Principal Data Analyst - 12 months fixed term at The Audit Office, Wellington - Wairarapa

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Principal Data Analyst – 12 months fixed term

Lead high-impact analytics and data-enabled product development, shape modern data practice, and support strategic decision-making across the public sector.

The Audit Office | Te Mana Arotake aims to improve trust and confidence in public services by giving New Zealanders an independent view of government spending and performance. As the statutory auditor of all public organisations, from councils to schools, the Auditor-General's work plays a major part in ensuring that our public sector remains one of the most trusted in the world.

We're looking for a Principal Data Analyst for a fixed-term position to cover a secondment in our Data and Analytics team. This role is pivotal in leading key projects, supporting the Director of Data and Analytics to manage team priorities, and developing modern analytical and data-enabled products to inform decision-making across the Office.

As a Principal Data Analyst, you'll be:

• leading significant analytics projects, ensuring that they're delivered on time and to a high standard;
• developing high-quality analytical products, data tools, and data-enabled solutions;
• helping design and deliver agentic AI use cases where they are appropriate, reliable, and well governed;
• supporting the Director of Data and Analytics in managing team workflows;
• driving continuous improvement in analytical methods, engineering practices, development workflows, and tools;
• applying strong development practices (including version control, testing, documentation, peer review, and deployment);
• mentoring others and helping build team capability; 
• clearly communicating complex data and concepts for non-technical audiences; and
• building strong relationships across the Office and wider public sector.

To succeed in this role, you'll have:

• proven experience leading complex data analytics, analytics engineering, data science, or data-enabled product development projects;
• strong project management skills, with a track record of delivering analytics projects from concept to completion;
• strong skills in insight generation, analytical product development, and data storytelling;
• strong technical capability in modern data and analytics engineering (including practical experience with Snowflake, dbt Cloud, SQL, Python,  SQL, and Azure DevOps, or similar tools);
• familiarity with AI engineering concepts (including agentic AI, prompts, retrieval-augmented generation, model evaluation, monitoring, and responsible AI practices);
• experience designing, building, or supporting AI-enabled analytical products, automation, or agentic AI use cases (highly desirable);
• demonstrated ability to manage relationships with senior stakeholders and influence decision-making;
• experience supporting and lifting the capability of data analysts or technical team members through coaching, mentoring, peer review, and shared technical practice;
• a proactive and collaborative mindset, with a focus on delivering value, improving ways of working, and driving innovation safely and pragmatically; and
• experience in audit analytics or financial analytics will be an advantage.

We offer our staff:

• Learning and development opportunities in data science and people management.
• Supportive hybrid working (flexible hours/days).
• Health and well-being benefits.

Read more – including about staff networks, annual leave, and family benefits – on our website: ao.parliament.nz/about-us/careers/benefits-for-employees

What we stand for

People matter | Our independence is critical | We act with integrity and courage | We're here to make a difference

We have a diverse and inclusive team that helps us to understand the issues facing the public sector and how these affect the lives of New Zealanders. We strongly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so that we can assist you through the recruitment process.

For this role, you must be able gain and maintain a Confidential national security clearance. Ordinarily, this means that you must be a New Zealand citizen, be a permanent resident, or hold a current residency class visa and intend to become a citizen when eligible. You must have a five-year checkable background in New Zealand, the UK, the USA, Canada, or Australia. Use this online tool to self-check your eligibility for a security clearance www.protectivesecurity.govt.nz/eligibility-tool (please note that this is not part of the formal security clearance process).

For more information, please contact Sandy Hoggarth at recruitment@ao.parliament.nz.

We value originality and effort. Although AI can be helpful in some circumstances, we require you to submit a cover letter and CV that reflects your own voice and experiences.

To find out more about us, see our website: www.ao.parliament.nz.

You must apply online through jobs.govt.nz (you'll find the application form and position description there, too).

Applications close Sunday 12 July, 2026.

Apply now – we'll be screening applications and may start interviewing before the closing date. We may also close this vacancy early if we find the right candidate.

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