Senior Data Analyst
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Tēnei tūranga – About the role
The Senior Data Analyst is a senior member of the Risk and Verification team.
The Senior Data Analyst contributes to the operations of the Data Analysis team and uses their expertise, business knowledge and perspective to work across Risk and Verification and with operational stakeholders to maximise the impact of risk targeting in the immigration system.
Sitting in the Immigration Risk and Border (IRB) branch, the Senior Data Analyst contributes to the operations of Joint Targeting and Analytics (JTA) within the Risk and Verification (R&V) team. The Senior Data Analyst plays a critical role in leading work to mitigate actual or potential risks across the end-to-end immigration system and provide accurate and timely data to support the work of the Risk Targeting Analytics team, and ultimately the efforts of the front-line immigration decision makers. This senior role maintains visa and/or border domain expertise and focuses on high complexity, sensitive and high-profile data analysis, including the provision of data and reporting to inform decision making across the Immigration system, Parliamentary Questions (PQs), Official Information Act requests (OIAs), media query responses. The role also supports JTA team leaders and managers by providing technical leadership to the team and reporting and advice to senior leadership.
A key focus of the role is to provide technical oversight, coaching and mentoring for team members, along with leadership support in the absence of their direct people leader. The Senior Data Analyst is responsible for ensuring quality and consistency of advice and data analysis practices, and leading quality improvement initiatives relating to INZ, the R&V work programme, individual projects and the wider IRB branch.
The role works as part of a flexible team with complimentary skills to invest resource and effort where it is needed most across Joint Targeting and Analytics and the wider R&V team.
Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role
Personal specifications
- Tertiary qualification in a numerate subject or comparable relevant experience (minimum 3-5 years’ experience)
- Experience in a leadership, mentor or technical advisor role
- Proven knowledge and experience in analysing business information needs and the ability to translate these into business information requirements
- Knowledge of relational databases and business information tools/software
- An understanding of statistical trend analysis
- Experience in the provision of business information to internal and external customers
- Experience of working with large data sets in a data warehouse environment
- Proven experience in SQL
- Experience in Power BI and R
- Demonstrates initiative, sound judgement, accuracy and a sense of urgency when responding to requests
- Comfortable dealing with ambiguity and changing requirements
- Ability to self-manage and be personally accountable
- Ability to identify, establish and build strong working relationships, and work effectively as a member of a team
- Ability to translate complex and technical information into information easily understood by non-technical staff
- Good written and oral communication skills including experience shaping messages for different audiences
- Organised with good time and task management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and demands from stakeholders
- The ability to gain and maintain a national security clearance as required
- Must be a New Zealand citizen or hold a New Zealand residence class visa
Qualifications
- Tertiary qualification, preferably in Statistics, Operations Research, computer science or some other relevant discipline and/or comparable relevant experience
- The ability to gain and maintain MBIE privileged access as required
Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables
Specialist advice and analysis
- Support the Manager Data Analysis to ensure specialist border and visa domain knowledge is maintained and data analysts develop cross-domain skills over time
- Support the Manager Data Analysis through coaching and mentoring of team members and leading complex analysis to ensure delivery of timely, high-quality outputs
- Deliver complex, sensitive and high-profile data analysis products that actively support and contribute to the achievement of the Ministry’s outcomes and deliver to the needs of internal and external stakeholders
- Provide technical oversight of the provision of data, data mining activity, complex statistical and pattern analysis and comprehensive data analysis to support the identification of new and changing requirements for risk and value rules across visa and border operations
- Work across boundaries to identify new information sources and leverage off existing sources, for the collection of sound, accurate and useable data to inform client risk and value assessment processes and rules
- Provide technical oversight of the development, monitoring and maintenance of data analysis processes across multiple systems
- Provide knowledge management and business analysis services, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on outcomes trends, issues and challenges including reporting to support the monitoring of visa triage and border risk targeting effectiveness and efficiency
- Ensure the quality of support, advice and guidance provided (directly or via systems) to immigration decision makers
- Ensure information and advice provided is regular, accurate, and easily accessible
- Demonstrate a structured and pragmatic approach to analysis, including working with stakeholders to interpret and validate the results
- Proactively identify business issues and conduct deep dive analysis to develop solutions
- Use technology effectively to support data analysis and assist in developing and maintaining the technology
- Identify additional analytical techniques and tools to enhance the identification and generation of insights
- Demonstrate an understanding of sensitivity of information including dissemination, security and handling and ensure team members follow appropriate processes
Relationship management
- Build and maintain relationships with key staff and management, outside peers, key influencers and stakeholders to identify and share best practice information and improve service delivery
- Engage and consult with teams across INZ and MBIE as part of the Data Analysts Community of Practise to develop opportunities to support and enhance the use of data
- Develop effective working relationships with other MBIE managers and staff in order to transfer knowledge and learnings from the team to the wider organisation
- Ensure the quality of support provided to internal and external stakeholders with advice on high-risk cases/issues and specific cohorts and markets.
- Lead or support delivery of presentations and training to relevant operational teams
- Represent whole-of-Ministry views and protect its reputation in any external interactions
Leadership
- Contribute to the performance of the team through providing peer review and quality control
- Support other team members by bringing ideas, techniques, and knowledge to discussions
- Apply appropriate techniques to ensure the integrity and robustness of team outputs
- Contribute to an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, ongoing learning and knowledge sharing with the team
- Actively contribute to INZ projects to enhance immigration system performance
Safety and wellbeing
- 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 Data Analyst position reports into the Manager Data Analysis within the Immigration Risk and Border branch. The branch sits within the Immigration New Zealand 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
