Project Manager | Wellington | 12 month fixed term
Date: 25 May 2026
Location: Wellington, NZ
Company: Ministry of Social Development
- Lead the scoping, planning and project delivery of high-impact, future-focused work that improves the DSS delivery of services and ultimately outcomes for disabled people.
- Work within a small team and alongside dedicated Delivery Leads and SMEs across the broader business, engaging with our key stakeholders and external partners, to ensure quality products are delivered, milestones are met, and dependencies are managed.
- Use all your nous to identify and escalate risks and issues appropriately and your strong relationship management skills will help you identify and manage dependencies within and across work packages
Connect workstreams, strengthen project practices and integrate activities to help shape future systems in a way that reflects fair, consistent and equitable services for disabled people.
About our team | Mō te tīma:
The Disability Support Services Group (DSS) has been established to ensure fairer access to disability support services in New Zealand, ensuring those with the greatest needs receive quality support services.
The Transformation team is in place to continue work to strengthen DSS services for the future following the implementation of the independent review recommendations.
The work ahead aims to:
- provide disabled people with certain and consistent access to DSS, no matter what their circumstances or where they live in New Zealand
- prioritise funding for disabled people with the highest needs, and those who would benefit most from early intervention support,
- ensure that Enabling Good Lives (EGL) principles are put into practice
- ensure that the long-term sustainability of DSS is strengthened to provide disabled people and carers with services that are consistent, fair and affordable.
About the role | Mō te tūnga:
The Project Manager will work within a small team alongside Business Delivery Leads to drive the design and implementation of a number of work packages.
This is high priority work and great opportunity for you to use your well honed project management skills to support the work we are doing to provide fairer access to disability support services across the country.
You’ll work closely with the Delivery Lead and DSS Transformation team to drive the scoping, planning, reporting and decision making to ensure quality delivery to required outcomes. This programme is in the critical establishment phase so your opportunity to influence is now.
Day to day you’ll oversee tracking of performance of the assigned projects. You will be managing dependencies, you will be identifying risk, you will understand the call on resources, and ensuring scope is managed.
You’ll work to build team capability helping to strengthen project management excellence across the team. You’ll drive timeliness of required decision making, steward governance papers, action requests, prioritising and identifying trade-offs as required.
You’ll support and manage several projects where needed, ensuring projects are delivered successfully through:
- leading and applying knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to meet or exceed the stakeholder needs and expectations by following the mandated PMO Project Management and governance Frameworks
- ensuring timeframes are kept, quality outcomes achieved, budgets are managed (where applicable) and related impacts across other business units are managed effectively.
- operating within the mandated frameworks supporting the embedding of project management capabilities.
This role is a 12 month fixed term opportunity and is based in our Wellington office.
We value diversity and welcome applications from disabled people and those who have lived experience with whānau, or the disability community.
Please contact us if there is any support that we can provide to ensure the recruitment process is accessible to you.
What you bring | Ōu pūmanawatanga:
- Experience in a project, service delivery workstream or change management role, preferably within the New Zealand public service.
- Strong knowledge of and experience in the use of project management methodologies.
- A proven track record leading work planning, quality assurance, and business process, with superlative interpersonal and communications skills.
- Exceptional relationship management and the ability to influence others to proactively direct projects.
- Strong coaching and mentoring skills with the ability and willingness to pass on project management skills and knowledge to others.
- The ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with relevant key stakeholders, rolling up your sleeves and doing what is needed when it is needed.
- The willingness to seek out information, to be proactive in all aspects of the role, and to take accountability for the end to end components of the role.
- Demonstrated ability to understand IT development cycles, financial and numerical data and information, modelling options and support recommendations with quantitative data is desirable
Position Description | He Whakaahuatanga Tūnga:
A copy of the position description can be found here. Project Manager position description.
Salary | Utu-ā-tau: $103,815.00 - $125,958.00
Applications close | Ka kati ngā tono hei te: Monday 1 June 2026.
About us | Mō mātou:
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.
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:
We are reviewing applications as they come in and interviews may take place during the advertising period.
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, 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.
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.
