Principal Procurement - Commercial Lead, Strategic Programmes | Kaiarataki Mātā at Statistics NZ, Wellington

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

 Join Our Dynamic Commercial Arrangements Team at Stats NZ!

About Us | Ko mātou

Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa is a Central Government employer of 1400+ people across Aotearoa. We provide data and statistics to support the decisions of Government, Māori and Iwi organisations, businesses, NGOs, and New Zealanders. Our work is About Aotearoa, for Aotearoa - data that improves lives today and for generations to come. We welcome every gender, ethnicity, ability, religion, age, and background and encourage all our people to be their authentic selves.

What's in it for you? | Ngā hua ka riro ki a koe

We encourage you to go to our careers site to learn more about the Way We Work at Stats NZ and also check out our benefits. We want working for us… to work for you!!

Starting salary: $136,776 - $178,742 + superannuation

A profile-raising procurement role changing the way Stats NZ contributes to meaningful outcomes, About Aotearoa, for Aotearoa - data that improves lives today and for generations to come.  

For this procurement and commercial leadership role, we need your substantial experience in building trust with senior leadership as well as your big commercial brain. In the role you will oversee the broad and end-to-end procurement and commercial aspects of a ten year transformation programme including the Census, monthly consumer price index, measuring a modern economy, social investment, and others..   

Other benefits of joining Stats NZ include:

• Balance life and work commitments
• Develop and grow your career (coaching, training, study support, secondments)
• Contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference to all people in Aotearoa
• 3 extra annual leave days (taken during Christmas office closure)
• State of the art, 6-star green building in Wellington

The role | Te tūnga

The Principal Commercial Lead is a pivotal, full‑time permanent role based in Wellington—positioned at the heart of our Commercial Arrangements Branch within the Technology, Operations, Commercial & Collections Group (TOCC), which reports directly to the Chief Executive.

This is an opportunity to become a trusted advisor and strategic influencer—someone who champions the value of industry partnerships and leads meaningful organisational change. You’ll help busy, high‑pressure teams recognise the benefits of commercial excellence and empower them to move with confidence. With access to your own direct reports and a wider high‑performing team, you’ll guide technical specialists to deliver outstanding commercial outcomes.

As the programme’s commercial leader, you’ll hold accountability for end‑to‑end commercial performance—including financial stewardship, risk management, probity, and operational excellence.

Within the Commercial Arrangements Team, we use our expertise to build strong, collaborative relationships across Stats NZ and uplift commercial and contractual capability across the organisation. Our ambition is bold: to be the gold standard of commercial practice within the New Zealand public sector.

Reporting to the Head of Commercial Arrangements, you’ll bring senior leadership, strategic thinking, and deep commercial experience to a diverse portfolio of programmes, projects, and systems. You will act as a key commercial partner to the business and may also hold a formal leadership position within the programme or project structure.

Working within a centralised model, you will own the full commercial lifecycle—from developing commercial strategies and business cases, through sourcing and procurement, to supplier performance and relationship management. Your leadership will shape how programmes engage with suppliers, manage contracts, and deliver value.

You’ll bring strong commercial acumen, strategic clarity, and the ability to balance detail with big‑picture thinking. We’re looking for someone who values good judgement over excessive process—and who can enhance project outcomes while supporting cohesive programme delivery.

You will play a critical role in achieving organisational goals by:

• Building and nurturing strong internal and external relationships
• Supporting business owners with robust, sustainable contracts
• Leading contractual advice and guiding resolution of complex commercial issues
• Driving high performance across both buyer and supplier communities
• Working closely with vendor managers and Stats Legal Counsel to navigate contract-related challenges

To be successful, you will have:

• A relevant tertiary qualification (business, commerce, law, or similar)
• At least 15 years’ experience in a senior commercial role, with expertise across the full procurement lifecycle in large and complex environments
• Proven success leading commercial workstreams on strategic programmes
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for diverse audiences
• Strong digital literacy, including the Microsoft suite and online collaboration tools
• Competency or a willingness to grow capability in te reo Māori (aligning with the Government’s 2040 goal for an 85% te reo‑speaking workforce)
• Significant experience working with major suppliers, vendors, and stakeholders across public and private sectors
• A solid understanding and practical application of the Government Procurement Rules

What you bring | Nōu te rourou  

We understand transferable skills can come from experience gained from outside of work. We encourage you to be you in your application.

We are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and lifting our cultural capability. You don't need to be knowledgeable in all these areas already, but you do need to be on board with learning and have a genuine interest and willingness to grow on this journey with us.

Tell us about yourself in your cover letter, what attracted you to this role, and what you would bring to Stats NZ.

How to apply | Me pēhea te tuku tono 

If this sounds like you, click on the Apply now button to be redirected to the application page on our careers site. The position description is located on the right-hand side of the page.

We will be screening applications as we receive them to move swiftly to interview shortly after the advert closes You may be asked to complete a pre-interview screen via phone or video. Please let us know in your application if we need to make any specific accommodations during our process.

Please reach out to recruitment@stats.govt.nz  if you have any questions.

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.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: unsolicited CVs will not be accepted.