Senior Advisor

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Senior Advisor is responsible for supporting the Head of Innovation and Business Capability and the unit’s leadership team to deliver on the ambition of Growing NZ for all through supporting ambitious businesses to confidently operate, innovate and grow.

This position is focused on supporting the Head of Innovation & Business Capability and wider leadership team as a trusted advisor. The role provides analysis, thought leadership and strategic support, helping identify opportunities to strengthen performance, improve ways of working and deliver business outcomes.

The Senior Advisor plays a key role in ensuring the unit meets its assurance, accountability and reporting obligations. The role leads reporting activities, supports business planning and governance processes, and drives improvements to systems, processes and way of working.

As the unit has significant strategic priorities, the role will also support the leadership team to plan and deliver programmes of work that deliver on strategic objectives, keeping people accountable and measuring our progress.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• A can-do attitude- someone who likes a challenge and likes working with others to deliver solutions.
• A lateral thinker- someone that gets the bigger picture while remaining focused on delivery
• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing new business processes and operational improvements within complex environments.
• Strong organisational and systems thinking skills, with the ability to identify issues, opportunities and practical improvements.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills
• Good understanding of MBIE process and operational best practice.
• An understanding of planning, performance and reporting, risk management, business continuity planning, continuous improvement, and assurance processes. Experience with Official Information Requests and ministerial reporting, with a strong understanding of public sector accountability and transparency requirements.
• Strong organisational and systems thinking skills, with the ability to design and embed scalable, sustainable processes.
• Experience leading projects, initiatives or work programmes to successful outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience providing strategic advice and support in a complex organisational environment.
• Proven ability to think strategically, develop frameworks and manage organisation wide systems and processes.
• Ability to quickly assimilate new information and navigate unfamiliar or complex issues.
• The ability to synthesise business, policy and technical issues and present them with simplicity and clarity that can be understood by a range of audiences.
• Strong reporting and analytical skills, including the ability to interpret data and develop meaningful performance narratives.
• Sound judgement especially around consideration of risk management.
• Proven ability to quickly establish and build working relationships, within the organisation and in relevant sectors.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Business capability

• Provide high-quality advice and support to the Head of Innovation and Business Capability and leadership team.
• Lead or contribute to business planning, governance and programmes of work that support the unit’s priorities.
• Coordinate work across the unit and wider MBIE to manage dependencies, resolve issues and support delivery.
• Work closely with the central Business Advisory team on branch and wider MBIE requirements.
• Ensure relevant business arrangements align with MBIE and wider government expectations. .
• Ensuring systems and frameworks reflect best practice and are aligned with both MBIE and wider Government practice and expectations.

Reporting and Information management

• Lead reporting across the business unit to support performance monitoring, decision-making and external accountability, including ministerial reporting.
• Work with teams to ensure reporting is timely, accurate and provides a clear view of performance, progress, risks and emerging issues.
• Analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative information to identify insights and inform advice.
• Translate complex business, operational and policy information into clear reporting for different audiences.
• Maintain reporting guidance and processes and respond promptly to requests for information.

Process and Operations Development

• Identify and lead practical improvements to business processes, systems and ways of working.
• Develop and maintain process documentation where this supports clarity, consistency and continuity.
• Support teams to implement agreed improvements and new ways of working.
• Review the effectiveness of processes and refine them where required.

Procurement

• Work with MBIE Procurement and relevant business owners to progress procurement and contracting requirements.
• Provide coordination and advice where procurement activity supports business unit priorities.
• Support the monitoring of relevant contracts and escalate issues where required.

Relationship management

• Build and maintain effective relationships across the business uit, wider MBIE and with relevant external stakeholders.
• Bring together the people, information and expertise required to progress complex work
• Share knowledge and support collaboration and consistency across the unit.
• Represent MBIE professionally and consider whole-of-Ministry interests in advice and external engagement.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables continued

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.

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 Senior Advisor position reports to the Head of Innovation & Business Capability sits within the Business & Consumer branch, which forms part of Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery 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 New Zealand for All.

To Grow New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi (work). 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