Lead Advisor Personnel Security

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Lead Advisor Personnel Security is a specialist position in MBIE and is responsible for providing strategic and operational advice on personnel security matters for both onshore and offshore MBIE personnel, including employees, contractors, contingent workers, and locally-engaged workers. The role exercises a wide range of specialist personnel security practitioner skills and expertise to support MBIE to create and maintain a proactive security culture and to meet Government mandated Protective Security Requirements across domestic and international operating environments. 

Specifically, the functions of this position are to:

• Provide expert personnel security advice and support to the Head of Protective Security, the Chief Security Officer, senior leaders, people leaders and staff. 
• Lead and influence the design, development and continuous improvement of MBIE’s personnel security framework across the employment lifecycle, including pre employment, in employment and exit stages. 
• Provide specialist advice on managing people related security risks, including vetting, security clearances, suitability, trust and confidence, and insider risk. 
• Co lead the annual PSR capability maturity model self assessment for the personnel security domain. 
• Lead personnel security contributions to PSR certification, accreditation, assurance and reporting activities. 
• Lead the development, implementation and review of personnel security policies, standards, procedures and guidance to ensure alignment with the Protective Security Policy Framework. 
• Influence and shape the enterprise Protective Security Roadmap and the day to day work programme of the Protective Security team. 
• Lead continuous improvement activities that uplift MBIE’s personnel security capability, consistency and maturity. 
• Work closely with People and Culture, Integrity, Legal, Information Security, Cyber Security, and business groups to embed proportionate, risk based personnel security practices. 
• Support the identification, management and review of personnel security incidents, concerns and suspected breaches, including insider risk matters. 
• Assist MBIE to strengthen personnel security capability and capacity across the organisation, both as a lead and supporting agency within the public sector security community. 

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Extensive knowledge and experience in managing personnel security in a complex, security sensitive environment, ideally within the public sector. 
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of the Government’s Protective Security Requirements, particularly the personnel security domain and lifecycle. 
• Significant experience working within the personnel security community of practice and/or related disciplines (e.g., vetting, integrity, investigations, personnel risk or personnel assurance). 
• Extensive knowledge of security vetting and clearance processes, suitability assessments, and ongoing monitoring requirements. 
• Experience developing and implementing personnel security policies, procedures and guidance in a large, complex organisation. 
• Experience advising senior leaders on sensitive, high risk personnel security matters requiring sound judgement and discretion. 
• Strong understanding of the employment lifecycle and the intersection between people practices, integrity obligations and security risk. 
• Superior relationship management, influencing and problem solving skills. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Well developed interpersonal skills with the ability to work at all levels of the organisation. 
• Sound understanding of risk based decision making and assurance in a protective security context.

Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret national security clearance. Employment requires the candidate to be:

• A New Zealand citizen or resident who has resided continuously in this country for 10 years, or 
• A citizen of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, or the United States of America, and have resided continuously in one or more of those countries for the past 10 years prior to application, with a background history which is verifiable and can be assessed as appropriate by the NZSIS towards a recommendation of suitability for a national security clearance.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Personnel security leadership

• Partner with business groups to provide personnel security advice, coaching and support to enable people leaders to take responsibility for managing people related security risks. 
• Influence senior leaders and people leaders to build and sustain a strong personnel security culture. 
• Contribute to the design and lead of implementation of enterprise initiatives to identify, manage and mitigate personnel security risks. 
• Contribute to the development and lead the implementation of personnel security policies, procedures and guidance to support right sized decision making by people leaders. 
• Contribute to the development and lead the delivery of personnel security education and awareness for leaders and staff.

Protective security planning

• Consult across MBIE to identify and prioritise personnel security initiatives required to maintain or uplift PSR capability maturity. 
• Contribute to the Protective Security annual work programme and enterprise PSR Roadmap. 
• Contribute to the development of long term and operational strategies to strengthen MBIE’s personnel security performance. 
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of personnel security strategies, standards and guidance that address elevated risk scenarios, including work‑related travel, offshore deployments and high‑risk environments.
• Provide specialist input into enterprise risk management, integrity frameworks and assurance activities as they relate to people related security risks.

Personnel security risk analysis, advice and reporting

• Lead and/or contribute to second line assurance activities relating to personnel security. 
• Measure, analyse and report on personnel security trends, risks and incidents, and advise on required actions for continuous improvement. 
• Provide expert advice during personnel security incidents, concerns or investigations, including insider risk matters. 
• Ensure lessons learned from incidents and reviews are translated into practical improvements.

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 Lead Advisor Personnel Security position reports into the Head of Protective Security within the Corporate Shared Services branch. The Corporate Shared Services branch sits within the Corporate and Digital Shared Services 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