Principal Business Systems Advisor

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) works with users of the intellectual property regulatory system in the examination and granting or registration of intellectual property rights: patents; designs; trade marks; geographical indications; and plant variety rights. We are also responsible for intellectual property education and awareness programmes, largely delivered in partnership with MBIE’s Market Engagement and Online Channels teams. IPONZ is a key part of the IP regulatory system which, when running effectively, supports intellectual property owners, innovators and creators by incentivising innovation and investment and facilitating trade in new products and services, as well as encouraging creative expression to bring tangible societal and economic returns to New Zealand.

The Principal Business Systems Advisor is the key technical expert within IPONZ to ensure that its specialist applications and tools continue to operate and improve. The Principal Business Systems Advisor provides advice and critical input into projects and initiatives that aim to improve IPONZ’s services and information. This role works with other members of the team to provides a range of services to monitor business systems, manage system issues and incidents, manage system changes, and support users with advice and assistance to enable them to use the available technology efficiently and effectively. The team work closely with the support vendors, both on site and remote, and the Principal Business Systems Advisor is the key day-to-day contact point between IPONZ and support vendors, and is responsible for the allocation of work to any on-site personnel.

This position requires a deep understanding of the IPONZ business as well as the systems it deploys.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Experience advising on the management and development of complex, business-critical or regulatory systems, overseeing their operational performance, and contributing to complex technology or transformation initiatives.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to synthesise business, policy and technical issues and explain risks and options clearly to a range of audiences, including non-technical users and senior stakeholders.
• Understanding of current and emerging information technologies, with the ability to assess opportunities and recommend practical applications for IPONZ and related systems, including AI and automation.
• Strong judgement when balancing service continuity, user needs, risk and long-term sustainability.
• Highly developed analytical and conceptual thinking skills, with the ability to develop alternative approaches to achieving outcomes.
• Experience in gathering, analysing and reviewing business requirements and system specifications.
• Experience with and understanding of intellectual property systems, including case management, search and data exchange systems, their purposes, interfaces and dependencies, and relevant international databases, tools and standards, including those provided by WIPO and UPOV.
• Proven experience contributing to the planning and delivery of complex technology or business systems projects, including effectively managing priorities, coordinating stakeholders, identifying and mitigating risks and dependencies, and supporting successful implementation of business outcomes.
• Knowledge of data and reporting infrastructure, tools and supporting processes.
• Experience in the design and application of testing methodologies and the use of a variety of testing tools, including test automation software.
• Strong relationship management and influencing skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility with internal and external stakeholders, including IPONZ managers and staff, and work with suppliers and partners to resolve technical issues and develop solutions.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage urgent tasks while progressing longer-term initiatives.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification or significant equivalent experience.
• The legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

General

• Provide technical leadership, guidance and expert advice to the Business Systems Team, supporting effective decision-making, capability development and the ongoing improvement of IPONZ business systems.
• Contributing to the day-to-day work of the Business Systems Team, by providing the team support, guidance and expert advice.
• Provide advice and support to IPONZ managers, staff and stakeholders on matters relating to IPONZ business systems and related technology.
• Communicating effectively and sympathetically to non-technical users to ensure they can use the available technology and contribute to improvement processes.
• Supporting the Manager Business Systems to create and maintain a team culture that values diversity, fosters both highly creative and grounded thinking, and can work closely with each other and others to successfully develop and implement solutions.
• Actively monitoring trends in technology and systems that may benefit or otherwise impact IPONZ and provide advice and recommendations relating to these.

Systems development and project participation

• Undertaking the duties and responsibilities of product owner (and/or other role as may be required) for projects.
• Assist across system developments as required, providing expert advice.
• Support the implementation of improvements to business systems, collaborating with all stakeholders to Identify, investigate and implement improvements.
• Oversee the process and the activities necessary to ensure system enhancements and fixes can be implemented or resolved.
• Assist with the development of project briefs, business cases and plans through the provision of expert advice relating to IP systems and related technology.
• Lead or contribute to projects and programmes of work as required.

Systems support

• Leading the response to issues raised by internal and external users, determine appropriate actions and ensure they are carried out, including: documentation, escalation, vendor engagement, tracking, communications and resolution.
• Management of application releases, including specification, scheduling, user acceptance testing, post-release verification and monitoring.
• Lead the development and maintenance of test capability for IPONZ business systems and processes.
• Working closely and collaboratively with vendors including onsite engineers to determine practical and effective solutions to issues and enhancements.
• Liaise between IPONZ staff and technical staff from internal and external service providers, customers and agencies, track progress on issues and developments, keeping all informed as appropriate.
• Support and mentor colleagues with the data exchange processes of between IPONZ and other parties; triaging issues and working with support partners in resolving them; and identifying improvements to be implemented.
• Support and advise in the management of the reporting infrastructure for IPONZ, providing expert advice in the use of system data and impact of change.

Quality assurance

• Contribute to the development and reporting on quality standards for core IPONZ data.
• Actively support the IPONZ quality management system.

Wellbeing, health and safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others' safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Principal Business Systems Advisor position reports into the Manager Business Systems, IPONZ within the Business and Consumer branch. The branch sits within the Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery group.

More information about MBIE’s structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose – Grow New Zealand for All.

To Grow New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi (work). Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

• As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world.
• We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders.
• We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti).

Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All.

The principles of Te Tiriti – including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work.

MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission