Senior Business Systems Specialist - Systems Delivery Team

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Senior Business Systems Specialist will bring their business understanding and perspective to work in partnership with colleagues, systems users, vendors/suppliers, other agencies, and stakeholders. 

The Senior Business Systems Specialist analyses and evaluates short and long term business requirements, and supports the initiation, development and delivery of strategic change. It provides expert, proactive advice identifying areas for development of technical solutions to ensure the efficient and cost-effective operation of current and future Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery (TWSD) systems and the systems that they integrate with.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Ability and confidence to credibly take ownership for the technical direction of various, diverse business systems through effective stakeholder engagement to fully understand and anticipate business needs, challenges and opportunities, then using technical specialist knowledge to enable and support strategic delivery of change.
• Specialist technical competence, confidence and judgement to represent and advocate for in ICT projects and programmes, an ability to identify opportunities and successfully manage risks and issues through appropriate internal, external, and international channels and processes.
• Highly developed analytical and conceptual thinking. Capable of developing alternative and innovative pathways to achieving desired outcomes.
• Understanding of a broad range of business systems and the ability to engage with multiple ICT suppliers/partners to challenge, discuss and resolve technical matters ensuring timely, cost effective and suitable solutions.
• Ability to maintain an up to date understanding of systems, standards and processes in use in the IT industry, including ITIL, SDLC and Agile.
• At least five years’ experience in gathering, analysing, and documenting technical business requirements and developing system specifications that meet current and long-term business needs in a complex service delivery environment and organisation.
• At least five years’ experience in and understanding of case management systems, customer relationship management technology, search tools, and data exchange systems and their purposes, interfaces, and dependencies in a complex service delivery environment and organisation.
• Experience using supporting tools (e.g. Azure DevOps) and their development and administration requirements.
• Excellent relationships management skills to create and enhance working relationships and positively influence internal and external stakeholders, and earn their respect, trust, and confidence.
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills. The ability to synthesise business, policy and technical issues and effectively present them with simplicity and clarity for a range of audiences.
• Excellent organisational ability to manage competing priorities.
• In depth data analysis skills using reporting and business intelligence tools.
• Ability to use different interpersonal styles and communication techniques to adapt to the audience to successfully explain and simplify complex technical knowledge.
• Proven track record of providing excellent customer service and support.
• Previous successful project coordination or management.
• Is committed to personal professional development through practice, learning from colleagues, asking questions, reading, and undertaking appropriate training/study courses.

Qualifications

• A tertiary qualification in information technology, information systems, or similar, or equivalent experience is essential.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Indicators of typical behaviours

The Senior Business Systems Specialist will be required to deliver results in the following areas:

• Contribute to the strategic direction and day-to-day work of the Business Systems team, providing timely support and expert ICT technical advice.
• Proactively influence the ICT technical direction and trouble shoot for current and future focused business systems for service delivery.
• Be a proactive key point of contact with our internal support teams regarding systems and support applications and reporting issues.
• Manage the quality control of information in systems.
• Establish and maintain appropriate customer service levels including:
  • Active system monitoring
  • Second level support for business systems
  • Low level incident management.
  • Agency/Field creation and administration (including creating, inputting, analysing data).
• Utilise effective project management methodologies, lead the response to issues raised by internal and external users, determine appropriate actions (including obtaining relevant approvals as appropriate) and ensure they are carried out, including documentation, escalation, NZ and international vendor engagement, tracking, communications, and resolution.
• Effectively plan, estimate, negotiate and manage costs and risks associated with any project or system updates to ensure optimised value is balanced with system reliability.
• Implement improvements to business systems, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to identify, investigate and deliver improvements, ensuring appropriate review processes are put in place and maintained including ensuring solution/product life cycle management is in place.
• Work closely and collaboratively with NZ and international vendors, including on site engineers to determine practical and effective solutions to issues and enhancements.
• Maintain, support, and improve the specialist applications and tools in use by Business Systems.
• Maintain the integrity and quality of data in the appropriate registers.
• Maintain reporting infrastructure (in collaboration with a range of service providers) and support the development of reports and dashboards in support of business requirements.
• Support the exchange of data with other offices and agencies.

Business systems

• Triage requests for minor system enhancements and fixes to ensure that sufficient information is provided for development or resolution. Effectively liaise with business stakeholders to fully understand their requirements to obtain any outstanding relevant information.
• Liaise between staff and ICT technical staff from internal and external NZ and international service providers, customers and agencies, track progress on issues and developments, utilising effective communication techniques to keep all informed as appropriate.
• Manage the process and the activities necessary to document user, business, system specifications in accordance with service level agreements and best practice. .
• Investigate, develop, and document clear and robust requirements for projects and system enhancements.
• Co-ordinate testing of new system releases and actively manages testers to ensure these are signed off for production release or rework within set deadlines.
• Support the data exchange processes of between and other parties; triaging issues and working with support partners in resolving them; and identifying improvements to be implemented.
• Assist across developments as required by the team, providing expert advice.

Project participation

• Provide future focused, technical advice in the development of project plans, schedules, risks, and issues, and contribute to project reporting and communication of project aims and impacts to stakeholders.
• Assist with monitoring and evaluation of project progress against deliverables and report appropriately.

Client service and communication

• Respond to requests for advice and information from both internal and external clients in a timely manner.
• Develop an understanding of, and empathy with, internal and external client’s business needs and business drivers.
• Ensure communication about projects is regular, accurate, informative, and reaches the right people.
• Work with other staff in a partnership approach to projects and identify the needs or expectations of customers.
• Brief stakeholder groups not directly involved in projects.

Team participation

• Works co-operatively and effectively with others towards achieving team and goals.
• Participates in team discussions, assists in the identification of solutions, and resolution to issues and problems.
• Supports colleagues and peer reviews work as requested.

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 Business Systems Specialist position reports into the Systems Delivery Manager, Business Operations within the Customer, Design and Innovation (CDI) 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 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