Senior Domain Architect - Data
Date: 16 Oct 2025
Location: Wellington, NZ
Company: Ministry of Social Development
- Wellington based
- Fixed term/Secondment for 24 months
- Salary $163,784 - $203,820
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.
About our team | Mō te tīma:
Every week, around 1.4 million New Zealanders count on MSD for income support and services to connect with work, housing and better lives for their families.
This is a high-impact role where you will work at the intersection of business, data, and technology, helping shape how Ministry of Social Development uses data to improve outcomes for New Zealanders.
The Ministry of Social Development is embarking on MSD - Services for the Future – the most ambitious transformation in New Zealand’s public sector history. This multi-year programme will reshape how MSD delivers services to millions of New Zealanders, making services more proactive, inclusive, and data-driven.
The role sits within the Strategy and Insights Group, which focuses on providing data and insights for effective decision making, enhanced investment capability, understanding and evaluating performance, and providing rigorous management of the Ministry’s accountability.
We are seeking a visionary Senior Domain Architect to lead the Data Domain across this transformation. You will play a pivotal role in shaping MSD’s future data landscape, ensuring it is secure, scalable, and aligned with our strategic goals.
About the role | Mō te tūnga:
• Strategic technical leadership of architecture across domains
• Influence enterprise-wide technology decisions
• Drive innovation and capability development
As a Senior Domain Architect, you’ll be the go-to expert for data within the Ministry. You’ll help bring services and systems together across these areas, making sure they fit with the Ministry’s wider goals and plans.
You’ll lead the Data Architecture Strategy for the Services for the Future programme, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture and government standards.
As a trusted adviser, you’ll work closely with other Enterprise, Solution and Data Architects across MSD, business leaders and stakeholders to understand what’s needed now and in the future.
You’ll give advice to key decision-makers and help set the standards for how we build and improve our digital and data solutions.
You’ll collaborate with senior stakeholders across business, technology, and policy to ensure data enables better outcomes for New Zealanders.
In this role, you’ll also lead the development of technology roadmaps, showing clear options for how we can deliver what’s needed. You’ll also advise leaders across business, Strategy & Insights, and IT on projects and solutions required for our data aspirations.
You’ll champion data quality, governance, and ethical use of data across the organisation, and mentor and guide data architects and data specialists, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.
Key responsibilities include:
• Lead the development of data management strategies, capabilities, and supporting architectures
• Establish principles and standards for data management and data integration
• Coordinate target architecture across projects and initiatives
• Deep domain-specific knowledge and best practices of data
• Define and govern data models, platforms, and integration patterns across heritage and strategic systems
• Provide architectural oversight across the data lifecycle, ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
• Align data strategy with business mission and processes
• Monitor emerging technologies and assess their impact
• Provide expert advice across data architecture disciplines
• Shape and refresh Data, Technology and Capability Roadmaps
What you bring | Ōu pūmanawatanga:
To succeed in this role, you’ll bring a mix of technical expertise, leadership, and people skills. You’ll have:
• A relevant tertiary qualification and/or strong professional experience
• Solid architecture experience in large, complex organisations, preferably experience in large-scale digital transformations
• Deep data domain-specific knowledge and best practices, preferably master data management, data integration and analytics
• Deep expertise in data architecture, including data platforms, analytics, governance, and integration
• Proven ability to lead the development of technology strategies, roadmaps, and architectural plans
• Deep understanding of current and emerging technologies, and a passion for data innovation, automation, and scalable design
• Experience working in Agile environments
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to bridge technical and non-technical audiences — able to explain complex ideas clearly, both in writing and in person
• Experience in the public sector or complex enterprise environments is highly desirable
If you're passionate about technology, strategy, and making a difference—this Senior Domain Architect role is for you.
Position Description | He Whakaahuatanga Tūnga:
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: Monday 27th October, 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.
