Senior Communications Advisor

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Communications and Government Services branch provides expert guidance on communications, including corporate and internal, media relations, Official Information Act requests, ministerial correspondence, Parliamentary questions, social media, reputational risk, and estimates examinations.

The Senior Communications Advisor leads the delivery of high-quality, consistent communications advice and services and best practice that support business objectives.

The Senior Communications Advisor works collaboratively across the Communications and Government Services Branch and with other communications professionals across MBIE to ensure a seamless and coordinated service.

The Branch plays a key role in the event of an emergency or incident response. The Senior Communications Advisor may be requested to support an MBIE’s response, which may include taking on duties outside of normal hours, participating in an out of hours roster, which may include weekends, to provide communication services to support the response.

MBIE has a roster system for triaging incoming media queries. All Senior Communications Advisors are expected to support incoming media requests as part of the roster system, including some after-hours work.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Excellent writing, editing, and other communication skills.
• Ability to support others to build communication capability.
• Strategic and critical thinker with the ability to develop fit-for-purpose solutions.
• Relevant tertiary qualification, e.g. public relations, communications, journalism) and/or equivalent relevant experience).
• You must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Role specific competencies

• Ability to support the management of reputational issues and engagement with communication channels.
• Experience developing and delivering communication strategies and plans.
• Understanding of communications principles, frameworks, and of how government works.
• Ability to interpret data to understand audience needs and tailor communication approaches.
• Ability to quickly understand business context and adapt communication style accordingly.
• Understanding of the role of new technologies and their use in communications.
• Experience in internal communications, including channel development.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Advice and risk management

• Provide clear, strategic communications advice and recommend best practice approaches.
• Lead and project manage communications initiatives and programmes.
• Proactively manage complex media queries, ensuring timely, accurate responses and log using MBIE’s media processes.
• Have a good understanding of the evolving media landscape and monitor emerging trends, providing advice to mitigate and reduce reputational risk.
• Build and maintain relationships with journalists and cross-agency communications stakeholders.
• When rostered onto the after-hours media enquires inbox, respond to media enquiries ensuring timely, accurate responses using MBIE’s media processes.
• Provide surge support for large projects or short-term business needs across the branch as required.
• Support with emergency or response communications working within a response team as required.
• Support MBIE’s people leaders to strengthen their capability and improve staff engagement.

Planning and reporting

• Understand and analyse diverse audience needs to inform effective communication planning.
• Establish measures to demonstrate the impact of communication activities and report on progress against objectives.

Customer engagement

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with senior management, stakeholders and staff.
• Skilled in audience analysis to identify and understand needs of different business groups and applying these insights to influence communication approaches.
• Manage relationships with media and Ministers, ensuring clear and consistent messaging.
• Confident in reviewing and providing constructive feedback on communication content and activities developed by others to enhance quality and impact.

Creating and curating content

• Distil complex ideas into clear, accessible messages, plain language and tailor tone and vocabulary to diverse audiences.
• Draft media releases and communication channel content with awareness of potential and reputational implications and risk.
• Knowledge of and commitment to use new and emerging technologies including AI.
• Edit copy submitted by the business. Provide advice and feedback to stakeholders to support them in content creation.

Cultural competency

• Embed Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles into communication strategies.
• Ensure communication plans and channels are appropriate/sensitive to Te Ao Māori.
• Ensure communication plans and channels take different cultures and subcultures into account.

Internal channel management

• Provide business partners with channel recommendations with evidence-based advice on their effectiveness and reach based on regular audits.
• Build understanding of the role of leaders and other communicators and support skill development and support leader communication.
• Develop and introduce new channels in line with strategy, working with other disciplines as appropriate and support.

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 Communications Advisor position reports into the Manager Communications within the Communications and Government Services branch. The branch sits within the Strategy and Assurance group.

The Communications and Government Services branch has a flexible operating model that supports professional development and is responsive to changing business needs. This means that while the Senior Communications Advisor is assigned to a communications manager, they may be asked to support other communication teams and portfolios in response to business needs and organisational priorities.

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