Transition Lead

Greater Wellington; Wellington; On-site; NZD 109,000 - 163,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working policy

Learning opportunities

Medical insurance

Employee assistance program

Generous annual leave

Job summary

Greater Wellington is seeking a Transition Lead to manage the planning and delivery of transitions into and out of public transport service contracts across a major regional procurement programme.

You will develop transition plans, manage risks, coordinate stakeholders and ensure safe, timely delivery while minimising customer disruption across multiple projects in the Wellington region.

Qualifications

• Eight years' experience in contract management and overseeing complex service transitions.
• Proven ability to manage risk and develop mitigation plans.
• Strong stakeholder management across internal and external partners.
• Commercial acumen with understanding of private sector decision making.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement detailed transition plans for contracts.
• Manage risks and issues and report on progress.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communications.
• Ensure transitions are delivered safely, effectively and on schedule.

Skills

Contract management

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Commercial acumen

Communication

Facilitation

Time management

Analytical skills

Report writing

Education

Tertiary qualification

Job description

About the role:

This is a unique opportunity to play a critical role in one of New Zealand's largest and most complex public transport procurement programmes.

The Transport Services Procurement (TSP) Programme is a nine-year rolling programme of work that will procure and transition Wellington's bus, rail and ferry services through a series of major contract renewals and procurements. Collectively, these contracts are valued at more than $1 billion and are fundamental to the delivery of public transport services across the region.

As Transition Lead, you will be responsible for planning and delivering transitions into and out of public transport service contracts. Working alongside the Senior Transition Lead, Senior Project Managers and a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, you will ensure operators, depots, fleet, systems, equipment and people are successfully transitioned while minimising disruption to customers and service delivery.

You will develop and implement detailed transition plans, manage risks and issues, coordinate stakeholder engagement and communications, and ensure that contract transitions are delivered safely, effectively and on schedule.

This role offers the opportunity to work across multiple high-profile projects simultaneously, helping shape the future of public transport services for the Wellington region.

Skills and experience required:

To be successful in this role, you'll bring significant experience managing complex service contract transitions and a strong understanding of programme delivery in a commercially focused environment.

You will have:

• An appropriate tertiary qualification, or equivalent knowledge, skills and experience in a similar role.
• A minimum of eight years' experience in contract management, including managing the transition into and out of complex service contracts.
• A strong understanding of risk management, including identifying risks, developing fit-for-purpose mitigation plans and ensuring accountability for risk treatment actions.
• Strong commercial acumen and a clear understanding of what drives private sector decision-makers.
• Experience managing multiple stakeholders to deliver impactful outcomes and build strong collaborative relationships.
• A tenacious approach with a strong attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
• The ability to navigate complexity, understand stakeholder interests, identify the root causes of concerns and respond appropriately and in a timely manner.
• Strong time management skills and the ability to work confidently and effectively under pressure.
• Excellent analytical and report-writing skills.
• An understanding of transport decarbonisation and electrification issues would be advantageous.
• Knowledge of tikanga Māori, along with a working knowledge of local government and the transport sector.

Experience in public transport, infrastructure, procurement, local government, or large-scale service delivery environments would be advantageous.

What we offer:

• Work to suit your life and whānau with our flexible working policy.
• We'll encourage you to grow and prosper with a range of learning and development opportunities, internal secondments and career progression.
• Your wellbeing is our priority - we'll provide medical and trauma insurance, support through our employee assistance programme, including Rongoā Māori partner providers, generous annual leave, along with Tangihanga leave and support.
• We want you to have a sense of belonging, where you can reflect your personal and cultural identity in the way that you work.
• Social clubs, staff networks and a friendly and inclusive culture.
• Great working environments across our beautiful region.

Come help treasure and grow our rohe together

Our rohe and its lands, waterways, animals, plants and people can only grow stronger if they are nurtured.

To join our team is to step up and commit to playing an active part in this important mahi. That means restoring nature, connecting people and places, reducing environmental impacts and helping this rohe and its people prosper.

We are part of a collective movement alongside mana whenua and community members whose hopes for the future of this region are just as high as your own.

Our efforts across environmental management, public transport, flood protection, regional parks and water supply are interconnected and integral to treasuring our rohe and growing our future.

We value diversity and are committed to an inclusive, flexible, and supportive workplace. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds and welcome the unique talent and experience you will bring to our team.

We are passionate about ensuring our recruitment processes are fair and equitable. Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs or adjustments that need to be made so we can offer a recruitment process that is more accessible to you.

All applicants will be required to provide proof of their eligibility to work in New Zealand as we are unable to provide sponsorship for this position.

For further information, please contact Kevin Forward, 021 228 7749.

Applications close: 5.00pm, Sunday 13 September 2026.

However, we will be shortlisting applications as they come in and will interview as soon as possible to secure the right person.

Greater Wellington is an accredited Living Wage Employer. We're committed to making sure our people, including people in our supply chain, earn enough to meet life's basic needs, support their whānau, and participate fully in their communities.

The remuneration for this position, inclusive of all benefits, is $108,673 to $163,010 with a midpoint of $135,842. Starting remuneration will depend on the skills and experience of the successful applicant.