Principal Insights Analyst

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

Better for Business (B4B) was established in 2012 as part of the government’s Better Public Service goals. It is a group of ten agencies, led by MBIE, that are committed to making significant improvements to the business experience across government. The B4B vision is that “businesses gain value from easy and seamless dealings with government”. We seek to enable businesses to operate more efficiently and effectively, and improve the productivity, incomes, and the well-being of New Zealanders.

B4B has a unique body of evidence-based customer research, data and insights that measure and describe the cross-agency experience for businesses – including those that perform well or relatively poorly. These insights are available to all B4B agencies, including by business size, industry, and region. We use this in a range of ways including:

• Providing insights into the key business customer pain points across government.
• Producing a Customer Experience Index that enables us to identify opportunities to improve the business-government experience (currently sitting at 57 out of 100).

We are looking for a Principal Insights Analyst to join the B4B team.  This is a unique opportunity to couple your passion and experience of data and strategic insights with championing the voice of the customer with key stakeholders from across government.

The Principal Insights Analyst’s role is jointly responsible for measuring progress towards B4B targets; overseeing that the collection, compilation and reporting on the progress of agency and cross-agency initiatives is fit-for-purpose; strategic analysis of data to bring to life the experience of business customers dealing with government; and overseeing the management of the B4B research programme, managed by the three other analytical roles in the team, to ensure it is addressing programme and key stakeholder needs.

In this role you will be involved in the analysis of business customer and research data to generate insights and communicate them to senior stakeholders within the programme, and more broadly across government. You’ll help identify new and innovative opportunities to improve services to business customers and maintain a strong and strategic grounding to drive customer outcomes through the related B4B workstreams. You will help identify opportunities to design and develop tools and/or models to support improved insight development – e.g., customer segmentation, forecasts, and predictive models.

This role has a significant stakeholder engagement component, which involves championing the B4B research with the ten B4B agencies and helping make sure the work is relatable to the agencies and can be leveraged by them; working with oversight groups such as government’s Small Business Advisors; and supporting reports to Ministers.

The B4B team sits within the Small Business Services function of the Business and Consumer Branch at MBIE. Small Business Services provides a range of support services to small businesses, including the New Zealand Business Number, the business.govt.nz website, and the Regional Business Partner network of advisors.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

You will have extensive strategic marketing experience coupled with exceptional analytical skills and knowledge, particularly in relation to customer and marketing behaviours, as well as marketing or customer service delivery processes, campaigns, process improvement and the insights required to drive them. You will excel at communicating the insights – both verbally and in written format – in a way that tells a story and where the outcome action drives results.

Your previous experience in delivering strategic advice based on evidence and insights through a variety of channels – both in person and via different channels such as self-service business intelligence software – will enable you to apply your skills in a flexible manner to suit the various opportunities you identify.

Required skills

• Extensive experience in understanding customer segmentation, behaviour, and channel dynamics; and a passion for identifying ways to improve the customer experience from a system perspective.
• Highly developed analysis skills that can then translate data information and experience in using a range of alternative analytical techniques appropriately.
• Excellent critical thinking, problem identification and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly share knowledge, information and concepts across multiple channels and forums and provide specialist advice to a range of stakeholders and audiences – including at the executive and Chief Executive level.
• Demonstrated knowledge of customer insights, trends, what’s happening overseas and in the NZ business environment into which business customer services are being delivered by agencies.
• Experience in analysing and developing administrative datasets – i.e., customer level data in a private sector and/or public sector direct marketing context.
• Previous experience of undertaking customer insight building particularly in a marketing environment with clear examples of methodologies and previous approaches for implementing customer insight studies.
• Advanced Excel skills, with some knowledge of database management, SQL and/or similar technical expertise.
• Intermediate or advanced SAS and/or SPSS experience.
• Previous experience with Business Intelligence/Data visualisation software – e.g., Qlik, Tableau, Business Objects or similar.
• Strong presentation development and communications/delivery skills and experience.
• Can flexibly respond to changes in priorities and demands for work, and undertakes effective risk management.
• Well-developed report writing and written communication skills.
• High levels of accuracy and attention to detail.

Desired skills

• Understanding of and analytical experience with research processes, research data and interpretation.
• Experience in commissioning and managing research projects – from research agency or client-side.
• Experience in a variety of analytical techniques – including but not limited to regression, factor analysis, cluster analysis, discriminant analysis (particularly with regards to the development and implementation of customer segmentation).
• Familiarity with good data management process and practises.
• Previous exposure to and use of the Stats NZ Datalab – experience in analysing the IDI/LBD.
• Experience in developing, refining and/or using models and tools to forecast results or predict behaviour.
• Ability to translate from detailed data to high-level strategic concepts and back again to solve problems/identify opportunities.
• Relevant tertiary qualification in marketing, statistics, or related subjects. 

To be considered for this position you must have a legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Advocate for business customers across government

• Lead the design and development of a cross-agency insights workstream to identify where business value can be gained from easy and seamless dealings with government.
• Have a strategic system-wide view of business customers and government.
• Have an in-depth understanding of the impact of government, its regulations and touchpoints on business customers.
• Understand the legislative agenda and how that might impact on B4B objectives and vision.

Relationship Management

• Effectively influence through building and maintaining enduring relationships with senior stakeholders both within MBIE and across government.
• Build strategic alliances with key government and non-government representatives.
• Develop effective working relationships with MBIE staff and B4B agency in order to build and transfer insights knowledge and learning from the team.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in any external interactions.

Generate cross-government customer insights

• Deliver strategic analyses of customer and research data using the ongoing customer insight programme to measure progress/improvement in customer experience across government.
• Utilise innovative methodologies to aid dissemination of findings and insights.
• Contribute to overall insight planning – thinking ahead of the game in terms of what insights will be required both in the short and longer term.

Manage research projects

• Ensure that our Better for Business research monitor remains fit for purpose for collection of customer effort scores as well as remaining relevant to B4B agencies.
• Develop and oversee a programme of research to enable greater capture of cross government customer experience insights.
• Measure, monitor and report on the impact of regulatory pipeline initiatives on customers.

Delivers high quality results to support the programme outcomes

• Exercise sound judgement and intuition when assessing options, undertaking research and insight work.
• Take forward looking and proactive strategic approach and seeks opportunities to implement new ideas and methods.

Self-management

• Models’ positive behaviours.
• Models the desired values and culture of the organisation.
• Willingly shares knowledge, expertise and within the team and with others in the organisation.
• Acts with honesty and integrity.
• Welcomes feedback and is receptive to input from others.

Wellbeing, health & 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 Insights Analyst position reports into the Director, Partnerships, Relationships and Insights within the Small Business Services function of the Business and Consumer branch. The branch sits within the Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery business 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 Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. 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