National Manager, Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The National Manager, Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand is a leadership and management position in MBIE. The National Manager will bring their business understanding and perspective to work in partnership with other managers and team members to ensure the office is meeting customer demands now and in the future.

The role is responsible for managing the appropriation to deliver granting, administration and enforcement, and promotion through education of intellectual property rights, including patents, trade marks, designs, plant varieties, and geographical indications. The appropriation is intended to achieve the protection of robust intellectual property rights to promote innovation, technology creation, transfer and dissemination, and support economic development.

This is achieved by leading functions providing quality examination, registration and grant services in relation to intellectual property applications for patents, designs, trade marks, plant variety rights and geographical indications in accordance with strict statutory requirements. IPONZ must also support well-functioning Māori Advisory Committees established under the respective legislative frameworks and ensure that the office meets our Treaty of Waitangi obligations.

IPONZ maintains the registers of intellectual property interests and contributes to international and national policy setting in relation to Intellectual Property systems and processes, as well as IP awareness and international engagement and cooperation.

The role is responsible for building and enhancing the overall capability of the team to ensure quality and consistency of advice and practices in relation to its work. It is also responsible for ensuring the office remains relevant and in line with international partners, in the ever-changing IP environment.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Legal/technical front-facing service delivery operations.
• Delivering services within, and to, strict statutory requirements.
• Leading legislative/compliance functions exercising quasi-judicial decision making powers.
• Demonstrated expertise and understanding of intellectual property and the legal framework supporting the intellectual property regulatory system (or ability to develop this over time).
• Demonstrated understanding of the principles of Te Tiriti and how this impacts on the way the operation functions.
• Proven leadership skills including demonstrated ability to engage and motivate staff.
• Ability to quickly establish and build strong working relationships, within MBIE, Cross-Agency, the intellectual property profession, academia, business and with international partners.
• A strategic thinker who is able to make the connections between various aspects of the organisation and implications for their business unit and its connectedness to the wider vision, purpose and role of the Business and Consumer Branch.
• Proven ability to develop trust and credibility with senior managers. Sound appreciation of corporate management disciplines and techniques.
• Understanding of Government decision-making and operating procedures.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining an environment focused on continuous improvement to enhance organisational performance.
• Tertiary qualification, preferably in law, business or science.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

• Ensures a customer focused culture across the business unit.
• Providing consistent, high quality and timely advice, examination, registration and grant services.
• Ensures IPONZ adheres to strict statutory requirements.
• Provide the leadership and strategic direction for the Ministry’s delivery and management of New Zealand’s intellectual property regime.
• Ensure a robust and impartial process is applied to adjudications and hearings and that decisions are sound in law.
• Ensure capability exists and is retained in specialist areas throughout the business unit.
• Demonstrate a deep understanding about doing business in New Zealand and use that knowledge to meet business needs.
• Be responsive to, and enabling of, business while effectively balancing the integrity of the respective statutory regimes.
• Work proactively with Information Technology to ensure IT infrastructure supports integration, efficiency and confidence in the marketplace.
• Develop and maintain a responsive operations/policy interface to ensure a common understanding of business needs.
• Maintain the IPONZ function as a centre of excellence and expertise for the Ministry, and an exemplar of best practice for both the public service and the wider New Zealand labour and business markets.
• Deliver services to actively support and contribute to the achievement of the Ministry’s outcomes and that deliver to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.

Personal leadership

• Models exemplary management and leadership behaviours, and State sector ethics and values.
• Creates a sense of vision, engages and motivates people to participate, and makes things happen.
• Fosters an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, on-going learning and knowledge sharing.

General management

• Develops strategies, work programmes and performance targets for IPONZ, with supporting measurement, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
• Aligns IPONZ work programmes with MBIE’s strategic direction and other Groups’ work programmes.
• Monitors and adjusts work programmes through the agreed processes to enable IPONZ to adapt to changing circumstances.
• Regularly monitors and reports on progress towards achievement of plans and strategies.
• Manages expenditure and resources in line with approved guidelines, budget, deadlines and reporting requirements, with a focus on driving cost effectiveness in the Ministry.
• Builds continuous review and improvement throughout all elements of IPONZ operations.
• Effectively and consistently identifies and manages risk.

Team leadership

• Establishes clear accountabilities, expectations and performance standards with direct reports and ensures regular performance management and development occurs.
• Coaches, mentors and develops staff to meet the needs of MBIE now and in the future.
• Identifies and develops talent for key roles in IPONZ.

Relationship Management

• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.
• Builds strategic alliances with key government and non- government representatives to ensure MBIE’s views are influential in their decision making.
• Builds and maintains effective relationships and partnerships with national and international organisations to identify and share best practice information and to promote the Ministry, its products and services.

Wellbeing, health & 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 National Manager, Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand position reports into the General Manager, Business and Consumer within the Business and Consumer branch. The branch sits within the Te Whakatairanga 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