Senior Economic Analyst

We are open to anyone based in Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington or Dunedin for this role. 

Ko wai mātou | About us  

The Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai is the water services regulator for Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a Crown entity governed by a Minister-appointed Board and advised on Māori interests and knowledge by a statutory Māori Advisory Group. Our responsibilities are to protect and promote drinking water safety and related public health outcomes - we regulate drinking water suppliers on behalf of the public. We also have an oversight role in relation to the environmental performance of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater networks. 

If you’re a passionate and driven individual who shares our vision for making water safe every day for everyone, then join us and be part of making a difference. 

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role 

As a Senior Economic Analyst, you will play a crucial role in shaping the regulatory approach by providing expert economic analysis and insights. This position is key to assessing and articulating the broader economic and societal risks associated with regulatory decisions while maintaining an awareness of cost consequences. 

You will be responsible for understanding and evaluating the Authority’s tolerance to risk balanced against detailed analysis of compliance costs and ensuring this understanding informs decision making, and the development of rules and regulations. A key aspect of this role is being able to tell the story behind regulatory decisions—explaining complex economic implications in a clear and compelling manner to a diverse range of stakeholders. In addition, you will oversee cost analysis, being responsible for understanding costs to suppliers to help determine proportionate action.  

The role requires the ability to manage relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including local and central government, drinking water suppliers, and internal teams. You’ll need strong data modelling skills to assess various financial, operational, and societal risks and contribute to the development of a regulatory framework that balances economic, environmental, and social outcomes. 

Key Responsibilities:  

• Analyse infrastructure investment data, identifying trends and providing economic insights to support regulatory frameworks. 
• Assess tolerance to risk and integrate this understanding into regulatory decisions. 
• Collaborate with technical advisors to monitor and evaluate the cost of compliance across sectors. 
• Develop data models to assess the financial and societal risks associated with regulations, ensuring a comprehensive view of economic impacts. 
• Articulate complex economic concepts clearly, tailoring communications for a range of stakeholders, including central and local government and drinking water suppliers. 
• Contribute to policy development, ensuring economic risks and benefits are understood and appropriately balanced. 

Key Skills and Experience:  

• 5+ years of experience in economic analysis or financial analysis, ideally within infrastructure or regulatory environments. 
• Proven ability to model data sets and assess economic impacts with accountability for cost consequences. 
• Strong understanding of risk management, with the ability to align economic assessments to organisational risk tolerances. 
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information to diverse audiences. 
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships internally and externally. 
• Knowledge of data analysis tools (e.g., Excel, SQL, Power BI, Python) is highly desirable. 

Please contact Rachel McNickle at [email protected] or 027 274 6821 to find out more or apply.