Lead Business Rules Analyst | Transformation | Wellington
Date: 2 Nov 2026
Location: Wellington, NZ
Company: Ministry of Social Development
- Permanent role based at National Office in Wellington
- Lead rules elicitation on MSD’s most complex products and services
- Turn ambiguous rules into clear, traceable and testable decision logic
- Set the standard for business rules quality and coach others to reach it
Be MSD's go-to expert for the most challenging business rules problems. Work with policy, legal and operational experts to turn complex legislation, policy and procedure into clear, consistent, traceable and testable logic.
MSD is transforming how we deliver services, creating a welfare system that’s simpler, smarter and centred on people.
Join a talented team delivering one of New Zealand’s most significant transformation programmes and help create better experiences and outcomes for New Zealanders.
About the role | Mō te tūnga
Do you enjoy the hardest part of a business rules problem, where the legislation is ambiguous, policy and operations disagree, and someone has to sort out what the rule actually is?
As Lead Business Rules Analyst, you'll be the practice's senior specialist. You'll work with senior leaders to prioritise business rules work, lead it across complex products and services, and advise on difficult or ambiguous legislative, policy and operational requirements.
You'll lead rules elicitation from start to finish with the opportunity to:
- Collate source material, understand concepts and terms and develop decision frameworks
- Run workshops with policy, legal, operational policy and delivery experts, build consensus on difficult issues, and capture decision, rule statements and decision tables
- Design test scenarios, including edge cases and exceptions, to prove that the rules give the right outcome, and use them to find gaps before the rules are built
- Make sure every rule can be traced back to the legislation or policy it comes from, and that unresolved questions are clearly raised for policy and legal to answer
- Help shape the business rules architecture, including how reusable decisions are structured and how they fit with business processes
- Coach and mentor business rules analysts and help build a strong community of practice.
What you bring | Ōu pūmanawatanga
- Extensive experience leading business rules or decision analysis work in complex regulatory or transformation settings
- Deep skill in decision modelling, rule governance and traceability. Experience with concept models, RuleSpeak, DMN or similar methods is a strong advantage
- Confidence reading and interpreting legislation and policy, and giving trusted advice on what it means in practice
- Excellent facilitation and stakeholder skills, including handling disagreement and getting to a decision
- Close attention to detail and rigorous logic. You'll spot the gap, conflict or overlap between two rules before anyone else does, and design the test scenario that proves it
- Design thinking: you can find the simplest structure that will hold up
- The ability to coach others and raise the standard of other people's work.
Your path here might be business analysis, requirements engineering, law, legislative drafting, public policy, philosophy, mathematics or linguistics. If you care about precise language and logic, we'd like to hear from you.
What’s in it for you | Nōu te rourou
You'll be setting the standard for a discipline that is new to MSD.
The methods, patterns and quality bar you put in place will shape how thousands of rules are written, interpreted, tested and governed in a once-in-a-generation transformation. You'll do it in a supportive team that is curious and collaborative, and your work will directly affect the fairness and consistency of decisions for New Zealanders.
Unlock potential. Join MSD.
Position Description | He Whakaahuatanga Tūnga
Salary | Utu-ā-tau: $122,381.00 - $152,296.00
Applications close | Ka kati ngā tono hei te: 11.59 pm, 15 November 2026
About us | Mō mātou
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) 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 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.
How to apply | Me pēhea te tuku tono
Before you submit your application, please take a moment to review our guidance to understand how AI can best support your application. Candidate Guidance - Responsible AI use in recruitment.
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. Please highlight how your skills and experience relate to the key responsibilities listed in the position description and job advertisement.
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.
Joining us | Ko te hono mai
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. You can find out more about our values here.
If you have any support or accessibility requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so we can assist you through the recruitment process.
