Principal Advisor Regulatory Partners

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The System Performance and Implementation team sits in the Building System Performance (BSP) branch and has responsibilities that span several regulatory functions for the building regulatory system.

The Principal Advisor Regulatory Partners position is a senior leadership position in MBIE. They report to the Manager of the System Performance and Implementation team.

The Principal Advisor Regulatory Partners is a systems and strategic thinker capable of:

• Leading the development, implementation and maintenance of system stakeholder engagement and partnership activity and strategic stakeholder engagement plans or initiatives that drive strong performance of the system.
• Leadership and secretariat support of key regulatory advisory groups, boards and internal governance groups, such as the Building Advisory Panel. 
• Facilitating connections across the building regulatory system to maximise opportunities for a joined-up approach to stakeholder and sector engagement across the building regulatory system and across Government.
• Being innovative and able to think differently about the way we engage and inform the building sector about the law, policies, regulation and compliance. 
• Driving continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to strengthen public information and education activities and act as the interface between the branch and centralised teams on this.
• Provide leadership for building system attendance at events, conferences and other forums.

The Principal Advisor Regulatory Partners will work closely with the Manager and across the System Performance and Implementation team to build and enhance the overall capability of the team.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Proven experience leading the development and implementation of stakeholder engagement strategies in a large, complex public sector organisation.
• Proven experience in lifting sector behaviour in a complex regulatory system, through proactive engagement and partnership techniques.
• Solid understanding of the branch regulatory systems, regulated parties and industry groups.
• Understanding the range of channels that can be used to effectively communicate regulatory messages to the sector.
• Demonstrates understanding of the importance of, and ability to influence and strengthen, connections between regulatory system functions, including between policy and operations, to deliver system outcomes and high-quality service delivery to customers.  
• Demonstrated experience in events industry and marketing, including planning and coordinating conference attendance and event attendance.
• Proven experience in forming credible relationships and respect from diverse stakeholders, including senior managers, managers, team members, staff in partner agencies and key external stakeholders and opinion leaders, including Ministers, senior business executives and international counterparts.
• Strong negotiating and influencing skills to achieve desired outcomes with stakeholders.
• An understanding of the importance of maintaining a healthy and dynamic team culture. 
• Understands the strategic context and is able to articulate it to key stakeholders.
• Has the intellectual capability and judgement to manage multiple complex projects concurrently.
• Able to develop and maintain strong strategic relationships and feedback loops with sector and regulatory partners, both within MBIE and externally.
• Experienced at developing and delivering a work programme, including enabling tools and processes.
• Solid working knowledge and understanding of the machinery of government and relevant operating procedures and policies and decision-making processes that apply within the State Sector.
• Is able to communicate and persuade using a range of oral, written and visual mediums in diverse situations.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

The Principal Advisor Regulatory Partners will be required to deliver results in the following areas:

• Manage the development, implementation and delivery of the branch’s strategic stakeholder engagement plans and initiatives.
• Design the quality standards that all branch stakeholder activities should meet.
• Create holistic, long-term structured approaches to sector engagement including high-level strategic and detailed operational plans that include work programmes and evaluation.
• Identify and build enduring and strategic relationships with those who influence the system and our target sectors.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to improve and optimize use of our engagement channels including engagement, digital and marketing.
• Support the Branch to build and maintain strategic relationships with regulatory partners in the building regulatory system.
• Contributes to, helps shape and influence ideas and conceptual thinking that others use to make decisions, develop concepts, or shape up a work programme.
• Develop and facilitate an understanding across the Branch to maximise opportunities for a joined-up approach to stakeholder and sector engagement across work programmes.
• Support teams across the branch with the development of stakeholder engagement plans or organising workshops or technical working groups. 
• Working with and through centralised services to ensure sector messaging, public information or education products for the building regulatory system are fit for purpose and effectively convey policy messaging.
• Ensures strong strategic relationships and feedback loops are built and maintained with regulatory partners, both across building system regulatory functions and teams within MBIE and externally, in particular with occupational licensing bodies and building consent authorities.
• Proactively identifies branch and portfolio risks and supports the management of these.
• Trusted advisor/sounding board for GMs, managers and staff.
• Leads establishment, conclusion and troubleshooting of complex whole of ministry projects drawing on the expertise of others.
• Supports processes that provide for the needs and priorities of all business groups to be appropriately represented in the branch’s outcomes.
• Ensures that other business groups understand the function of the branch.
• Oversee the regulatory system, branch strategy review and development process with input from key stakeholders.
• Ensure provision of quality secretariat support for the Building System Steering Group (BSSG) and the Building Advisory Panel.
• Maintain building regulatory system charter and lead process for system assessments.

Relationship management

• Build positive, productive and strategic relationships with key external stakeholders, including industry or sector representatives or senior management.
• Develops effective working relationships, maintain liaison and coordination relationships with event organisers and promoters.
• Engages with delivery agencies, stakeholders and government agencies to ensure the advice provided is practical and effective. 
• Tests the effectiveness of stakeholder relationships using a range of appropriate measures and processes (including stakeholder feedback).
• Proactively develops and maintains connections with stakeholders within and outside of the Ministry, purposefully leveraging their activities and insights to better achieve desired policy outcomes.
• Actively contributes to development of and promotion of whole of Ministry views in internal and external interactions.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in external interactions.
• Tests the effectiveness of stakeholder relationships using a range of appropriate measures and processes (including stakeholder feedback).

Deliver work programme outputs

• Identifies strategic issues and opportunities emerging from external and internal influences and makes recommendations to integrate these topics into the team’s work programme.
• Leads projects of significant complexity ensuring MBIE’s requirements for the work are met, in terms of scope, quality and timeliness.
• Well organised, plans systematically, regularly monitors and reports on progress towards achievement of plans and strategies.
• Effectively and consistently identifies and manages risk, alerting manager to potential problems/risks well in advance and proposing solutions.
• Effectively allocates tasks within portfolio area, assists others with project panning, and is able to plan and manage a range of complex issues.
• Knows when to work alone and when to seek advice and identifies resources necessary to meet objectives of self or team.
• Can manage strategically difficult projects that span a number of complex issues over an extended period of time.
• Chairs and contributes to meetings, including where matters are complex or sensitive, require negotiation or working towards solutions.
• Plans multiple pieces of work concurrently and actively and independently plans and manages workload. 
• Understands the current government context, policy agenda and priorities and demonstrates flexibility, adaptability and strategic agility as the needs and priorities of the Minister and the Ministry change.

Coaching and mentoring

• Coaches and mentors team colleagues, supporting the manager to create and maintain a team culture that values diversity, fosters both highly creative as well as critical analytical thinking.
• Fosters a culture and behaviours that encourage discovery, innovation, cross-team collaboration and learning.
• Ensures quality and consistency of advice and practices.
• Provides constructive, timely and specific feedback to others and gives credit for tasks well done.
• Provides support and feedback to Manager and Team Managers in relation to Senior Advisors' or Advisors' development.
• Motivates team members and gives them opportunities to participate.

Self-management

• Models positive behaviours.
• Models the desired values and culture of the organisation.
• Willingly shares knowledge, expertise and within the team and with others in the organisation.
• Acts with honesty and integrity.
• Welcomes feedback and is receptive to input from others.

Organisational commitment and public service

• Contributes to the development of, and help promote and build commitment to MBIE’s vision, mission, values and services.
• Willingly undertakes any duty required within the context of the position.
• Understands Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) principles and the application of these to MBIE.
• Comply with all legislative requirements and good employer obligations.

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 Principal Advisor Regulatory Partners position reports into the Manager, System Performance and Implementation within the Building System Performance branch. The branch sits within the Building, Resources and Markets group.

More information about MBIE's structure

Matatautanga – Competencies (Leadership Success Profile)

The Leadership Success Profile (LSP) is a leadership capability framework, developed by the New Zealand public sector for the New Zealand public sector. It creates a common language for leadership and establishes what great leadership looks like. You can look at the twelve underpinning capabilities and four leadership characters here: Leadership Success Profile | Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission(external link)

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).

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