modern, fit-for-purpose digital, information and technology solutions for our people, partners and customers.

You will be part of an Architecture function that is strengthening its enterprise role, building greater capability to look across NZTA, establish clear direction and enable delivery through stronger standards, patterns and guardrails.

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

This is an opportunity to work at enterprise level, influence significant organisational decisions and help shape how NZTA evolves its capabilities for the future.

In Addition, You'll Benefit From

• Flexible working arrangements that support work-life balance
• Five weeks annual leave
• Income Protection and Critical Illness Insurance for permanent employees
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• A collaborative and inclusive culture committed to delivering meaningful outcomes for New Zealanders

If you enjoy working at the intersection of business strategy, enterprise architecture and organisational change, and want to influence important decisions before solutions are defined, we'd love to hear from you.

RᲰ Katinga | Applications close:

12 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.