Manager, Insights and Analysis – NZ Ministry of Education – Wellington City, Wellington

• Key role using data analysis to generate new insights into experiences within the education system, helping to develop and implement innovative policy that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes

Help shape the future of Education

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai ōna huanga

We work to shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes

At Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education, we work to provide services and support nationally, regionally and locally to the education sector, and in some cases, directly to ākonga and whānau.

We help shape the policies, settings and performance of the education system for early learning, schooling and tertiary. We do this by building relationships and understanding the needs of those who receive our services.

We are making significant changes to how we deliver our mahi by

• Taking practical action to give effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi.
• Giving priority to regional and local voice.
• Delivering greater responsiveness, accessibility and integrated services and support.
• Improving feedback loops and information flows.

Our organisation is made up of talented and committed people across Aotearoa from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. While we work in different groups and on different things, we all strive every day to make the biggest difference we can for every child, young person and adult student in our education system.

About our group and team

Our Group, Te Mahau | Te Pae Aronui provides integrated operational support to our regions for their work with the education sector and others to deliver inclusive education that meets the needs of ākonga and whanau.

The Insights and Analysis team generates insights through quantitative analysis and modelling using a data science approach. This includes, but is not limited to, being the Ministry of Education’s centre of expertise for conducting research and analysis of the experiences and outcomes of learners in the schooling and early childhood education sectors using the IDI. The team provides an expert data analytical service to other parts of the Ministry, using fit-for-purpose technological and analytical approaches to ensure that key policy and operational decisions in the education system are informed by evidence and new insights.

This is a new team, designed to give enhanced prominence to an existing function with dedicated leadership.

Mō tēnei tūranga | About this role

The Manager, Insights and Analysis leads and manages a team of data analysts who operate as a centre of expertise and excellence in quantitative analysis and data science.

The Manager will have around eight direct reports, comprised of several existing analysts, with the budget for the appointed Manager to undertake further recruitment.

The Manager’s role is to lead, support and inspire the analysts in the team, to work with stakeholders across the Ministry to plan a work programme that aligns with the Ministry’s vision and the Government’s priorities, to oversee the effective and efficient delivery of work, and to expand the organisation’s horizons in terms of the potential for analysis to enable better policy development, service design and practice.

Please note there is further information in the attached Job Description.

Mōhou ake | About you

To thrive in this role you will hold a dual passion for:

*

• The potential of evidence and analysis to contribute to better decisions that deliver equitable and excellent outcomes; and
• The opportunity afforded to Managers to build and maintain positive and productive cultures and operating models that enable all team members to grow and succeed.

Managers in our group are expected to prioritise people leadership. Your number one responsibility will be to actively support the development of staff members, and to foster a culture in which everyone’s voice is heard and valued, wellbeing is paramount, and inclusive practices drive continuous improvement and high performance. You will have an opportunity to contribute to our wider management cohort in leading the development of group strategy and improvement initiatives.

This is a stakeholder-facing role which requires a collaborative operating model, underpinned by strong communication skills and the ability to manage positive working relationships, including at senior levels. The issues we deal with are often high profile, and you will need to exercise sound judgement and be comfortable navigating complexity and ambiguity – sometimes under time pressure.

You will have a team of highly capable analysts to undertake the detailed number-crunching, but you will enjoy overseeing and guiding this work if you are highly numerate, can design and maintain robust processes to ensure quality and delivery, can use strategic thinking and communication skills to build bridges between complementary political, technical and operational perspectives, are excited by big questions and have a flair for coming up with innovative analytical approaches to answer these.

Detailed knowledge of the education system and/or data science is not a pre-requisite but would be a significant advantage.

This is a fixed-term opportunity until Christmas, whilst the new team is established, and the future operating model of our wider group is confirmed. This opportunity could suit an experienced people leader who is looking to explore a new area and will enjoy drawing on experience to establish a new team and enhanced function. It could also be a great opportunity for an experienced analyst to get a first taste of people leadership in an established and supportive environment. We are open to considering fixed-term and/or secondment arrangements for both internal and external applicants.

Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi? | Are you ready to make a difference?

We need to reflect the diverse communities we serve, so we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, orientations, and identities. As an organisation, we are committed to building racial equity and excellence in the education sector.

We provide flexible working environments where everyone feels relevant, valued and supported. So, if working from home and/or having a flexible start and finish to the day will help with this, we can usually make it happen. We’d love to hear what this might look like for you, so feel free to outline this in your Cover Letter.

In your cover letter we’d like to know:

• about you, your values, your whakapapa
• your interest and motivations for this role
• the abilities, strengths, personal attributes and diverse perspectives you will bring to the role and this organisation.

The Ministry encourages all employees to be fully vaccinated although currently this is a voluntary requirement. There is no requirement to show evidence of your vaccine status as this role is not covered by the Public Health (Vaccinations) Order.

For further information, please contact Sam Jolly at Sam.Jolly@education.govt.nz. Applications close Midnight – Monday 11 July 2022.