Technical Team Leader - Cyber Defence Solutions Development & Delivery

Join New Zealand’s lead operational cyber security agency and shape our future cyber defence capability.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is seeking a Technical Team Leader for Cyber Defence Solutions Development & Delivery. In this technical leadership role, you will sit inside the Design & Solutions Unit, leading a multi‑disciplinary team of engineers who build and sustain the systems and tools that make up NCSC cyber defence capability. Your leadership and technical skills will translate customer and stakeholder requirements into production‑grade solutions that keep New Zealand and New Zealanders safe from ever‑evolving cyber threats.

About the role and who we are looking for

A role that blends vision with hands‑on expertise.

While you will guide strategy, influence investment decisions and advise senior leaders, there is plenty opportunity to use your significant and relevant experience in Information Technology and Solution Development stay across the technical details—reviewing solution designs, guiding engineers to troubleshooting the tough security challenges and helping evolve our capability architecture. Your technical authority will set the standards for secure development, DevSecOps pipelines, and threat‑intelligence integration, ensuring solutions aligns with business outcomes and government security policies. By championing innovation—whether it’s next generation detection, cloud‑native hardening, or scaled SIEM platforms—you will keep the NCSC at the forefront of cyber‑defence.

People‑first leadership that builds high‑performing teams.

You will bring your people focused leadership skills to recruit, mentor, and develop a diverse group of engineers, fostering a culture of psychological safety, continuous learning, and mission excellence. Through clear objectives, regular coaching, and a commitment to professional growth, you will empower your team to deliver world‑class capabilities while maintaining a healthy work‑life balance. Your ability to translate complex technical concepts into compelling narratives will inspire confidence across the organisation and with partners.

Navigate the delivery landscape

Your experience will enable you to be comfortable working across a variety a delivery mechanisms – whether it be inside formal projects or managing smaller teams in Agile/Scrum style constructs or maintaining applications on a on going basis. At time this may include risk management and basic financial management. This will enable you to help your team to deliver and enable cyber defennce outcomes. Additionally being able to build strong productive relationships with stakeholders both internal and external to the NCSC will be key to your success.

If you are up for this challenge and want to work with a purpose at the heart of New Zealand’s cyber defence, we want to hear from you.

I****deally you will have:

• Extensive background in Software Engineering, Information Technology or Solution Development.
• Proven track record of leading and motivating technical teams to achieve high-performance results.
• Adept at providing technical leadership and strategic advice to senior stakeholders.
• Familiarity with leading or contributing to projects within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem is highly regarded.
• Practical proficiency with containerisation technologies, such as Podman or Kubernetes.
• Sound understanding of project delivery frameworks such as SCRUM, Lean, or PRINCE2.
• Prior involvement in the development of New Zealand Government information systems is desirable.

Why work for us

Alongside getting to work with other talented people, we also offer a range of comprehensive benefits which include:

• Medical insurance and vision care packages
• Enhanced employer contributions to your Kiwisaver
• Generous leave benefits, including additional paid days off and enhanced sick leave and parental leave
• Childcare allowance for your preschoolers
• Opportunities for personal and professional growth and career pathways across the intelligence community
• Great work-life balance

Appointment range for this position is $142,093 to 151,566.

Before you apply

Working within our unique environment means we have to ensure you're eligible for employment. You must:

• Have been a New Zealand Citizen for at least 10 years
  OR
  Hold a current NZ Residency Class Visa and ideally have been a citizen of the UK, USA, Canada, or Australia for at least 10 years

• Be eligible to obtain a Top Secret Special (TSS) security clearance

• Ordinarily this means you'll have a 15-year checkable background in countries NZSIS vetting can make meaningful and reliable checks

Still unsure? Use this online tool to self-check your eligibility for a TSS security clearance: http://www.protectivesecurity.govt.nz/eligibility-tool

The NZIC treats all applications for employment in the strictest confidence and we expect that you maintain a similar level of confidentiality during the recruitment process and throughout your career.

We'll provide you with information and tips throughout the recruitment process, but in the meantime, check out our Myth Busting booklet: What to expect | Beyond Ordinary Careers.

You can also learn more about our work and understand our areas of focus by reading New Zealand's Security Threat Environment | New Zealand Security Intelligence Service