Senior Market Research Analyst

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Senior Market Research Analyst will champion the voice of the customer and help INZ better understand customer behaviour and experience. The role will lead targeted and fast-paced market research projects, from initial scoping and planning phases through to design and interpretation of recommendations.

They will be responsible for gathering and analysing direct feedback from customers and translating these into trends, patterns and correlations that will inform customer-centric decision-making across INZ. This includes advocating for improvements to customer service within operational, policy and regulatory settings, while also understanding and balancing the other business objectives of INZ, including its role as a regulator.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Tertiary qualification in anthropology, psychology, or other qualitative research-based degree and/or at least five-seven years demonstrated experience in market research / customer or customer centred research techniques (preferably in a leading role, confidently managing research projects end-to-end).
• Demonstrated ability to design, develop and conduct qualitative research projects, including planning and recommending appropriate market research methodologies dependent on the subject and scale of the project.
• Demonstrated ability to use advanced frameworks and methods of analysis to identify problems, analyse issues, and identify and assess strategies and solutions.
• Ability to effectively lead projects, including mentoring junior team members.
• Demonstrated skills in analysis to identify key insights from interviews, workshops and other qualitative information, and present these in way that is meaningful to key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and communicate solutions that meet customers’ needs and wants with an understanding of the constraints within the business and IT applications.
• Demonstrated ability to draft high quality reports and presentations and communicate findings and recommendations to business stakeholders in a clear and action-ready manner.
• Comfortable working in a fast paced, project based, work environment with 3-4 week turnarounds.
• Thought leadership and an understanding of best practice for applied client/customer research.
• Ability to proactively collaborate with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders and build strong trusted relationships.
• Strong ability to balance and manage multiple priorities and take a practical, problem-solving, approach to meeting tight deadlines.
• Sound understanding of the economic, social, and political, and regulatory environment within which INZ operates, and demonstrates ability to work flexibly as the needs and priorities of the Minister and the Ministry change.
• Credit check required (no)
• Required to drive (no)
• Police vetting (no)
• Must be a New Zealand citizen or Permanent Resident

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Research, Analysis and Reporting

• Lead, scope, shape, plan, and manage market research projects across INZ with an awareness of risk, privacy and ethics based on the complexity or sensitivity of the subject matter.
• Proactively engages with internal stakeholders across INZ to plan and develop projects, including drawing out business objectives, developing viable options, analysis and evaluation, and monitoring and reviewing processes.
• Lead the end-to-end process for market research projects, including the design of discussion guides, interview guides, and surveys with fit for purpose analytical and research methodologies
• Lead the design and delivery of customer workshops/focus groups (either face-to-face or online) and interviews (face-to-face, phone-based or online).
• Effectively build rapport and trust when working with customers, including an ability to create safe spaces for people of various cultural backgrounds, including people for whom English is a second language.
• Critically synthesise information from a wide variety of domains and use in-depth knowledge of the subject area and advanced technical skills to draw sound conclusions based on the available evidence.
• Develop innovative, practical, effective and durable analytical approaches and research and evaluation findings to uncover solutions that will help to improve customer experience and support customers to do the right thing.
• Lead the analysis and interpretation of trends, patterns and correlations to build understanding of customer behaviour, needs and experience.
• Generate high-level strategic themes and insights to inform and influence customer focussed business decisions within a wide range of contexts, such as informing policy advice to Ministers, or suggesting improvements to operational and regulatory activities.
• Lead engagement with delivery agencies, stakeholders, and government agencies to ensure the advice provided is practical and effective.
• Confidently present clear, accurate and well-reasoned analysis to technical and non-technical audiences, with the ability to share actionable insights through compelling stories in a succinct manner
• Draft well-presented reports, presentations and graphics setting out research findings and their implications for a range of INZ audiences and stakeholders, including policy, service design, communications, and the Minister.
• Engages with internal stakeholders across INZ to develop a strategic view of the short, medium and long term market research needs and analyses issues in a strategic and system context.
• Act as an advocate for the INZ customer, and provide advice to managers and teams across INZ to assist with their understanding and application of customer insights, and to the business on the development of solutions, strategies and operational models.
• Proactively manage phases of the research project to ensure timely delivery and oversee budget costs, including identifying, mitigating and managing risks, and escalating where appropriate.
• Provide coaching and mentoring to the Market Research Analyst position by sharing knowledge and skills and supporting on-the-job training.
• Contributes to the performance of the team through preparing and maintaining documentation, providing in-depth peer review and quality control to ensure a standard approach is followed and quality standards are met.
• Remain up to date on the latest development in design thinking, co-design, survey design and service delivery and ensure fit-for-purpose methodologies are developed and implemented.
• Use digital collaboration tools such as Optimal Workshop or Adobe Experience Manager, or the desire to expand your knowledge and learn about these tools.

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 Senior Market Researcher position reports into a National Manager position within the Customer, Engagement and Education branch. The branch sits within the Immigration New Zealand 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