Principal Finance Business Partner

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Principal Finance Business Partner reports to the Head of Finance Business Partnering and plays a critical leadership role within the Finance Business Partnering team. As a senior finance professional, the principal provides strategic financial leadership, team leadership, and deep technical expertise including data-driven analysis and financial insights, to support effective decision-making and performance across the business.

This role also serves as a key coordination and relationship point between the business and the wider Finance function, ensuring alignment, collaboration, and the delivery of high-value financial support.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Ability to drive and lead teams without direct reporting lines
• Strong experience in driving outcomes and managing diverse stakeholder interests
• Strong strategic financial management experience within a large, complex and diverse organisation
• Strong analytical, strategic and planning skills as well as being commercially savvy
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills and ability to articulate complex messages clearly, simply and concisely
• Ability to overview and consider principles alongside being pragmatic
• Ability to establish and maintain successful working relationships
• Strong team player and ability to collaborate and contribute at senior leadership team level
• High standards of professionalism and performance driven
• Experience in leading successful change initiatives

Prerequisites

• Considerable experience in business facing senior management roles (Private or Public Sector)
• Tertiary qualification in accounting, business administration or management
• CAANZ Chartered Accountant qualification (or equivalent)
• Must have the right to live and work in New Zealand

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

General Management

• Works with the Head of Finance Business Partnering to develop and deliver the portfolio work programme, priorities, and strategy.
• Leads multiple complex projects using effective planning and management techniques, maximising team capability.
• Builds, monitors, and maintains fit-for-purpose, innovative structures and capability to achieve strategic goals and improve cost-effectiveness.
• Monitors and adjusts work programmes to adapt to changing circumstances.
• Influences and leads the team to deliver the programme of work, including directing others without formal authority when needed.
• Proposes and drives strategic initiatives and new ways of working across the business group.
• Operates autonomously, managing own workload and delivering high-quality outputs that require minimal review.

People Leadership

• As a member of the leadership team, partner with the Head of Finance Business Partnering to ensure the team is engaged, high-performing, and consistently delivering agreed outputs efficiently.
• Models exemplary leadership behaviours and upholds State Sector ethics and values.
• Provides vision and leadership that motivates and engages others.
• Fosters a collaborative environment that promotes innovation, learning, and knowledge sharing.
• Monitors team and branch performance against objectives/KPIs, proactively addressing issues and escalating when necessary.

Technical Expertise

• Demonstrates advanced data literacy and analytical capability, leveraging financial and operational data to generate insights, support decision-making, and drive performance improvements across the business
• Provides expert financial advice and support to the Head of Finance Business Partnering and the wider Business Group.
• Mentors and guides Finance Business Partners, building technical capability across the team.
• Recognised as a subject matter expert in financial aspects of the Business Group.

Delivery and Results

• Prepares high-quality papers and presentations for MBIE senior leadership, incorporating insightful analysis, strategic context, and clear recommendations to support informed decision-making.
• Delivers monthly financial dashboard reporting and presentation to the Business Group Senior Leadership
• Provides financial advice and education to business units, identifying and managing financial risks.
• Manages appropriations and advises on the financial impact of decisions.
• Keeps the Head of Finance Business Partnering informed of key financial risks and decisions
• Supports business initiatives and decisions with ad hoc financial advice.
• Facilitates completion of external accountability documents (e.g., baseline updates, Performance Plan, Four-Year Plan).

Strategic Planning and Strategic Decision Support

• Partner with the Head of Finance Business Partnering to develop financial strategy and long-term planning for the business group.
• Collaborates with groups across MBIE to ensure integrated planning and robust financial strategies.
• Assesses commercial viability of investments, articulates financial risks and opportunities, and supports financial and non-financial benefit realisation.
• Proactively identifies and manages foreseeable risks and ensures visibility for decision-makers.

Improve organisational performance and capability

• Identifies capability gaps within Finance and Performance and works with managers to address them.
• Builds financial management capability and confidence across the Ministry.
• Provides customer-focused insights and recommendations on financial performance, highlighting key drivers.
• Promotes a high-performance finance culture through effective communication, timely advice, and continuous improvement.

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 General Head of Finance Business Partnering position reports into the Chief Financial Officer within the Business Partnering branch. The branch sits within the Finance and Performance business 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