After just over two years delivering for New Zealand’s land domain, Nova Systems is fast becoming a “go-to” advisory services provider and trusted partner to the Defence Force, the organisation’s Systems Engineering Lead Ade Morris says.
When Nova Systems launched in New Zealand in 2008, the global engineering and technology solutions company was initially focused on delivering test and evaluation expertise in the aerospace domain.
Fast forward to today and Nova Systems is establishing its reputation as a leading force in the New Zealand defence industry supporting the delivery of critical land projects, as well as across maritime, air and information domains.
“One of the biggest obstacles for the New Zealand Defence Force in the land domain is the challenge of recruiting qualified engineering staff with the expertise to apply engineering rigour,” Morris said. “Nova Systems is essentially helping solve this problem by working with the Directorate of Land Engineering within the NZDF.”
In April, Nova Systems began a three-year project to deliver Land Engineering Optimisation for the NZDF. The project is tasked with implementing essential engineering systems within the NZDF to ensure the safety and effectiveness of all land materiel in everything from a basic field generator to complex armoured command and control vehicles.
“Specifically, Nova Systems is upskilling the NZDF around the rigours that are required in areas like design control and configuration management of equipment and capability they are procuring or modifying through engineering change,” Morris said.
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“To support these developing systems, the Nova Systems team is also helping to deliver an engineering professional development framework which will enable the continuing force generation of suitably qualified and experienced personnel within Land Domain.
“It’s critical work because it needs to have that military lens over it and that’s our teams’ expertise. If we get it right at the beginning of the asset lifecycle, there are big cost saving benefits for the NZ Government. Not only that, it minimises any rework after delivery into service and assures fitness for purpose and safety in operation.”
“From a Systems Engineering perspective, we call it left shifting the risk.”
Morris said engineering rigour as part of a robust procurement system was essential. “You can’t expect to buy something off the shelf and out of the box and it provide the required effect in a military environment,” he said.
“In the long run there are huge benefits to getting it right first time and delivering a sustainable and supportable product.”
Nova Systems won the coveted Land Engineering Optimisation bid after the company successfully delivered a suite of Land Engineering Policy documents for the NZDF.
“We started off supporting the Director of Land Engineering with a small body of work where we were tasked to provide some expertise from our subject matter experts in New Zealand and Australia to deliver industry leading engineering policy for the land environment,” Morris said.
Ade Morris, Systems Engineering Lead at Nova Systems.
“We delivered a high-level policy document supplemented with material based on engineering best practices as content for supporting Defence Manuals. Through the sheer quality of Nova Systems’ deliverables, we were asked to come back and deliver more outputs for the NZDF.
“We really look forward to continuing this critical partnership with the NZDF and provide quality outcomes that are above their expectations.”
Morris said Nova Systems’ New Zealand business was rapidly expanding – and the company was garnering interest from prospective employees world-wide.
“We’ve gone from two people to nearly a dozen people in an 18-month period and we can continue to draw on the expertise of our people world-wide in Australia, the UK, Norway, Ireland and Singapore,” he said.
“We’re constantly getting expressions of interest from high calibre, smart people living in the UK, Australia and even the US who want to come and work in New Zealand for Nova Systems.
“I think we’re attracting this interest for a number of reasons, but primarily because we’ve got a great team, esprit de corps and candour. We are really focused on growth but without losing the cultural focus of what being a Novan is all about.
“We are now a key service provider to the NZDF so when they’ve got a problem that they need solved, they turn to the likes of Nova Systems. Nova Systems also sits on the New Zealand Ministry of Defence’s Technical and Support Service Panel.”
Across the ditch in Australia, Nova Systems recently placed 11th in the 2022 WRK+ Best Places to Work study as the company continues to strive to be an employer of choice.
“Nova Systems is building a reputation that we solve complex challenges and deliver quality work to the client and that word of mouth is spreading so it’s great news for us,” Morris said.
Morris said Nova Systems would continue to build on its strong track record with the NZDF. “It’s always an honour to work for the defence force and really get in there, walk in their shoes, understand their needs and come up with solutions that really solve their problems,” he said.
“It is about earning the right to do business.”
Morris said working as a trusted advisor to the NZDF was incredibly rewarding. “It’s really good just to see how our influence within the defence force can help them, upskill them and take a burden off what they need to do and work they need to deliver,” he said.
Nova Systems is continually growing its global footprint. The organisation has more than 850 talented and dedicated professionals across its strategically located offices.
Founded more than 20 years ago by two Air Force veterans, Nova Systems is an employer of choice among ex-defence personnel and their contribution remains a powerful driving force within the organisation, including in New Zealand.
“We recognise the great value that ex-defence personnel bring as members of the Nova Systems team – their experience and ability lay the foundations for our team of the future,” Morris said.
