Lead Application Developer

• Shape the future of digital border solutions for New Zealand
• Be a part of delivering continued systems fault resilience and product enhancements
• Flexible working + 3 extra Customs' service leave days

New Zealand Traveller Declaration

Are you ready to lead software development for products that keeps New Zealand’s borders safe and delivers real value to travellers and agencies? The New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) is seeking a hands-on Lead Application Developer to drive engineering excellence, uplift developer capability, and deliver high-quality solutions in a complex, multi-agency environment.

NZTD is the digital declaration used to collect information from travellers coming to Aotearoa New Zealand via air and sea. It helps us identify and manage customs, immigration, biosecurity, and health risks to the border. It is one of our 24/7 border system products in our Digital Travel portfolio.

About this role…

This is a full-time permanent role based in Wellington (we would consider Auckland for the right candidate)

Reporting to the Manager Digital Travel, this role works in our Digital Travel portfolio and will be working across our business as usual (BAU) product delivery teams and related transformation programmes to:

• Provide technical leadership, design, and development across NZTD BAU product delivery teams.
• You will work closely with our Solution Architect to understand high-level solution architecture and you will be delivering detailed technical design and translating business requirements into robust, scalable software systems.
• Part of the 24/7 on call support roster and helps to lead improvements in triage and incident resolution.
• Drive and support developer capability uplift, engineering excellence, and DevOps maturity.
• Lead the development of new capabilities, ongoing maintenance, and continuous improvement of NZTD and other Digital Travel products.
• Work across design, build, CI/CD pipelines, containerisation, deployment automation, testing, validation, and issue resolution.
• Collaborate with technical leads and architects to ensure enterprise standards and best practices.
• Mentor and coach team members, fostering a culture of collaboration and growth.

What you’ll bring...

• Proven experience in Java and JavaScript development, with knowledge of modern frameworks and cloud platforms (e.g. Azure).
• Strong understanding of the full software development lifecycle and DevOps practices.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly and influence decision-making.
• Experience mentoring and guiding developers.
• Adaptability to new technologies and methodologies.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.

Working at Customs | Mahi ki te Mana Ārai o Aotearoa

We aim to create a great place to work, where our people have a sense of belonging and the capability and desire to meet our future challenges. We are an organisation that is clear about our mission and this is underpinned by Te Pou Tokomanawa (the Foundations) and our Whanonga Pono (Values). Our work really matters to the safety and success of New Zealand.

We care about well-being, personal growth, and job satisfaction, which is supported through:

• offering on-the-job training, formal courses and leadership programmes, and the chance to move across diverse roles
• fostering inclusive and supportive team environment with vibrant social and cultural groups.
• supporting flexible working - talk to us about how we can help you achieve your flexible working goals, within our operational requirements.
• providing discounted health insurance, and free on-site gyms (in some locations)
• Three days of service holidays, in addition to four weeks of annual leave.

Working for New Zealand Customs…

To join Customs in any role you must be a New Zealand citizen or New Zealand permanent resident* and be able to obtain and maintain an Organisational Security clearance.

(*) A New Zealand Citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident who has resided continuously in New Zealand for the last ten years, (including five years ago from the date of this application) and resides in New Zealand at time of application.

OR

A New Zealand Citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident who has resided continuously in New Zealand for the last five years, (including ten years ago from the date of this application) and resides in New Zealand at time of application who has travelled out of New Zealand for short periods of time i.e. > 6 months in one of the following countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States or Canada and can provide police certificates from those countries for the period of absence.

Because of the nature of Customs’ work you must have a clear Police record. Organisational security clearances are mandatory and are conducted by Customs. You will also be required to pass a drug test.

How to apply…

To apply, please submit an up-to-date CV and cover letter, via our online process. (Please note, we do not accept applications sent directly to an email address).

Please note Customs will be managing this recruitment independently in-house and will not be engaging with recruitment agencies at this stage.

Deadline for applications is 5pm, Wednesday 17 December 2025.

New Zealand Customs Service | Te Mana Ārai o Aotearoa is a member of Diversity Works New Zealand and is committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. It provides equal employment opportunities and welcomes applications from everyone who can meet the requirements of the role.Customs | Te Mana Ārai supports flexible working arrangements and welcomes the opportunity to speak with you about your flexible working requirements.