Programme Manager

About RSHL  

RSHL is a council-controlled organisation that enables regional councils to collaborate and achieve more together. We deliver shared services and sector-wide solutions that improve consistency, reduce cost, and strengthen public value.  

• Permanent, full‑time role  

• Fully flexible location (work from home, with council offices available as required)  

• Competitive salary, sized to experience  

The Role  

Lead one of New Zealand’s most significant public-sector digital transformation programmes. As Programme Manager, you will play a pivotal role in delivering IRIS NextGen, a complex, multi-year programme to modernise regulatory systems across regional councils nationwide in the replacement of the legacy IRIS Classic application. 

You will be responsible for coordinating, leading and supporting multiple, interdependent workstreams spanning:  

• Software design, build and test 

• Cross‑council implementations over a tightly sequenced, three‑year deployment schedule  

• Sector alignment around consistent good practice  

• Stakeholder engagement and governance across councils, vendors and stakeholder groups  

Key Responsibilities  

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of the IRIS NextGen programme, ensuring outcomes are achieved on time and within agreed funding  

• Ensure programme planning, dependencies, risks, issues and change activities align to best practice 

• Work closely with councils, clients, product management and governance groups to maintain alignment and momentum  

• Coordinate multiple concurrent council implementations with minimal tolerance for slippage  

• Embed robust programme and change management disciplines across the lifecycle  

• Provide clear, timely and professional reporting to senior stakeholders and programme governance groups  

As the Programme Manager, you will provide leadership across the IRIS NextGen programme implementation and roadmap, working within RSHL’s Programme Management Office. This role demands confidence operating  in complexity, influencing without authority, and balancing delivery rigor within a collaborative partnership.  

This is a rare opportunity to shape good practice, lead a sophisticated software transformation, and work collaboratively with councils and technology partners on a national scale.  

About You  

You are a seasoned Programme Manager with a strong track record delivering large-scale, multi‑organisation technology programmes.   

You’ll bring:  

• Proven experience leading complex digital or enterprise software programmes;  

• Strong understanding of software development lifecycles and SaaS implementations; 

• Exceptional stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build consensus across diverse stakeholder groups; 

• Confidence managing delivery environments with little slack in timelines;  

• A strategic, future focused mindset paired with hands on delivery discipline;  

• Excellent communication skills and professional credibility at senior levels;  

• Experience working with councils, shared services, or collaborative sector programmes will be highly regarded.  

If you are ready to lead a programme that truly matters to councils, communities and the future of regional regulation, we would welcome your application.  

Applications close when a suitable candidate is found.