Senior Experience Design Lead – Parental Leave Fixed-Term

New Zealand Government; Auckland; On-site; NZD 134,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

5 weeks annual leave (pro rata)

Flexible working arrangements

Competitive salary and benefits

Job summary

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is seeking a Principal Experience Designer on a fixed-term basis to cover parental leave until the end of April 2027. You will lead human-centred design across a large digital transformation programme, guiding research to detailed product design and maintaining an end-to-end customer focus.

You will coach others, shape design strategy, and work with leaders and cross-functional teams to translate legislative changes into meaningful digital experiences.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading human-centred design for products and/or services across research to delivery.
• Demonstrated expertise in product strategy, roadmaps and delivering meaningful customer experiences.
• Strong communication to articulate design decisions and influence senior leaders and stakeholders.
• Proven ability to mentor others and grow design capability within a team.
• Experience leading design operations to enable efficiency (design systems, libraries, templates).
• Proficient in research and design tools (Askable, Miro, Figma, Adobe CC).
• Experience in agile environments integrating research and design in product lifecycle.
• Ability to navigate ambiguous environments and adapt to changing requirements.
• Track record of collaborating with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead human-centred design across a range of connected initiatives from research to detailed digital product design.
• Influence at a high level; partner with leaders and cross-functional teams to understand legislative changes and communicate insights.
• Provide design direction across delivery squads and maintain a connected end-to-end customer view.
• Contribute to evolution of Design System, Human-Centred Design Centre of Excellence and Design Community of Practice.

Skills

Human-centred design

Product strategy

Stakeholder influence

Mentoring

Design operations

Research tools

Agile

Design systems

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Askable

Miro

Figma

Adobe Creative Cloud

Job description

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is seeking a Principal Experience Designer on a fixed-term basis to cover parental leave until the end of April 2027. You will lead human-centred design across a large digital transformation programme, guiding research to detailed product design and maintaining an end-to-end customer focus.

You will coach others, shape design strategy, and work with leaders and cross-functional teams to translate legislative changes into meaningful digital experiences.