Principal Analyst - Economics
Date: 15 Nov 2026
Location: Wellington, NZ
Company: Ministry of Social Development
- Shape how government understands social investment, spending and outcomes.
- Lead high-impact economic analysis and advice, influencing senior investment decisions.
- Permanent - Wellington-based role with flexible working arrangements.
It’s an exciting time to join us, as we lead change across the public service to implement social investment and support Government to achieve better outcomes from social sector spending for people and communities.
Kōrero mō te tūranga | About the role
Bring your economics expertise to work that matters.
As Principal Analyst, you will provide senior economic thought leadership and hands-on analytical advice in the System Investment and Performance function.
Your work will help shape how government understands social sector spending, investment value and outcomes, and turn complex evidence into practical decisions.
As a subject matter expert, you will:
- Lead and quality-assure economic analysis, investment advice, forecasting and value-for-money assessments.
- Develop decision-ready insights and reusable tools, including regional evidence, spend visibility, fiscal and demand outlooks, and return-on-investment approaches.
- Work across economics, data, evaluation, policy and commissioning teams to test assumptions, strengthen evidence and support senior decisions.
He kōrero mōu | About you
You are an experienced economist or principal-level analyst who combines technical depth with sound judgement and a practical, collaborative approach.
You can make complex analysis useful to people who need to make decisions.
You will bring:
- Strong applied economics, investment analysis, modelling, forecasting or cost-benefit/value-for-money expertise.
- Experience leading or quality-assuring complex analysis and working confidently with complex datasets.
- The ability to explain technical findings clearly to senior leaders and non-technical audiences, translating complex information into clear, succinct and practical advice.
- Sound judgement about data quality, assumptions, privacy, ethics and responsible use of evidence.
- Strong collaboration, prioritisation, planning and delivery skills in a fast-moving, evolving environment, working in cross functional teams to deliver at pace.
- A relevant qualification in economics or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
Utu ā-tau | Salary
The salary range for this role is $153,344 to $216,485. Starting salaries reflect skills and experience relevant to the role.
Ko wai mātou | About us
The Social Investment Agency is a central agency, set up to lead the social investment approach to improve people’s lives and to support the Government to achieve better outcomes from social service expenditure.
Social investment involves using data to understand people’s needs and the best prevention points, implementing evidence-based approaches to improving outcomes, and testing that they’ve been successful. The Agency has a particular focus on cross-sector work to address the most pervasive social sector challenges.
We are committed to have a safe and inclusive workplace and we value the diversity everyone brings. We welcome applications from everyone, regardless of gender identity, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or religion.
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.
Tono mai | How to Apply
To apply for this role please click the ‘Apply Now’ button and follow the online process. To view a copy of the position description please click here: Principal Analyst - Economics, position description
Applications close at 11.59pm on Sunday 08 November however, we will review applications as they come in and may invite people to interview before the close date. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if an ideal person is found before the close date.
If you have any questions, please email peopleandculture@sia.govt.nz
We look forward to receiving your application.
