PhD Opportunity jobs

Hamilton or Lincoln | Full time, permanent | Flexible working arrangements considered

DairyNZ’s story

Progressing a positive future for New Zealand dairy farming

At DairyNZ, we are passionate about delivering great outcomes and creating positive change. We leverage our collective strength by uniting the dairy sector, working alongside farmers to build more sustainable, profitable, and resilient farm businesses.

Your opportunity

Do you enjoy turning complex questions into well-designed experiments and trustworthy answers? We are looking for a Statistician to be the statistical backbone of our science team, helping make sure the research we do for New Zealand dairy farmers is designed well, analysed appropriately and communicated with confidence.

This is a hands-on role embedded within DairyNZ’s Research & Science team, working alongside our scientists, research farms and Data Science & Modelling team. Being part of the team matters. You will help plan trials before they start, advise on animal ethics and design, review the analysis and conclusions before results go out, and build the statistical capability of the scientists around you. That close, day-to-day connection to our research farms and science programmes is what makes the role valuable.

This is a permanent, full-time role based at either Hamilton (Newstead) or Lincoln, with flexible working arrangements considered.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Designing and planning experiments for animal, environmental, farm systems, pasture research, and surveys, including power and sample size calculations, randomisation and statistical input to animal and human ethics applications.

• Analysing trial data using appropriate methods, including repeated measures, multivariate analyses (e.g. PCA, clustering, PLS, PLS-DA), survival analysis, and method comparison.

• Proficiency with statistical software and programming (R preferred).

• Working with large and complex datasets, including incidental data and wearable sensor data, from data cleaning through to analysis.

• Providing statistical consulting to scientists and project teams, and supporting colleagues, particularly early-career researchers, to carry out their own analyses with confidence.

• Reviewing analyses, reports and manuscripts, acting as a critical friend and quality-control check on statistical methods.

• Developing and delivering practical training in experimental design and statistics.

• Contributing to research proposals and publications, and communicating statistical results clearly to non-statisticians.

• Collaborating with the Data Science & Modelling team and sharing best practice across Research & Science.

About you

We welcome applications from candidates at all career stages. You do not need to tick every box, but we would love to hear from you if you have:

• A Master’s degree in statistics, biometry or a closely related quantitative field (PhD preferred).

• Strong experience in experimental design and the statistical analysis of experiments, ideally in animal, agricultural or biological research.

• Experience and confidence working with large volumes of data, such as sensor or wearable-technology data, is highly valued.

• The confidence to challenge constructively and give clear, direct and respectful feedback to scientists.

• A positive attitude to continuous learning, and a willingness to share your knowledge and help others build their skills.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain statistical concepts to non-statisticians.

• An understanding of the New Zealand dairy sector, or a keen interest in learning about it, would be desirable.

This is your opportunity to play a key role in a stimulating research environment, setting the standard for statistical rigour in research that empowers New Zealand dairy farmers.

Benefits

From day one, you’ll enjoy a range of benefits designed to support your professional growth, wellbeing, and work-life balance, including:

• Work that makes a difference: a strong purpose and values-led culture

• Enhanced leave benefits with birthday leave, purchasing additional leave, DairyNZ days

• Professional development through staff training and career growth opportunities

• Wellness dollars for you, health & wellbeing programs, and confidential EAP services

• Flexible, family-friendly work environment promoting work-life balance

• Exclusive employee benefits with Southern Cross Health Insurance and many more

Why you should join us

Make a difference – Together with our farmers, help us drive positive progress for the sector and country we love. Our work supports a sustainable future for farmers, the environment and communities across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Bring the whole you – We put people at the heart of what we do. We welcome all that you are and support your wellbeing, so you thrive personally and professionally.

Join a vibrant culture – Be part of a team that truly believes in our values. We have the courage to take bold action and the curiosity to drive innovation. Our credibility shines in our evidence-based work and our connectedness builds meaningful, collaborative relationships.

Empowering you – We succeed when you do, which is why we champion the development and growth of our people. We empower you to do and be at your best through learning opportunities and great benefits.

If you are ready to make a difference to the quality of dairy research in New Zealand, we would love to hear from you.

Check out the full position description here to read more detail. Applications close 18 November 2026 at 11.55pm.