CNO Research Lead

Join our diverse and talented people and work at the heart of national security, providing essential intelligence to the NZ government to protect New Zealand and its people. We are seeking an experienced Research & Development Leader, ready to step beyond the conventional, to lead and mentor our CNO R&D Engineering team – someone who thrives in technically demanding environments and wants their work to matter. This isn’t a standard R&D Engineering role. You will be the technical lead for a well-established, specialist Research & Development team, developing and supporting capabilities for Government Communications Security Bureau’s (GCSB) Computer Network Operations (CNO), an important enabler to enhance GCSB's Intelligence mission. Lead and mentor your team in the development and maintenance of innovative CNO capabilities. Provide technical oversight, technical leadership and guidance to the team while contributing directly to the R&D process. This is a diverse role requiring a breadth and depth of skills across several areas: Extensive knowledge of SIGINT systems and CNO Significant Research and Development experience Proven subject matter expertise in programming across a number of languages, reverse engineering, network knowledge, and operating system internals Familiarity of the role of the GCSB in the NZIC and across Partners Cyber security concepts and vulnerabilities, exploit techniques and methods for their remediation Leadership experience preferred, or strong long-term senior engineering experience If you have been looking for a role where deep technical leadership skills means genuine mission impact, this is it. The expected appointing range for this role is: $142,093 - $151,566. As well as interesting work, we offer a range of benefits including: Flexible hours, as your work/life balance is important to us Four weeks annual leave plus some additional days for your wellbeing Gym, social clubs and events Medical insurance and Vision Care package Professional development opportunities - we are committed to ongoing learning and continuous improvement The promise that you never have to take your work home with you Before you apply Working within our unique environment means we have to ensure you're eligible for employment. You must: Have been a New Zealand Citizen for at least 10 years OR Hold a current NZ Residency Class Visa and ideally have been a citizen of the UK, USA, Canada or Australia for at least 10 years Be eligible to obtain a Top Secret Special (TSS) security clearance Ordinarily, this means you'll have a 15 year checkable background in countries NZSIS Vetting can make meaningful and reliable checks. The NZIC treats all applications for employment in the strictest confidence and we expect that you maintain a similar level of confidentiality during the recruitment process and throughout your career. Salary Band J $142,093 (90%) - $181,564(115%) Midpoint of the salary range (100%) reflects full competence in the role Closes on 10 Aug 2026 23:55 Work type(s) Permanent full-time Job level(s) Experienced, Management Expertise Cyber Security, Technical Engineering, Information Technology, Security & Intelligence #J-18808-Ljbffr