Business Data Analyst
Date: 5 Jun 2025
Location: Wellington, NZ
Company: Ministry of Social Development
About us
The Ministry of Social Development is a people-centred organisation. We’re in communities across the motu, working with partners to help New Zealanders be safe, strong and independent.
We provide social policy and advice to government and assistance, including income, employment and housing support to people of all ages, families, whānau and communities.
As a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partner we are committed to supporting and enabling Māori, whānau, hapū, Iwi and communities to realise their own potential and aspirations.
Our people are as diverse as the communities we serve. We care about the wellbeing and success of our people and provide a supportive and inclusive working environment where people can thrive and be who they are.
Business Analyst (Data)
• Fixed Term/Secondment opportunity until 30 June 2026
• Wellington based
Are you passionate about translating business needs into solutions that make a difference in people's lives?
Mō te tīma - About our team
MSD – services for the future programme is a multi-year transformation programme to ensure MSD delivers for New Zealanders and enable us to focus our resources and investment on the cohorts who need it.
The programme will involve significant changes to underlying systems and introduce simpler processes and redesigned services that put people first. It will transform:
• Work - Giving the right level of support to help clients get work-ready, into work, and stay in work.
• Partnering - Working better with partners and reducing red tape so they can focus on helping people.
• Payments - Making sure people get the right financial help and reducing overpayments.
A significant project within the programme is to establish a Digital Employment Service (DES) by launching a self-service employment platform that should not only enhance MSD's digital service for employment but also transform the effectiveness of MSD's wider employment capability. This is part of a significant transformation of the MSD – services for the future programme for MSD, which will deliver a new service model enabled by new capabilities, systems, and processes.
You will need
This role is a business analyst position within the taxonomy and matching team, with a specific focus on the governance and stewardship of our employment taxonomy and matching processes. You will work closely with stakeholders to ensure these critical business assets are effectively managed, maintained and optimised to strengthen employment outcomes for our clients, with data insights informing your analytical approach.
You'll bring strong stakeholder engagement, document management, and requirements gathering skills to ensure dependencies and connections with other workstreams are understood and managed effectively.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to change the way we deliver our services, and to have a significant impact on the lives of New Zealanders. You will be instrumental in defining business processes and requirements for a new service helping our clients get better employment opportunities.
We are looking for a candidate who will bring:
Essential Business Analysis Skills:
• An appropriate tertiary degree (or equivalent experience) in business analysis, information systems, or related analytical field
• Proven experience as a Business Analyst with a track record of successful stakeholder engagement and requirements elicitation management
• Certification in agile/Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) project methodologies preferred
• Proven track record in stakeholder management, presentations and decision-making processes.
• Demonstrated experience in translating business outcomes into detailed requirements and user stories
• Interest in extending business analysis skills into more technical and data-focused domains
• Excellent facilitation skills for workshops, stakeholder interviews, and requirements sessions
• Experience with process mapping, gap analysis, and business process optimisation
• Knowledge of the SDLC (software development life cycle) and best practice business analysis processes
• Proven experience in project delivery using agile and hybrid methodologies
Supporting Technical and Data Skills:
• Understanding of data models and how business requirements translate into data requirements
• Knowledge of taxonomies and classification systems (or equivalent business categorisation experience)
• Working knowledge of various software packages and cloud services to support analysis work Basic understanding of technology solutions within the business environment
General Skills and Experience:
• Relevant experience of general business practice or specific MSD practices
• Demonstrated success in building, maintaining and influencing positive working relationships across diverse stakeholder groups
• Strong critical thinking capabilities in requirements analysis and solution development
• Excellent problem-solving and root cause identification skills
• Exceptional accuracy and attention to detail, including documentation and asset management
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities, analyse complex business problems and recommend appropriate solutions
• Demonstrated ability to write to a high standard (clear, accurate, concise, appropriate to the audience)
• Capability to provide peer support and mentoring to junior staff members
Position Description
Salary range: $102,817.00 - $124,750.00
How to apply
To apply, click the 'Apply Now' button to upload your CV, cover letter and complete the online application form.
Note: Your cover letter will be a key part of our assessment process, so please highlight how your experience relates to the key responsibilities listed in the position description.
All applications must be made online. If this is not possible or if you have any queries, please contact us at jobs@msd.govt.nz
Internal MSD Employees – please apply through your myHR portal at work. This will ensure that your myHR employee profile is visible as internal candidate.
Closing date: 15 June 2025
Joining us
Joining MSD means being part of a whānau that celebrates the diversity each individual represents. We show manaaki, we care about the wellbeing and success of people and want everyone to thrive, and be who they are in a supportive and inclusive working environment. We work together to make a difference for communities while doing the right thing with integrity. We are a Treaty partner committed to strengthening relationships with Māori, Hapū, Iwi and communities to realise their own potential and aspirations.
If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so we can assist you through the recruitment process.
MSD has a COVID-19 vaccination policy that encourages, but does not require, employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and its variants, unless the role is identified as requiring vaccination at the time.
