Senior Transition Lead

Full-time | Wellington

Metlink is seeking a Senior Transition Lead to join our Commercial Partnerships Team and lead the successful transition of high-value, complex service contracts across bus, rail, and ferry networks.

About the Role

As Senior Transition Lead, you will develop and implement Metlink’s Public Transport Services Contract Transition Framework, ensuring smooth and efficient transitions into and out of contracts. This role is critical to maintaining continuity of services for thousands of daily commuters and minimising disruption during contract changeovers.

You’ll work closely with project managers, transition leads, and subject matter experts to identify risks, manage resources, and deliver strategic advice to governance and senior leadership. Your leadership will ensure that every transition is well-planned, collaborative, and customer focused. The role reports to the Programme Director Public Transport Procurement,

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of contract transition frameworks, plans, and strategies.
• Oversee transition planning for multiple contracts, ensuring timely commencement and orderly exit of operators.

• Provide strategic advice and reporting to senior leadership and governance.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal teams, operators, consultants, and key stakeholders.
• Promote sustainable resource management and uphold health and safety standards.

About You

We’re looking for someone with courageous leadership, innovative thinking and who is highly collaborative and proactive sharing their knowledge.

You will also need:

• A tertiary qualification or equivalent experience.
• Extensive experience in contract management, including transitions for complex, high-value service contracts.
• Strong procurement risk management expertise and commercial acumen.
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to navigate complexity and deliver under pressure.
• Knowledge of public transport and transport decarbonisation is advantageous.

Metlink is more than a public transport service – we’re a symbol of pride for our rohe. Join us and help shape a sustainable, customer-focused future for public transport.

What we offer:

• Work to suit your life and whānau with our flexible working policy.
• We’ll encourage you to grow and prosper with a range of learning and development opportunities, internal secondments and career progression.

• Your wellbeing is our priority – we’ll provide medical and trauma insurance, support through our employee assistance programme or Manawa Ora providers, generous annual and sick leave, along with Tangihanga leave and support.
• We want you to have a sense of belonging, where you can reflect your personal and cultural identity in the way that you work.
• Social clubs, staff networks and a friendly and inclusive culture.
• Great working environment.

Come help treasure and grow our rohe together

Our rohe and its lands, waterways, animals, plants and people can only grow stronger if they are nurtured.

To join our team is to step up and commit to playing an active part in this important mahi. That means restoring nature, connecting people and places, reducing environmental impacts, and helping this rohe and its people prosper.

We are committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and support mana whenua as Kaitiaki. We’re also part of a collective movement alongside our community members whose hopes for the future of this region are just as high as your own.

Our efforts across environmental management, public transport, flood protection, regional parks and water supply are interconnected and integral to treasuring our rohe and growing our future.

How to apply:

Greater Wellington is proud to be a member of Diversity Works. We value diversity and are committed to an inclusive, flexible, and supportive workplace. We encourage candidates

from all backgrounds and welcome the unique talent and experience you will bring to our team. 

We are passionate about ensuring our recruitment processes are fair and equitable. Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs or adjustments that need to be made so we can offer a recruitment process that is more accessible to you.

Click on the Apply link to view the job description and to apply for the role with a cover letter and CV.

All applicants will be required to provide proof of their eligibility to work in New Zealand.

For further information, please contact Sue Blair on sue.blair@gw.govt.nz

Applications close: 5.00pm, Sunday 22 February 2026.

Greater Wellington is an accredited Living Wage Employer. We’re committed to making sure our people, including people in our supply chain, earn enough to meet life’s basic needs, support their whānau, and participate fully in their communities

The remuneration for this position, inclusive of all benefits, is $114,067 to $171,101 with a midpoint of $142,584. Starting remuneration will depend on the skills and experience of the successful applicant.