Manager - Geospatial Intelligence

New Zealand Police is working with the community to make New Zealanders be safe and feel safe. With over 13,000 staff, we provide policing services 24 hours a day, every day. We operate by land, sea and air, manage over 860,000 emergency calls a year and are always actively preventing crime and crashes.

We're working towards specific goals and targets that highlight our intent to work collaboratively with iwi and communities, other government sectors and business partners to deliver `Our Business' and achieve long-term change.

Manager - Geospatial Intelligence

• Based at PNHQ, Wellington
• Permanent/Full Time
• JR 5974705

E tu ki te kei o te waka, kia pakia koe e nga ngaru o te wa.

Stand at the stern of the canoe and feel the spray of the future biting at your face

Mo te tunga | About the role

We are seeking an experienced and highly capable leader to manage a specialist geospatial and innovation team supporting operational policing, major investigations, and national capability development.

This is not a traditional management role. It sits at the intersection of operations, technology, intelligence, and innovation, requiring a leader who can operate at pace, across multiple domains, and deliver both immediate operational impact and long-term strategic capability.

As Manager Geospatial Intelligence, you will lead a small, highly specialised team delivering geospatial and technical support to frontline policing and national investigations. You will operate across a diverse portfolio of work, balancing:

• Operational support to active investigations (including serious crime, homicides, and major operations), providing evidential products, analysis, and technical expertise
• Leadership and team management, including day-to-day oversight, staff development, and supervision of specialist practitioners
• System and technical stewardship, resolving complex issues across platforms such as ArcGIS, FME, mobility applications, and integrations with core Police systems
• Innovation and capability development, designing and implementing new tools, technologies, and services (e.g. 3D reconstruction, LiDAR, geospatial services, drone mapping)
• Stakeholder engagement, working across ICT, vendors, operational units, and external partners
• Governance and delivery, including budgeting, procurement, vendor management, and reporting

No two weeks are the same. The role requires balancing a steady flow of meetings and coordination activity alongside periods of intense operational demand.

This role directly supports frontline policing and major investigations, providing capability that underpins decision-making, evidential outcomes, and operational safety. At the same time, it shapes the future of how Police use geospatial and technical capabilities.

You will be expected to operate as both a manager and a specialist leader, contributing personally where required while building a sustainable, scalable capability for the organisation.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead and support the team in delivering geospatial and technical capability to operational policing
• Provide specialist input into investigations, including evidential products and court-facing material
• Manage and resolve technical system issues spanning multiple platforms and stakeholders
• Drive innovation, identifying and delivering solutions that provide long-term value to Police
• Oversee recruitment, capability uplift, and knowledge transfer within the team
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and delivery
• Manage competing priorities across operations, systems, projects, and strategy
• Take responsibility for the strategic overview of the NZP systems and how they integrate with GIS, including documentation and project management of short-term and long-term strategy for geospatial implementation
• Champion GIS across the business; project management and a good understanding of how to apply emerging technology and use it for intelligence analysis.
• Provide support during Major Events

He aha taau e kawe mai | What you'll bring

Whilst we are looking for skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the role, we also place high importance on your state of mind, the alignment of your values with ours, your ability to contribute to and build high performing teams, and the way that you lead yourself or others.

• Has strong leadership capability in a specialist or technical environment
• Can operate across operational, technical, and strategic domains simultaneously
• Is comfortable working in a high-demand, fast-paced operational context
• Has experience in geospatial capability, technical systems, or analytical environments
• Can manage complexity, ambiguity, and competing priorities
• Is able to communicate effectively across technical and non-technical audiences
• Has a track record of delivering both immediate operational outcomes and longer-term capability improvements
• High level of resilience

Whakaritenga motuhake | Special requirements

• A tertiary qualification containing a significant component of geospatial information management or significant relevant experience.
• For both Constabulary Police Employees:
  • Agree to enrol in a leadership programme at the advertised level, at a future date or
  • Have qualified under CEP or a previous Career Progression Framework at the level you are applying for.

This role is Team Leader level. You can refer to Indicators for Success for further information on the requirements

https://teams.sp.police.govt.nz/pac/od/pd/Documents/Deployment/Manager - Geospatial Intelligence.pdf

Security Clearance Requirements

To be eligible for this role, you must obtain and maintain a TOP SECRET national security clearance.

NZ Citizen who has resided continuously in NZ for the last 10 years, or:

• A Permanent Resident who has resided continuously in NZ for the last 10 years, or
• A citizen of or has resided continuously in one or more of the following countries for the last 10 years : Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, or United States of America, and has a background that can be verified by the NZSIS.

Use this online tool to self-check your eligibility for a security clearance. Please note that this tool is not part of the formal security clearance process:

http://www.protectivesecurity.govt.nz/eligibility-tool

Mo tatou | About us

New Zealand Police is the lead agency responsible for preventing crime and enhancing community safety. It works in partnership with individuals, communities, businesses, and other public sector agencies towards the vision of making New Zealand the safest country. Police is the government's largest front-line response agency with around 15,000 staff in large and small communities all over New Zealand and in liaison and policing development roles overseas.

Your development is highly valued at NZ Police. Our employees enjoy significant investment in their development not only at an individual level, but also at the team and community practice level. We work hard to match you with work that will both play to your strengths and challenge you in new ways.

The work you'll be engaged in is real, tangible work that directly benefits our frontline and communities. Taken all together, this means we can offer you career path opportunities to progress in your chosen profession and become a more well-rounded, experienced leader, with opportunities across the range of work we support.

Applicant Information Pack (External)

Tono inaianei | Apply now

If this position sounds like you, click apply now and submit a tailored CV. You will be required to submit an application form. Before confirmation of hire, pre-employment checks will be undertaken which include reference, drug and alcohol testing and police vetting prior to any written offer being made.

For further information on the application process, please copy and paste this URL: https://www.police.govt.nz/careers

All applications must be submitted online and will not be accepted directly via email. All applicants must have the right to work in New Zealand.

Utu a-tau | Salary

This position is covered by a collective agreement and salary will commence at $142,124.00 dependent on skills and experience relevant to the role.

If you are an internal applicant, you must apply internally through the police system. You must provide an alternative contact email address and state your future commitments should you be successful in the next stage of the recruitment process.

Please note: Deadline for applications is 5:00 pm on the 27th of June 2026. Applications may be reviewed prior to the close date as well as contact made with candidates.

If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact elzarie.geyer @police.govt.nz