System Design and Improvement Specialist
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Tēnei tūranga – About the role
The System Design and Improvement Specialist position reports to the Director, Government Centre for Dispute Resolution. The role’s purpose is to work collaboratively across the Dispute Resolution system (policy, operations, NGO sector) to build GCDR’s ability to:
- Be a knowledge hub that can distil insights from disputes and turn insights into solutions that can be scaled across the dispute resolution system to better inform policy, operations, and the wider regulatory system.
- Become a centre of expertise in supporting DR schemes to bring customer-centric approaches to regulatory design.
- Help to design more suitable solutions to help agencies deliver better dispute resolution tools and services.
- Develop a system wide view of customer centric regulation approaches and the identify opportunities for changing the operating model of government.
As a specialist position, the System Design and Improvement Specialist is a thought leader in public sector innovation, bringing their expertise on regulatory function, public policy, and user-centric design to work in partnership with other regulatory specialist functions to lead user-centric policy and operational innovation relating to dispute resolution interactions within the dispute resolution system.
The System Design and Improvement Specialist will apply their specialist knowledge, expertise, and skills of cross- system and cross-sector approach to support internal and external rapid design projects. The position contributes directly to MBIE’s outcomes framework with a particular focus of reaching best practice regulatory systems that are resilient and agile.
The System Design and Innovation Specialist role is critical to maximising GCDR’s ability to successfully implement, shape and influence ongoing development of relevant dispute resolution regulation and legislation. The System Design and Innovation Specialist undertakes this role drawing on deep insight into users, businesses and wider stakeholders impacted by government services, along with deep insight into how services are operating on the ground.
Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role
Personal specifications
- Demonstrable knowledge, experience in and passion for user centred design practices.
- Specialist skills, knowledge and competency-based experience working within a System Design and Improvement Specialist context.
- Able to understand IT systems and how changes could be modified for GCDR data needs and analysis.
- Proven experience working with a range of design and research techniques, including design facilitation.
- Be comfortable working with complex data, from gathering information and using analytical and design skills to develop robust prototype solutions that are viable for government; technically possible and reflect user-centred design principles.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills; demonstrated competence in effectively communicating complex ideas to a wide variety of audiences.
- Excellent interpersonal, teamwork and relationship management skills.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to quickly develop options and recommendations based on quantitative and qualitative evidence.
- Be confident in explaining user needs to senior leaders, and for acting as a persuasive advocate for those needs both within the team, group and MBIE at large.
- Ability to actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on objectives and actively involve partners to deliver business outcomes through collaboration that achieves better results for users/customers.
- Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.
Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables
Design leadership and expertise to support insights in the dispute system
- Directly contribute to building MBIE’s goal of reaching best practice in regulatory systems that are resilient and agile.
- Contribute to building an MBIE service design culture through processes, practices and outcomes that are innovation focused.
- Apply a customer-centric lens to internal and external priority issues in relation to dispute resolution and provide advice on innovative methods, tools and models that could be used to deliver high-quality outputs.
- Identify gaps and opportunities for strategic engagement across the dispute resolution sector to help inform and improve the dispute resolution system.
Strategic policy and practice
- Drives and (in some instances) leads the development and implementation of the strategic and complex GCDR agenda and work programme.
- Establishes and maintains effective relationships with dispute resolution stakeholders, service design and innovation specialists to aid development of the teams work programme and ensure best practice is shared across the system.
Works closely with Dispute Resolution Stakeholders to support them to:
- Identify opportunities for applying service design and customer centric approaches to regulation design and delivery – to improve the effectiveness of regulation, reduce compliance costs and add value to the dispute resolution system.
- Use a broad toolset to identify impact on regulatory policy development.
- Takes a system-wide view of regulatory policy, particularly to understand how it is impacting on users of the dispute system.
Deliver system design outputs
- Leverage the learnings from the Employment Mediation Pilot to build a methodology that can be used across the MBIE dispute resolution system.
- Ability to apply Agile /service design/'lean start-up' principles to enlist stakeholders and provide workable solutions.
- Able to demonstrate the value of service design approaches in respect to delivery of fit-for-purpose co-created solutions at a system-wide level.
- Able to work across different regulatory systems to co-design solutions identified through data and insights.
Build system design and improvement
- Provide system design thinking and people-centric service design input into MBIE projects of significant complexity, risk, or organisational importance to ensure the right quality and quantity of system design thinking and input is being applied to the work programme.
- Create opportunities to leverage strategic relationships and shared resources across the public sector to build and improve systems thinking and delivery on dispute resolution outcomes.
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 System Design and Improvement Specialist position reports into the Director, Government Centre for Dispute Resolution within the Strategic Programmes branch. The branch sits within the Strategic Policy and Programmes group.
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
