Senior Data Scientist

Job Description:

Kia Angitu - Learner Success
Te Tari o te Mumu Tuarua Akoranga | DVC Academic Office
Located in Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand

• Full-time - 37.5 hours per week
• Continuing (permanent) position

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!
He hiahia, he pūkenga nōu ki te mahi a te Senior Data Scientist? Nāia te pōwhiri nā Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha kia tono mai i te tūranga nei.

Āu Mahi | What You Will Do
As Senior Data Scientist within UC's Student Success team, you will play a pivotal role in transforming data into actionable insights that enhance student outcomes and support evidence-based decision making across the University. Working within a collaborative and innovative environment, you will design, develop, and implement advanced statistical and machine learning models that enable personalised student support and drive strategic initiatives.

You will lead the end-to-end data science lifecycle, from identifying opportunities and preparing complex datasets through to model development, deployment, optimisation, and ongoing maintenance. Working closely with stakeholders across the University, you will translate business needs into practical analytical solutions, communicate complex findings to diverse audiences, and champion ethical and responsible use of data.

In addition, you will contribute to building data science capability across the organisation by providing expert guidance, mentoring colleagues, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Mōu | Who You Are
To be successful in this role, you will bring extensive data science expertise, strong technical capability, and a passion for using data to solve complex problems and create meaningful impact.

You will have:

• A Masters or PhD qualification in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related discipline
• At least 9 years' experience in a Data Science or Advanced Analytics role
• Proven expertise in statistical analysis, machine learning, predictive modelling, and data mining techniques, in the tertiary education sector
• Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL, with experience across modern analytics and data science platforms
• Strong experience with Snowflake, Streamlit, DuckDB, and business intelligence tools such as Power BI and Power Automate
• Demonstrated ability to manage the full model development lifecycle, including data preparation, feature engineering, deployment, monitoring, and optimisation
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear insights for diverse stakeholders
• A collaborative and relationship-focused approach, with experience influencing, mentoring, and supporting colleagues to build organisational capability.

You will also bring intellectual curiosity, strong business acumen, and a commitment to ethical data practices, continuous learning, and contributing to an inclusive and values-driven workplace.

Mahi Ngātahi | Who You Will Work With
You will work as part of a project team within UC's Student Success Programme - Kia Angitu. The ACE team works to empower every student at UC to succeed, driven by equitable, innovative, and data-informed approaches.

Ngā Painga o UC | Why UC
Ngā Uara | Our Values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tiakitanga guide our decisions and behaviour and provide a roadmap for how we do things at UC, affirming our commitment to pastoral care and support for our ākonga and staff. They challenge and inspire us to be the best we can and make UC a great place to work and study. For more info on Ngā Uara | Our Values visit us here.

We are committed to accessible higher education, service to the community and the encouragement of talent without barriers of distance, wealth, class, gender or ethnicity. The University explicitly aims to produce graduates and support staff who are engaged with their communities, empowered to act for good and determined to make a difference in the world.

We offer a range of fantastic benefits including flexible work practices, study opportunities and generous superannuation and leave provisions. For more information, please visit us: Benefits of working at UC | University of Canterbury. For more information about Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, please visit https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/

The closing date for this position is: 19 June 2026 (midnight, NZ time)
Please note, applications will be reviewed after the close date.

Pēhea te tono mai | How You Apply
Applications for this position must be submitted via our careers website and should include a cover letter and resume.

Please note, we do not accept applications by email, however we are happy to answer your queries in relation to the application process, please forward these to [email protected]

You must have Aotearoa New Zealand or Australian citizenship/permanent residency to be considered for this role.

Please note, this is an onsite position.