Innovation Programmes Lead

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An exciting opportunity to lead the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the Innovation Programmes Lead will own the strategic development and delivery of a diverse portfolio of experiential learning initiatives, lead a multidisciplinary team including Technology & Prototyping, and align activities with the university’s innovation strategy. You will build strong partnerships with academics, practitioners and external partners, use evidence to guide decisions, and ensure high quality across programmes for a wide university audience. This full‑time permanent role offers flexible hours and a salary of $114,400 to $140,000. To apply, tailor your CV and cover letter to demonstrate leadership, portfolio management and evidence-based delivery in complex education or research contexts, and explain why you fit CIE’s mission. Applications online by 6 September 2026; provide concrete examples of leading innovative programmes and your approach to scaling impact.

Company Description

Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland 

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s pre-eminent University, with a turnover of $1.6bn, including research revenue of over $300m generated across eight diverse faculties and two research institutes. With over 9,000 staff and 50,000 students, the University of Auckland is one of New Zealand’s most significant and complex entities. 

Job Description

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity 

This is an exciting time to join innovation and entrepreneurship at Waipapa Taumata Rau. 

As Innovation Programmes Lead, you will lead CIE’s portfolio of programmes that develop innovation and entrepreneurial capability in students, researchers and staff. You will shape how people from across disciplines develop the mindsets, skills and practical capabilities to recognise opportunities, navigate uncertainty, experiment and create meaningful change. 

This is a people and portfolio leadership role. You will lead a multidisciplinary team, including CIE’s Technology & Prototyping function, and bring coherence and quality across a diverse portfolio of experiential programmes, professional development and hands-on experimentation. 

You will build on strong existing programmes while making informed choices about what should be strengthened, evolved, scaled, developed or retired to deliver CIE’s strategy. The focus is developing people and innovation capability at scale; CIE’s dedicated Venture & Founder Development team leads the pathway for those who choose to progress ideas into venture creation. 

As a member of the CIE Leadership Team, you will also share responsibility for CIE’s overall strategy, performance, culture and organisational development. 

You will: 

• Lead the strategic development, delivery and continuous improvement of CIE’s innovation and entrepreneurship programme portfolio.  

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team and create the conditions for high-quality, disciplined delivery.  

• Ensure programmes provide high-quality experiential learning for diverse audiences across the University.  

• Build strong relationships with academics, practitioners and University partners, drawing on relevant expertise and leading practice.  

• Use evidence, participant insight and evaluation to inform portfolio decisions and continuously improve quality and impact.  

• Strengthen connections across programmes and with other opportunities across CIE and the wider University.  

This is a full-time (37.5 hours per week), permanent role. This is a salary band I role with a salary range from $114,400 pa up to $140,000 pa depending on skills and experience.

The nature of CIE’s programmes and events means the role requires flexibility to work outside normal business hours, including evening work as required and occasional weekend work. 

For more detailed information, please refer to the Position Description. 

Mō tō mātou rōpū | About the team 

The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is Waipapa Taumata Rau’s platform for developing the innovators, entrepreneurs and changemakers of the future. We work across the University to help students, researchers and staff build innovation and entrepreneurial capability, turn ideas into action, develop ventures, and create social, cultural, environmental and economic impact for Aotearoa and the world. 

CIE is entering an exciting new chapter. With an ambitious new strategy, we are significantly increasing the reach and impact of innovation and entrepreneurship across the University, helping realise Waipapa Taumata Rau’s ambition to be a global powerhouse of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, and strengthening the University’s contribution to a more innovative and prosperous Aotearoa. 

We are building a team of people who are curious, collaborative, ambitious for impact and committed to turning ambition into action. If you want to help shape how a world-class research-led university develops innovative and entrepreneurial people, we would love to hear from you. 

He kōrero mōu | About you 

You are an experienced people and programme leader who combines strategic thinking with exceptional planning, organisation and execution. You thrive in a fast-paced and varied environment and can lead a busy portfolio serving diverse audiences, while establishing the clarity, priorities and operating rhythm that enable your team to perform at its best. 

You think ahead, anticipate dependencies and pressure points, and know how to translate strategy into a coherent portfolio of high-quality programmes and experiences. You remain close enough to delivery to understand what is working, where quality can be strengthened and when intervention is needed, while creating space for your team to lead and succeed. 

You are an influential relationship builder who can work credibly with academics, University leaders, practitioners and external partners. You understand different perspectives and needs, can influence across organisational boundaries, and know how to turn opportunities and relationships into practical outcomes. 

You are also a collaborative organisational leader. You bring your expertise and perspective to collective decisions, value different viewpoints and take shared responsibility for the success of CIE as a whole. 

You will bring: 

• Significant experience leading innovation, entrepreneurship, learning, professional development or capability-building programmes.  

• Demonstrated success leading and developing people and building high-performing, collaborative teams.  

• Exceptional forward planning and portfolio-management capability, with experience leading multiple programmes or workstreams in complex, fast-moving environments.  

• Strong innovation and entrepreneurship capability and an understanding of experiential approaches to learning and capability development.  

• Outstanding stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the credibility to work effectively with academics, University leaders, practitioners and external partners.  

• Strategic judgement and the ability to translate organisational priorities into high-quality execution, using evidence and insight to inform decisions and continuous improvement.  

• The confidence to lead a specialist Technology & Prototyping function, including appropriate oversight of physical infrastructure, health and safety and operational risk, while drawing on the technical expertise within the team.  

• Experience managing budgets, resources and operational planning.  

• A relevant tertiary qualification in innovation, entrepreneurship, business, education, management or a related field.  

Experience in a tertiary education, research, innovation or entrepreneurship environment would be advantageous. An understanding of education within a research-led university context would be particularly valuable, including an appreciation of educational quality, research and scholarship, and the different contexts and motivations of students, researchers and academic staff 

Additional Information

What we offer | Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou 

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s leading university and maintains significant computational, laboratory and analytic facilities. 

The University is committed to providing an excellent working environment through: 

• Flexible employment practices (including working from home, flexible hours) 

• Up to 6.75% company superannuation scheme 

• A competitive salary ($114,400 pa up to $140,000 pa) reflecting experience with five weeks’ annual leave 

In addition, we also offer career development programmes, discounted car parking, a generous parental leave allowance, childcare, and a number of other discounts on internal and external services.  

For more information, please visit Staff Benefits 

 
Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply 

Applications must be submitted online, by the closing date of Sunday 6th September, 2026 to be considered. Please include your CV and a cover letter highlighting how you meet the skills and experience outlined above, what attracts you to this opportunity, what you would bring to CIE and its leadership team, and how your experience has prepared you to lead a complex and diverse programme portfolio within a University context. 

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The University is committed to meeting its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and achieving equity outcomes for staff and students in a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment.  For further information on services for Māori, Pacific, women, LGBTQIATakatāpuiMVPFAFF+, people with disabilities, parenting support, flexible work and other personal circumstances go to www.equity.auckland.ac.nz