Director Te Ihuwaka at Education Review Office, Wellington

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Mō tēnei tūranga | About this role

Lead the strategic direction and delivery of Te Ihuwaka's research and evaluation programme, generating and mobilising evidence and insights that strengthen education policy and practice.

At ERO, we are committed to improving outcomes for children and young people through independent evaluation, review and the effective use of evidence. We are looking for an experienced strategic leader to join Te Ihuwaka | Education Evaluation Centre as our Director Te Ihuwaka.

Te Ihuwaka develops independent evaluation insights that influence policy, practice, and system improvement, so that every child achieves success as a lifelong learner. Its work programme includes evaluations of policies and initiatives, deep dives into key education issues and system performance, and showcasing effective practice.

As Director, you will lead and manage Te Ihuwaka's strategic direction and its research, evaluation and evidence-mobilisation activities. You will ensure the Centre's work is rigorous, credible and relevant, and that findings are communicated clearly to mobilise educators, policymakers, Ministers and the public to shift policy and practice.

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive – Evaluation and Policy, you will lead senior managers, and their teams of researchers, evaluators and advisors, manage resources and performance, and build strong relationships across government, the education sector and international evaluation and research communities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and implementing the strategic vision and goals for Te Ihuwaka aligned to the broader objectives of the Education Review Office
• Understanding and responding to the wider education-sector and political context
• Overseeing high-quality -based research and evaluation projects
• Lead the mobilisation of ERO's evidence and insights into practice and publish and disseminate findings to educators, Ministers, sector leaders and the public.
• Leading, mentoring and developing an inclusive, high-performing team
• Building trusted relationships with Ministers, agencies, education providers, sector bodies, communities and international partners
• Managing people, financial and other resources effectively
• Implementing strong governance and risk-management practices
• Monitoring and reporting on Te Ihuwaka's performance and impact, with a strong focus on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and outcomes for Māori children

Mōhou ake | About you

You will be a visionary and collaborative leader with extensive experience in policy, research and evaluation, strong public-sector judgement, and the ability to turn robust evidence into practical influence and improvement.

To be successful in this role, you'll bring:

• A relevant tertiary qualification and/or extensive comparable experience
• Extensive experience in research, evaluation and mobilising evidence to achieve impact
• Proven leadership and management experience building inclusive, high-performing teams
• Strong knowledge of the New Zealand Public Service, government and public policy processes
• A sound understanding of the political and education-sector context and the interfaces between them
• The ability to oversee rigorous, credible and relevant policy, research and evaluation
• Excellent relationship, communication and influencing skills at all levels
• The ability to navigate complexity, ambiguity and competing tensions to deliver results
• Strong resource, governance, risk and performance-management capability
• Knowledge of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its implications for education and ERO's work, together with a high level of integrity and professionalism

Ko mātou | About Us

At ERO you'll find:

• Meaningful work that contributes to better outcomes for children and young people
• The opportunity to shape influential evaluation, research and policy across the education system
• A leadership role with relationships spanning Ministers, government agencies, education providers and sector bodies
• A collaborative environment that values evidence, excellence, innovation and continuous improvement
• The opportunity to work with national and international evaluation, research and public-service communities
• Flexible ways of working and a focus on wellbeing

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

If you are an experienced strategic leader who can translate rigorous evaluation, research and policy into system-wide influence and practical improvement, we'd love to hear from you.

Please click “Apply” to view the full position description and submit your application.  We encourage you to bring your whole self to your application.

If you would like further information about the role, reach out to for a chat. For any other questions about the recruitment process, you can contact human.resources@ero.govt.nz.

We will be reviewing applications as they are received and may progress with suitable applicants prior to the application closing date. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible if you are interested in this position. Please let us know in your application if you require any assistance from us during the process.

Check out our website: careers.ero.govt.nz to learn more about working at ERO.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: unsolicited CVs will not be accepted, do not contact the Hiring Manager directly, instead reach out to Human.Resources@ero.govt.nz

You must have the right to live and work in Aotearoa New Zealand. Background and various pre-employment checks are part of our recruitment process.