Senior Risk and Assurance Specialist

Kia ora

After recently being voted as New Zealand's most attractive employer, Air New Zealand is continually capturing the world's attention for its great culture, outstanding customer service and innovations that are truly cutting edge. In recent years Air New Zealand has also worked to embed digital and AI into our DNA with a vision to become one of the best digital airlines globally.

A 6-month fixed-term opportunity exists to join Air New Zealand's Digital Risk and Assurance Team and work in one of the most innovative and complex Digital and AI environments in New Zealand. There is possibility for this role to extend further or convert to permanent.

You will be an integral member of the Digital Risk and Assurance team, ensuring that key Digital and AI risks are properly identified and managed, enabling the airline's vision.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Lead the identification and assessment of Digital risks, proactively engaging with senior stakeholders to influence risk decisions and mitigation strategies.
• Maintain Digital risk profiles, ensuring they remain aligned with organisational objectives and providing insights to inform digital strategic decision-making.
• Oversee the review and evaluation of key Digital controls, leveraging performance metrics to assess effectiveness and drive enhancements.
• Drive continuous improvement of Digital processes, recommending and implementing initiatives that increase consistency, efficiency, and resilience across the organisation.
• Champion a strong risk culture, acting as a subject matter expert to educate and influence senior leaders and teams on risk management principles and best practices.
• Collaborate and advise across other internal risk functions, ensuring alignment with governance, compliance, and regulatory requirements.
• Direct and monitor Digital remediation activities, providing oversight, challenging progress where necessary, and ensuring risks are resolved in a timely manner.
• Provide independent insights and recommendations, exercising sound judgment and minimal supervision to influence outcomes that protect and advance organisational objectives.

This exciting opportunity will give you significant experience in a unique industry. You will work across cross-functional teams and possess the ability to understand and influence a complex and evolving Digital and AI landscape.

A little about you:

• Experience in Digital environments, such as Digital operations, Digital internal audit, incident management, Digital governance, or cybersecurity, with knowledge of Digital risks and controls.
• Experience within the aviation industry and/or conducting Digital risk assessments is advantageous but not essential.
• Strong collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to partner effectively with leaders, business functions, and external parties to ensure alignment.
• Analytical and forward-thinking mindset, with a particular interest in how emerging technologies such as AI, automation, and advanced analytics can be applied to enhance assurance, strengthen security posture, and streamline business processes.
• Proactive and independent operator, capable of working with minimal supervision, making informed decisions, and providing subject matter expertise to influence outcomes.

Apply now

Applications close on 2 November 2025.

Additional Information

At Air New Zealand, we are proudly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and believe in creating a truly inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and thrive. Our people are our greatest asset – because while everything else we do in our operation can be replicated by our competitors, it is our people that truly set us apart. We are firm believers in celebrating the differences and diversity of thought our people bring to their roles. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, including those with a disability, additional health and mental health needs, and/or are neurodiverse to apply for our roles.

If you have encountered any accessibility barriers and require further information or reasonable accommodations to our recruitment process, please reach out to the recruiter listed on this job advert so they are able to support you to freely participate equitably in our recruitment and selection process.

Whāia te pae tawhiti kia tata. Ko te pae tata whakamaua, kia tina.

"Seek to bring distant horizons closer. Once near, seize them and make them your reality."