Senior Advisor, Petroleum and Offshore Renewable Energy

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Senior Advisor, Petroleum and Offshore Renewable Energy is a senior regulatory role supporting MBIE’s administration of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 and Offshore Renewable Energy Bill (once it becomes law).

The position plays a pivotal role by providing intellectual leadership, regulatory insight and analysis, and problem-solving capability to delivery timely, robust and balanced outcomes. The position involves applying complex technical information against legislation. It directly supports the Manager, Petroleum and Offshore Renewable Energy Operations and works effectively with others across the team to ensure legislative requirements, regulatory efficiencies and strategic directions are met.

The position plays a lead role in the permitting and decommissioning regimes, including managing the financial securities portfolio for the Crown.

The position works confidently with other parts of government, including WorkSafe New Zealand, Maritime New Zealand, the Environmental Protection Authority, local and regional councils, and other regulatory bodies.

Some responsibilities of this role are expected to change over time as MBIE responds to changing priorities. The incumbent will need the flexibility to adapt and develop as the environment evolves.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Proven experience working in a complex regulatory environment, interpreting and applying complex legislation, and actively inputting into, and leading on, technically and/or politically and/or legally complex subjects.
• Proven experience in continuous improvement activities, identifying and advising on changes to regulatory frameworks, regulatory practice and legislation to ensure effective regulation.
• Ability to integrate and balance statutory and specialist technical information and present them with simplicity and clarity that can be understood by a variety of audiences.
• Ability to use advanced critical thinking, reasoning and judgement to identify risk and effective mitigation strategies and implement solutions.
• Ability to see the ‘big picture’ and adopt a strategic approach to work.
• Ability to perform and deliver outcomes to a high standard in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Understanding of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the role of the Crown in partnering with Māori.
• Skilled at applying active listening skills with the ability to question and ensure clarity of the topic.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving ability to inform robust decision-making.
• Ability to work flexibly and with minimal direction and guidance on what is required and displays confidence working on new, difficult or unusual assignments.
• Ability to think through ambiguous and conflicting requirements and solve problems pragmatically, effectively and promptly.
• Experience in leading multiple pieces of work concurrently and actively and independently plans and manages work load.
• Proven leadership, coaching and mentoring skills with ability to lead discussions for successful outcomes.
• Excellent communication skills including business writing and oral presentation skills.
• Ability to support senior managers and brief Ministers.
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders, and ability to positively influence internal and external stakeholders and quickly earn their respect, trust and confidence.

Experience and qualifications

• Five years’ experience in a regulatory role desirable.
• Tertiary qualification in a relevant regulatory or technical discipline.
• Extensive commercial regulation and industry experience desirable.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

• Displays intellectual leadership and advanced critical thinking skills in interpreting and applying complex legislation and technical information and in producing robust regulatory outcomes that balance the efficient application of legislation with commercial outcomes and public accountability, while ensuring the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi are considered.
• Provides senior support to the Petroleum and Offshore Renewable Energy Team on regulatory matters and in robust peer reviews of work, and leads discussions on regulatory issues and developments, sharing regulatory and technical knowledge.
• Provides senior support to the Manager, Petroleum and Offshore Renewable Energy Operations through coaching and mentoring of staff in the team, implementing regulatory practices, and contributing thought leadership to regulatory improvements.
• Uses professional, clear and concise communication, and influencing at all times with applicants and permit holders, ensuring positive engagement and desired outcomes are met.
• Uses judgement effectively to identify and assess options against desired outcomes, identify their cost-effectiveness and impact, identify risk and effective mitigation strategies, deal comfortably with uncertainty and make innovative, practical and durable recommendations without the total picture.
• Conducts research into complex issues and produces regulatory and technical advice.
• Works with minimal direction and guidance on what is required and is confident working on new, difficult or unusual assignments.

Effective permit, decommissioning and regulatory management

• The portfolio of permits and decommissioning matters assigned is well understood, with active monitoring and communication of portfolio developments.
• Active management of the financial securities portfolio for the Crown, and engagement with legal and other third party providers in support.
• Risks are identified and raised with appropriate solutions presented utilising critical thinking skills and sound judgement.
• Provides advice to support complex statutory decisions under the legislation.
• Ensures permitting recommendations are robust, produced in a timely manner, and adhere to the Crown Minerals Act 1991 and other relevant legislation.
• Researching and drafting responses to Ministerial inquiries, Official Information Act requests and Parliamentary Questions occur in a timely fashion to MBIE standards.

Leading and prioritising business improvement for efficiency

• Proactively identifies gaps in systems and processes to mitigate risk to the Crown and create an efficient operating environment.
• Identifies and assesses regulatory risks, and collaborates effectively for improvements to occur.
• Supports cross-team and branch projects to improve regulatory risk and efficiency of the regulator.
• Supports and implements the quality management system.
• Contributes to the development of reporting and monitoring tools to gather insights.

Advanced relationship management in a regulatory environment

• Builds and maintains strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including decision-makers, other regulatory agencies, applicants and permit holders, and industry groups.
• Leverages knowledge and experience of regulatory matters, using insights and analysis, for robust discussions on complex issues with a variety of audiences.

Wellbeing, health and safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Senior Advisor, Petroleum and Offshore Renewable Energy reports to the Manager, Petroleum and Offshore Renewable Energy Operations within the Resource Markets branch. The branch sits within the Building, Resources and Markets group.

More information about MBIE’s structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission