Lead Designer

Our small but perfectly formed Service Design team is growing. We have important mahi to do and to get the job done we need innovators, sense makers, storytellers and collaborators. If you want to use your skills and tools to advocate for the aspirations of tamariki, whānau, iwi & communities and the following sounds like you, we are keen to hear from you.

About the team

Based within the Māori, Partnerships and Communities rōpū, we are responsible for child and human-centred design across Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children. As rōpū, we are committed to

• Forming partnerships with communities to support locally led responses that enable tamariki and whānau to thrive.
• Investing at the local level - supporting the aspirations of communities.
• Amplifying the voices of tamariki, whānau, hapū and iwi and ensuring they influence strategy, policy, practice, and operations across our organisation.

Mō te tūnga  | About the role

Working alongside our existing designers and project teams you will champion design thinking within our team and across Oranga Tamariki You will be an innovative thinker with a passion for co-design, user-centred design and design thinking, as well and the ability to develop locally-relevant, design-led solutions to key issues in the communities. This role will support projects across Oranga Tamariki.

Why come and work with us?

• We advocate for the aspirations of tamariki, whānau, iwi and communities so they can realise their rangatiratanga.
• We get to work directly with people in the community and we strongly support iwi-led / community-led design.
• There is a lot of positive change happening, we are often in the centre of it, and we can advise and influence major projects.
• We work in multi-disciplinary teams, so you have an opportunity to teach and learn equally
• We are an awesome team, we have each other's backs, we are really committed to being good treaty partners, and we are constantly innovating our own practice.

On occasion you will be required to travel around the country to work with the community, our partners and stakeholders.

This role is based in our Wellington office. Due to the operational requirements and dynamic nature of the role, it will be beneficial for you to have the close support of the team around you. Candidates for this role are required to already be based in Wellington or be willing to relocate to Wellington for this opportunity.

Ngā pūmanawatanga ōu | What you will bring

To be successful in this role you will have :

• Experience in leading participatory design with tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau, hapū and iwi
• Expertise in design thinking / human-centred design
• Expert level skill at building and maintaining relationships with all sorts of people both inside and outside the organisation.
• Capability in te reo, tikanga, and / or other Pacific languages, or you are already on a learning journey in this area.
• The ability to see the big picture but also zoom in and focus on specific pieces of the puzzle.
• Strong ability to advocate, negotiate, and diplomatically challenge things that are not tika or pono.
• Expert level communication and storytelling skills where you can take ideas and share them with a variety of audiences so that everyone 'gets it'.
• Significant experience in design thinking and tangata centered design and will have designed services that have been implemented in the real world.
• Experience and the confidence to lead design effort from concept through to implementation.
• Demonstrated experience in growing and coaching others and developing their skills and confidence in design thinking. You will be keen to contribute to the team's success by mentoring and coaching other team members.

Nōu te rourou | What's in it for you

We offer a vibrant and supportive team, flexible work options and a genuine commitment to wellbeing. We offer significant training and professional development so that you can thrive and grow. We welcome diversity and are committed to working in an inclusive and respectful way. This is your opportunity to apply your skills and experience to the wellbeing of tamariki and rangatahi.

To see all the benefits of working for Oranga Tamariki, please visit

Mō mātou | About us

Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children has a commitment to putting tamariki and rangatahi at the heart of what we do. In our work, we aim to demonstrate these values :

• We put Tamariki first
• We believe Aroha is vital
• We respect the Mana of people
• We are Tika and Pono
• We value Whakapapa
• We recognise that Oranga is a journey

We are committed to ensuring that New Zealand is the best place in the world to be a child. We are also committed to ensuring Oranga Tamariki partners with hapū, iwi and Māori organisations to find appropriate solutions for tamariki in need.