Head of Service Operations

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Corporate and Digital Shared Services group works in partnership with MBIE’s business groups to enable them to deliver their objectives and portfolio obligations.

The Digital Services and Operations branch sits within the Corporate and Digital Shared Services Group and is responsible for:

• Managing digital operations across MBIE, including the management and administration of hardware, software, and network infrastructure.
• Maintaining enterprise-wide operational integrity.
• Ensuring MBIE’s cyber security.
• Manages the ongoing development of all digital production and pre-production environments. 
• Ensures the integrity, performance, and operational readiness of the production environments.
• Manages all MBIE digital and technology vendor / supplier relationships.

The Head of Service Operations is responsible for the successful delivery of operation ICT technology and meeting agreed service levels, resolving issues, and ensuring effective communication with users and their managers.

They are accountable for matters relating to the integrity, performance and operational readiness of the production environments and have responsibility for the following MBIE functions:

• Ensures that standards and frameworks are adhered to.
• Ensures that agreed service levels are met.
• Delivers enterprise technology to MBIE.
• Ensures investigation occur to resolve incidents and problems.

The Head of Service Operations is a business owner of complex annual Digital Services and Operations projects ensuring that the project delivers the benefits for the investment made.

They are a key member of the Digital Services and Operations branch leadership team with significant financial accountability and people leader responsibility for direct reports responsible for service readiness, Corporate Systems and technology operations.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Broad knowledge of ICT environments, business practice and systems.
• Proven ability to develop and maintain trust and credibility with senior leaders, stakeholders, and vendors. 
• Demonstrated strong inter-personal and relationship skills, with clear evidence of facilitation capability.
• Proven ability to proactively lead and build a sense of common purpose across business areas, actively looking for opportunities to build engagement and commitment.
• Ability to influence and lead work through others to get the best outcomes where direct reporting relationships do not exist.
• Proven ability to keep current on key technical changes and opportunities in their area and proactively use this to continuously improve MBIE services. 
• Excellent communication skills – both verbal and written.
• Practical experience in making sense out of complexity.
• Expert knowledge and wide experience across project management disciplines with a good understanding of contemporary best practice principles.
• Proven experience successfully leading and embedding change including processes and team culture.
• A strategic thinker who can make the connections between various aspects of the organisation and implications for their branch.  
• Experience working with corporate management disciplines and an understanding of Government decision-making and operating procedures.
• Proven experience managing large financial budgets.
• Tertiary qualification in a relevant field or extensive comparable experience. 
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.
• Credit check required (yes).
• Police vetting (no).
• Ability to obtain / maintain a Confidential security clearance.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical Areas of Success

• Managing the introduction of new project components into the production environment.
• Business ownership of complex Digital Operations projects, ensuring that the project delivers the benefits for the investment made.
• Works closely with Suppliers and ensures frameworks are in place for operational assurance and oversight of the processes that support the day-to-day operations within Digital Services and Operations.
• Ensures the proactive resolution of complex situations to maintain MBIE’s enterprise-wide operational integrity.
• Ensures the management of investigations and resolution of incidents and problems related to BAU including working with other technology leads and vendors to implement fixes, work arounds and/or preventative measures.
• Develops and maintains stakeholder relationships with MBIE senior managers and key external stakeholders.
• Ensures the application, integration and use of Te ao Māori and Te ao Māori practices in the work of the Branch including tikanga, te reo and an appreciation of the Treaty of Waitangi, Te Tiriti and the Treaty Principles.

Ensures appropriate operational practices governance and assurance is in place for MBIE’s enterprise-wide requirements, with a particular focus on:

• Incident management.
• Change management.
• Problem management.

Strategic Leadership - Applies sound Strategic Management Practices

• Provides leadership to ensure the development of sustainable organisational capability, and achievement of expected efficiency benefits and ongoing improvements in cost effectiveness.
• Ensures the Corporate and Digital Shared Services group works cohesively across the Ministry to shape strategy and deliver long term sustainable improvements to the organisation and the wider system so that MBIE is well placed to meet changing customer demands and government priorities.
• Supports and enables the delivery of priority business outcomes across all business groups.
• Provides change leadership to ensure the Ministry continues to evolve in a way that enables it to respond effectively and efficiently to its changing environment.
• Support the strategic development of the branch’s work programme to align with and support MBIE’s strategic direction and adopt a business-like and customer centric culture.
• Supports the development of the branch’s strategic work programme, ensuring it aligns with and supports MBIE’s strategic direction.
• Promotes a business focused and customer centric culture.

General Management - Apply sound management practices

• Develop and implement strategies, work programmes and performance targets for Digital Services and Operations, with supporting measurement, monitoring and reporting mechanisms. 
• Monitor and adjust work programmes through the agreed processes to enable Digital Services and Operations to adapt to changing circumstances. 
• Regularly monitors and reports on progress towards achievement of plans and strategies. 
• Manages expenditure and resources in line with approved delegations, guidelines, budget, deadlines and reporting requirements, with a focus on driving cost effectiveness for the Ministry. 
• Effectively and proactively identifies and manages risks; build continuous review and improvement throughout all elements of the branch’s operations.

People Leadership - Provide leadership that engages and motivates others to succeed and develop

• Creates a sense of vision, engages and motivates people to participate and make things happen. 
• Establishes clear accountabilities, expectations and performance standards with direct reports and ensures regular performance and development conversations occur. 
• Anticipates future capability needs across the team, identifies gaps in capability and addresses these through targeted recruitment, development or other actions.
• Identifies and actively develops talent for key roles. 
• Fosters an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, ongoing learning and knowledge sharing. 
• Supports all organisational development activities, modelling expected behaviours to managers and staff to create healthy workplace culture and engaged workforce.

Relationship Management - Work collaboratively with others to support the achievement of MBIE outcomes

• Leads engagement programme(s) with identified influencers and key stakeholders, where appropriate. 
• Actively looks for opportunities and synergies with internal and external stakeholders that focus on and meet customer needs. 
• Actively maintains strong relationships with MBIE strategic Suppliers.
• Uses a one organisation perspective when contributing to internal forums and governance bodies.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protect its reputation in external interactions. 

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 Head of Service Operations position reports into the General Manager- Digital Services and Operations within the Digital Services and Operations branch. The branch sits within the Corporate and Digital Shared Services group.

More information about MBIE's structure

Matatautanga – Competencies (Leadership Success Profile)

The Leadership Success Profile (LSP) is a leadership capability framework, developed by the New Zealand public sector for the New Zealand public sector. It creates a common language for leadership and establishes what great leadership looks like. You can look at the twelve underpinning capabilities and four leadership characters here: Leadership Success Profile | Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission(external link)

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. 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).

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