Technical Product Owner-Container Comput at NZ Police, Wellington - Porirua;Wellington

New Zealand Police is working with the community to make New Zealanders be safe and feel safe. With over 13,000 staff, we provide policing services 24 hours a day, every day. We operate by land, sea and air, manage over 860,000 emergency calls a year and are always actively preventing crime and crashes.

We’re working towards specific goals and targets that highlight our intent to work collaboratively with iwi and communities, other government sectors and business partners to deliver ‘Our Business’ and achieve long-term change.

Technical Product Owner – Container Compute, it starts with you!

• Based at Police College Porirua or National Headquarters, Wellington
• Grade 21
• Office of Constable / Police Employee
• Permanent, full time
• JR 4592221

Mō te tūnga | About the role

The purpose of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) group is to work in partnership with the rest of the organisation to provide digital technology and communications solutions that support excellence in policing and service delivery and enable Police’s strategic ambitions.

With a primary hub in Wellington, and a presence throughout the country, we deliver new and enhanced solutions directly and through specialist vendor partnerships. We provide expert advice on how technology can be leveraged to support Police’s strategies and turn concepts into reality through collaborative development.

The Technical Product Owner – Container Compute is a member of the wider Networks and Infrastructure Group – Platforms. Our Platforms products include:

• Container Compute,
• Enterprise Compute and Enterprise Storage,
• Database,
• Linux Compute, Integration & Middleware,
• Cloud Foundations and IDAM

In delivering container computing we seek to ultimately achieve a self-service platform to create, modify and therefore deploy containerised applications on demand that make a real difference to the safety of New Zealanders. 

This role will be key in ensuring our Operational and Corporate product owners have the secure resources they need to scale applications quickly and efficiently.  New Zealand Police has a hybrid cloud strategy.  The on-prem Container Compute system used is RedHat Openshift, which is replacing the previous system IBM Cloud Private.

The Technical Product Owner is a key member of a product team. They are responsible for managing the product backlog and overseeing the development of products from start to finish to ensure they meet the needs and priority of the Operational or Corporate portfolios. They determine the overall vision of their product(s), in accordance with the customers’ future needs.

The Technical Product Owner will track key performance indicators for their products to measure the success, including user engagement and customer satisfaction, identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions about future product development. They manage the delivery of maintenance/sustainment, break/fix and enhancements. This usually occurs through a flow to work team assigned from the Centres of Expertise, or through vendors. Where roles exist that specialise in a single product, these may be direct reports.

The Technical Product Owner provides day-to-day delivery leadership to the product team, including the tasking of responsibilities and feedback to Practice Leads on the delivery performance of people within their product team. They also provide advice and feedback to Practice Managers to support the ongoing development of the required technical capability and capacity to meet customer demand.

Additionally, the Technical Product Owner will communicate and collaborate with stakeholders, customers, and the development team to ensure that the product backlog is aligned with business goals and objectives. Where a product includes a development team, they will work with the development team to ensure that user stories are properly defined, estimated, and planned for each sprint, and participate in sprint planning meetings, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews and retrospectives to provide feedback and guidance to the development team.

Key Accountabilities:

The key accountability of the role is to be the technical conduit between the customer (Operational and Corporate Portfolios), the product manager, and the product team.

• Proven ability and product knowledge in RedHat OpenShift, to be able to provide technical leadership and guidance to the team for on prem containerisation,
• An understanding or appreciation of not only securing the containers themselves, but also the entire container eco system,
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with other cross-functional teams,
• Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with stakeholders, customers, and the product team to ensure that the product backlog is aligned with business goals and objectives,
• Strong planning and organising skills, including knowledge of Agile practices, to provide feedback and guidance to the product team,
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with people at all levels of an organisation,
• Ability to lead and manage a team of highly skilled, technical experts in this field.

He aha taau e kawe mai | What you’ll bring

Being part of the Police whānau is about being our best to ensure our communities are safe and feel safe. Our Core Competencies provide a shared understanding of the behaviours, leadership and technical competence required for success at each level of Police. Whilst we are looking for skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the role, we also place high importance on your state of mind, the alignment of your values with ours, your ability to contribute to and build high performing teams, and the way that you lead yourself or others.

To be successful an applicant would need to demonstrate a number of the following skills to various levels of expertise:

• A technical understanding or appreciation for this product or function,
• The use and future technical direction of travel related to this product or function,
• Experience leading teams that include 3rd parties as well as internal resources,

• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, principles, and practices – particularly why and how these technologies are used,
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and leadership skills,
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills,
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

If you are an internal applicant, you must apply internally through the police system. You must provide an alternative contact email address.

This role is set at Leader/Manager level, this means your key purpose is “to lead the strategy, Our Business, and enable our people to deliver it”.

We will ask you questions based on “How we will deliver Our Business – Core Competencies” and the appropriate role level, i.e. Strategic Leader. For more information on Our Core Competencies, please copy and paste this URL:https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/core-competencies-how-we-will-deliver-our-business.pdf

These questions will be unique and specific to the role, focusing on the aspects the hiring manager believes are most important for that position at the time. For more information on Our Values, please copy and paste this URL:  https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/nzp-our-values.pdf

To view the position description for this role please copy and paste this link into a new browser:
https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/pd/09-2023/technical_product_owner.pdf

Mo tatou | About us

Our mission is to prevent crime and harm through exceptional policing. Our vision is to be the safest country. Our purpose is to ensure everybody can be safe and feel safe.

Your development is highly valued at NZ Police. Our employees enjoy significant investment in their development not only at an individual level, but also at the team and community of practice level, bringing together like-minded project professionals that you can learn from and lean on when you need advice or guidance. We work hard to ensure that your work will play to your strengths and challenge you in new ways. The work you’ll be engaged in is real, tangible work that directly benefits our frontline and communities. Taken all together, this means we can offer you career path opportunities to progress in your chosen profession and become a more well-rounded, experienced leader, with opportunities across the range of work we support.

We offer flexible working arrangements and, if you choose to join the Police Association, you can also access a range of discounts and benefits.

Whakaritenga motuhake | Special requirements

• This role is based in the Wellington area. Some travel may be required.
• Applicants will be required to undergo reference, drug and alcohol testing prior to any written offer being made.

For Constabulary applicants only - current CPK at the rank of the vacancy you are applying for, and either,

1. Undertake to engage in a leadership programme at the advertised level, at a future date or
2. Have qualified under CEP or a previous Career Progression Framework at the rank of the vacancy you are applying for

Wā Mahi Ngāwari | Working Flexibly

Your wellbeing inside and outside of work is important to us. We’re open to discussing flexible working options that work for both you and the business.

For more information on the above, please copy and paste this URL: https://www.police.govt.nz/careers

Tono ināianei | Apply now

If this position sounds like you, click apply now. You will be required to submit an application form and a CV. Before confirmation of hire, pre-employment checks will be undertaken.

For further information on the application process, please copy and paste this URL: https://www.police.govt.nz/careers

Utu ā-tau | Salary

This position is covered by a collective agreement and band midpoint is $151,794. Starting salary is dependent on skills and experience relevant to the role.

If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact deepa.shankar@police.govt.nz

Please note: Interviews are tentatively planned for 10th – 12th October 2023

Applications close at 5:00pm on 29th September 2023.