Programme Manager (Delivery Performance Specialist) - Contractor

Air New Zealand Limited; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Air New Zealand Limited seeks an experienced Programme Manager (Delivery and Performance Specialist) on a contract basis to help squads and leaders deliver complex, cross-functional initiatives with pace, predictability and value. This role requires deep agile project and programme management expertise, strong systems thinking, and change capability.

You will coach Product Owners and Delivery Owners, manage dependencies, and shape environments that enable sustainable delivery across teams and

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience as an Agile Programme Manager, Senior Project Manager, Delivery Lead or equivalent across complex digital or operational transformation.
• Deep expertise in agile, lean and flow-based delivery, with the judgement to flex between agile, hybrid and traditional approaches.
• Strong track record translating strategy into outcomes, value slices and release plans while managing risks, dependencies, governance, budgets and vendors.
• Systems thinker experienced in improving flow, addressing root causes and designing effective delivery rhythms, dashboards or workflows.
• Confident using empirical delivery, team and adoption data to improve forecasting, decision-making and performance.
• Strong coaching, facilitation and influencing skills with Product Owners, Delivery Owners, teams, leaders, finance partners and vendors.
• Practical organisational change and adoption capability, ensuring delivery outcomes land and are sustained.
• Clear communicator and active listener; aviation, transport, logistics, operations or other safety-critical experience is highly desirable.
• Collaborative, growth-oriented and comfortable with ambiguity and constructive challenge; relevant agile, project management, delivery or coaching certifications are advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Orchestrate end-to-end delivery across complex, multi-team initiatives, aligning scope, timing, dependencies, decisions, vendors and strategic outcomes.
• Shape objectives into clear customer, operational and commercial outcomes, prioritised work, value slices and release plans that deliver value incrementally.
• Establish fit-for-purpose planning, governance, cadences, reporting and decision forums; keep priorities, work in progress, trade-offs, spend, forecasts and delivery confidence visible.
• Manage flow, critical paths, risks, issues and dependencies, making constraints visible and unblocking progress as context changes.
• Optimise delivery systems, team interactions and operating rhythms; integrate internal and vendor delivery and address the root causes of bottlenecks.
• Use throughput, cycle time, predictability, adoption and team-performance signals to improve forecasting, target interventions and drive continuous improvement, including automation and AI-enabled insights where useful.
• Coach Product Owners, Delivery Owners, teams and leaders to improve prioritisation, accountability, psychological safety and sustainable delivery performance.
• Integrate change enablement through impact awareness, stakeholder engagement, feedback and adoption tracking so outcomes are embedded and sustained.
• Actively ensure the safety and security of all people, assets, systems and procedures in your area of responsibility.

Skills

Agile Programme Management

Delivery Leadership

Stakeholder Engagement

Coaching Product Owners

Systems Thinking

Forecasting & Analytics

Change Enablement

Risk & Dependency Management

Vendor Management

Job description

Kia ora! Air New Zealand is on an accelerated journey to deliver the best flying experience on Earth. Our purpose is to enrich our country by connecting New Zealanders to each other and New Zealand to the world. As part of our brand promise, we embrace Manaaki - taking care further than any other airline and creating meaningful experiences that empower and connect.

Job Description

Air New Zealand is on an accelerated journey to deliver the best flying experience on Earth. Our purpose is to enrich our country by connecting New Zealanders to each other and New Zealand to the world. As part of our brand promise, we embrace Manaaki - taking care further than any other airline and creating meaningful experiences that empower and connect.

To support this vision, we are seeking an experienced Programme Manager (Delivery and Performance Specialist) on a contract basis to help teams and leaders deliver complex, cross-functional initiatives with greater pace, predictability and value.

This isn't your standard Programme Manager role. We're looking for a delivery professional with deep agile project and programme management expertise, plus strong systems thinking, coaching and change capability. You'll work across squads, operational teams, technology partners and vendors to turn strategy into clear outcomes and manageable increments.

You'll take a hands-on, 'roll your sleeves up' approach: making priorities and trade-offs visible, managing flow and dependencies, unblocking progress and using evidence to improve forecasting. You won't just maintain the plan - you’ll shape the environment that helps teams deliver.

You’ll apply Air New Zealand’s operating model and agile principles pragmatically, coaching leaders and teams and strengthening adoption without turning agile into a compliance exercise.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

• Orchestrate end-to-end delivery across complex, multi-team initiatives, aligning scope, timing, dependencies, decisions, vendors and strategic outcomes.
• Shape objectives into clear customer, operational and commercial outcomes, prioritised work, value slices and release plans that deliver value incrementally.
• Establish fit-for-purpose planning, governance, cadences, reporting and decision forums; keep priorities, work in progress, trade-offs, spend, forecasts and delivery confidence visible.
• Manage flow, critical paths, risks, issues and dependencies, making constraints visible and unblocking progress as context changes.
• Optimise delivery systems, team interactions and operating rhythms; integrate internal and vendor delivery and address the root causes of bottlenecks.
• Use throughput, cycle time, predictability, adoption and team-performance signals to improve forecasting, target interventions and drive continuous improvement, including automation and AI-enabled insights where useful.
• Coach Product Owners, Delivery Owners, teams and leaders to improve prioritisation, accountability, psychological safety and sustainable delivery performance.
• Integrate change enablement through impact awareness, stakeholder engagement, feedback and adoption tracking so outcomes are embedded and sustained.
• Actively ensure the safety and security of all people, assets, systems and procedures in your area of responsibility.

Experience & Skills:

• 10+ years' experience as an Agile Programme Manager, Senior Project Manager, Delivery Lead or equivalent across complex digital or operational transformation.
• Deep expertise in agile, lean and flow-based delivery, with the judgement to flex between agile, hybrid and traditional approaches.
• Strong track record translating strategy into outcomes, value slices and release plans while managing risks, dependencies, governance, budgets and vendors.
• Systems thinker experienced in improving flow, addressing root causes and designing effective delivery rhythms, dashboards or workflows.
• Confident using empirical delivery, team and adoption data to improve forecasting, decision-making and performance.
• Strong coaching, facilitation and influencing skills with Product Owners, Delivery Owners, teams, leaders, finance partners and vendors.
• Practical organisational change and adoption capability, ensuring delivery outcomes land and are sustained.
• Clear communicator and active listener; aviation, transport, logistics, operations or other safety-critical experience is highly desirable.
• Collaborative, growth-oriented and comfortable with ambiguity and constructive challenge; relevant agile, project management, delivery or coaching certifications are advantageous.

This is an independent contractor engagement. Further details regarding the engagement term and contracting arrangements will be discussed as part of the selection process.

Applications close Sunday 11th October 2026.