General Manager Research and
Evaluation
Insights MSD
Our purpose
Manaaki tangata, Manaaki whānau
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent
Our commitment to Māori
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.
The outcomes we want to achieve
New Zealanders are resilient New Zealanders participate
New Zealanders get the
and live in inclusive and positively in society and
support they require
supportive communities reach their potential
We carry out a broad range of responsibilities and functions including
• Employment, income support and • Public housing assistance and emergency
superannuation housing
• Community partnerships, programmes • Resolving claims of abuse and neglect in
and campaigns state care
• Advocacy for seniors, disabled people • Student allowances and loans
and youth
Our strategic direction
Mana manaaki Kotahitanga Kia takatū tātou
A positive experience every Partnering for greater impact Supporting long-term social
time and economic development
He Whakataukī*
Unuhia te rito o te harakeke If you remove the central shoot of the flaxbush
Kei hea te kōmako e kō? Where will the bellbird find rest?
Whakatairangitia, rere ki uta, rere ki tai; Will it fly inland, fly out to sea, or fly aimlessly;
Ui mai ki ahau, If you were to ask me,
He aha te mea nui o te ao? What is the most important thing in the world?
Māku e kī atu, I will tell you,
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata* It is people, it is people, it is people
*We would like to acknowledge Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri Trust for their permission to use this whakataukī
General Manager Research and Evaluation 1
Position detail
Overview of position
The Research & Evaluation team provides actionable evidence to influence, inform and shape policy
development and service design and delivery through research, evaluation and monitoring of MSD
programmes to achieve MSD’s outcomes.
The General Manager is responsible for:
• setting direction for the team to give effect to MSD’s overall priorities and strategic direction
• ensuring timely and quality delivery of the team’s work programme, using agile approaches
where appropriate, and a strong focus on the end users of the team’s work
• leading a team of technical experts to perform at their best, including ensuring best-practice
methodologies are used, skills and experiences are shared, innovation is encouraged, and robust
quality assurance processes are in place
• taking a wider leadership role across Strategy & Insights, to ensure the group and the wider
Ministry collectively performs at its best
• championing the safe and responsible use of data and information and bringing a te Ao Māori
perspective to the team’s work, and
• building the team’s capability over time, across people, culture, processes and technology.
Insights MSD is a group within Strategy & Insights with specific responsibility to develop and operate
data and analytics capability, generate actionable insights, and provide tools to support decision
making. The group’s focus is supporting people to make better decisions to improve New Zealanders’
lives, by making better use of data, information, and evidence.
Location
National Office Wellington
Reports to
Group General Manager Insights MSD
Key responsibilities
Leadership and Strategy
• Develop and deliver the strategic direction of the team and work as part of the wider Strategy &
Insights Leadership Team to lead the Ministry’s strategy for data and analytics and position
Strategy and Insights as a centre of expertise
• Understand the strategic direction of the wider Ministry and social sector, and anticipate the likely
future research and evaluation needs of the Ministry
• Ensure that the portfolio of work adopted balances short, medium and long term needs of the
organisation
• Provide cross-Ministry leadership in research and evaluation methods
• Champion a high-quality partnership and delivery approach between the team and the rest of the
Ministry and proactively seek out opportunities to create value and collaborate
• Champion the safe and responsible use of data and information by taking privacy, human rights
and ethics seriously
• Provide cross-Ministry leadership, including through relevant governance groups
General Manager Research and Evaluation 2
Delivery of research and evaluation
• Lead the delivery of high-quality research and evaluation, using qualitative and quantitative
methods
• Ensure a strategic research agenda exists that lifts MSD’s knowledge and understanding of key
topics affecting MSD’s work
• Ensure an evaluation programme exists that lifts over time the proportion of MSD services that
have been evaluated
• Manage the research pool for Growing up in New Zealand longitudinal study
• Champion the publication of MSD’s research and evaluation and track its use and impact
• Drive the implementation of Te Ao Māori approaches in research and evaluation
Team culture and capability
• Set and encourage a positive and inclusive team culture
• Support team members to grow, develop, and perform at their best, including through regular
coaching, performance management and assessment
• Welcomes and values diversity, and contributes to an inclusive working environment where
differences are acknowledged and respected
• Challenge conventional ways of thinking and assumptions and to generate innovative ideas that
gain widespread support
• Ensure there is a plan in place to improve the group’s capability across people, process, and
technology over time
• Ensure the team keeps up with current thinking on best-practice methodologies for research and
evaluation
Relationship Management
• Develop and maintain strong relationships across the Ministry and across government to support
and enable the group to deliver
• Communicate the vision, strategy and work of the group clearly and succinctly to stakeholders,
including Ministers and Ministers’ offices
• Build strong relationships with Ministers and Ministers’ offices, including through understanding
their needs and priorities and presenting the group’s work and insights
• Build consensus wherever possible by bringing stakeholders together to consider a variety of
views and perspectives and develop an agreed way forward
• Cultivate a network of contacts in the field across New Zealand and offshore
Finance and Resource Management
• Exercise financial and human resource delegations appropriately
• Establish, monitor and report on budget expenditure to ensure spending is kept within allocation
Embedding Te Ao Māori
• Embedding Te Ao Māori (te reo Māori, tikanga, kawa, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) into the status quo of
MSD.
• Building more experience, knowledge, skills and capabilities to confidently engage with whānau,
hapū and iwi.
General Manager Research and Evaluation 3
Health, Safety and Security
• Understand and implement your Health, Safety and Security (HSS) accountabilities as outlined in
the HSS Accountability Framework
• Ensure you understand, follow and implement all Health, Safety and Security and wellbeing
policies and procedures
Emergency Management and Business Continuity
• Remain familiar with the relevant provisions of the Emergency Management and Business
Continuity Plans that impact your business group/team.
• Participate in periodic training, reviews and tests of the established Business Continuity Plans and
operating procedures.
Know-how
• Proven leadership experience, preferably at general management level
• Track record in delivering high-quality work through a team of technical experts that meets users’
needs
• Experience and knowledge of the team’s technical disciplines at sufficient depth to enable strong
and credible leadership
• Exceptional ability to manage internal and external relationships and communicate complex ideas
effectively
• Demonstrated experience building strong team culture and leading change
• Experience in leading and getting the most out of multidisciplinary teams
• Knowledge and experience of the public sector Ministerial, policy and operational context is highly
desirable
• Strong personal network of relevant leaders and experts across the public and/or private sectors
• Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline or equivalent operational experience
• Comprehensive technical knowledge and experience of the development and deployment and
maintenance of advanced analytical tools and products.
• Technical knowledge of IT systems, digital channels and data structures.
• Experience working in Agile or similar methodologies.
Attributes
• Strategic leadership and conceptual thinking
• Skilful communication and relationship management
• Strong influencing skills and political nous
• Managerial courage and resilience
• Commitment to achievement
• Sound judgement
• Honesty and integrity
General Manager Research and Evaluation 4
Key Relationships
Internal
• Research and Evaluation team members
• Strategy and Insights Leadership Team and wider Leadership Team within Insights MSD
• Deputy Chief Executive, Strategy and Insights
• Other DCEs and senior managers within the Ministry, including regional leadership
• Chief Economist, Chief Science Advisor and Chief Actuary
• Office of the CE and Office of the DCE, Service Delivery
External
• Ministers’ Offices, especially Minister for Social Development
• Treasury and Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
• Government agencies, especially social sector
• Social policy and academic community within New Zealand
• Data and analytics community and within New Zealand
• NGO, community, and iwi/Māori groups within New Zealand
Other
Delegations
• Financial – Yes
• Human Resources Yes
Direct reports Yes
Security clearance Yes
Children’s worker No
Limited ad-hoc travel may be required
General Manager Research and Evaluation 5
