Senior Data Scientist – Code Modules & Databricks

New Zealand Government; Wellington; On-site; NZD 97,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

37.5 hour week

15 days sick leave

End-of-year break

Annual flu vaccines

EAP counselling

Staff benefits

Job summary

New Zealand Government in Wellington is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to develop reusable data products within the Code Modules Initiative. You will contribute hands-on development, delivering 15 to 30 new or upgraded code modules each year and maintaining an extensive library of about 70 modules, ensuring quality and documentation standards.

You'll collaborate with the Principal Data Scientist and Technical Lead, drive process improvements, and help transition capabilities to future platforms

Qualifications

• A tertiary qualification in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Operations Research, or a related field.
• Five+ years' experience in quantitative or qualitative research, analytics, data science, or statistical analysis.
• Strong database analytics and statistical programming skills, particularly SQL and R.
• Experience developing robust, reusable analytical code and documentation.
• Strong attention to quality, testing, documentation, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to apply best practice and contribute ideas for improving existing methods, tools, and processes.
• Experience collaborating with technical stakeholders to solve complex problems.
• Understanding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and commitment to te ao Māori, tikanga Māori, te reo Māori.
• Knowledge of IDI or large administrative datasets would be advantageous.
• Experience with Databricks or cloud-based analytics platforms would be beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain reusable data products supporting integrated data research and statistical production.
• Deliver 15 to 30 new or upgraded code modules per year across the module lifecycle.
• Maintain and improve a library of approximately 70 modules to stay fit-for-purpose.
• Identify opportunities to streamline development processes and strengthen QA practices.
• Improve documentation standards and support transitions to future analytical platforms including Databricks.

Skills

Data Science

SQL

R

Analytical coding

Quality assurance

Stakeholder collaboration

Te Tiriti knowledge

Cloud analytics

Education

Tertiary qualification in Data Science / Statistics / Maths

Tools

Databricks

Job description

New Zealand Government in Wellington is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to develop reusable data products within the Code Modules Initiative. You will contribute hands-on development, delivering 15 to 30 new or upgraded code modules each year and maintaining an extensive library of about 70 modules, ensuring quality and documentation standards.

You'll collaborate with the Principal Data Scientist and Technical Lead, drive process improvements, and help transition capabilities to future platforms