Senior Advisor Content Design

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

MBIE’s Information & Education (I&E) team’s purpose is to reach, engage and influence customers and our people to easily do the right thing with excellent content and products designed and delivered through integrated and optimised channels.

I&E is responsible for the planning and delivery of I&E strategies, programmes and initiatives in order to achieve MBIE’s regulatory strategies and drive a positive change in how customers experience our channels across all our portfolios. The team works with colleagues across the Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery group and wider MBIE to ensure a future focused, integrated approach based on best practice.

The Senior Content Designer is a digital and content design specialist with experience and understanding of web content design, including writing in plain language, editing, User Experience (UX), and Information Architecture (IA). The position is responsible for leading the design, development, and production of high-quality, relevant, engaging, customer-centric content that meets NZ Government plain language requirements and web standards for accessibility and usability.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of the NZ Government standards for accessibility, accessibility charter requirements and implementation strategies, as well as a grasp of web best practice and digital trends.
• Proven understanding and experience of common research methods, analytics metrics, and tools to develop content that meets the needs of users and influences their behaviou
• Proven experience in writing and communicating complex technical information accurately and clearly in plain English so that it is well understood, including legislation or technical guidance.
• Proven knowledge and experience of website best practices, including writing for the web, plain language, accessibility, and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
• Proven experience to provide business-oriented and pragmatic content design advice to a variety of audiences, including senior business leaders in diverse organisations.
• Proven ability to communicate digital and information-related web content risks in verbal and written styles to suit a range of audiences (internal and external business partners, colleagues, delivery partners and stakeholders).
• Experienced in coaching others across a team in technical competencies.
• Experience with Content Management Systems (ideally Silverstripe and Plone).
• Experience in navigating systems and overcoming roadblocks, putting the business partner experience at the heart of service design.
• Experience in thinking critically from a detailed to broader context taking into account various perspectives and operational needs including legislative and statutory requirements.
• Demonstratable success in building professional relationships with colleagues, internal and external partners, delivery partners and stakeholders.
• Proven experience in working collaboratively and diplomatically as part of a wider team where functions must work together to achieve group/branch and team priorities.
• Proven experience in leading initiatives, collaborating with colleagues from planning to delivery and reporting.
• Experience working through ambiguity and change, being flexible when working with business partners and responding to changing priorities and service delivery requests with a can-do attitude.
• Experience in working confidently without having the total picture and handling risk and uncertainty.
• Demonstrated achievement and delivery-focus to make things happen and achieve ambitious outcomes.
• Experience working with vendors and suppliers to ensure delivery of contract agreements.
• A commitment to continuously improve your knowledge in adopting models underpinned by a kaupapa Māori paradigm.
• Proven contribution to a culture of high-quality insightful solutions for customers through using day to day tikanga Māori in the team.
• Self-awareness and experience in adapting your approach with others as necessary.
• Practical and demonstrable experience in this area is required.
• Relevant qualification or certification desired (Contented.com Diploma in Web Content or similar).
• Must have the legal right to work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Content Design Deliverables

• Supports the development and maintenance of content strategies, style guides, templates, guidelines, and procedures to provide a consistent experience across our channels.
• Designs and writes content for digital engagement channels to meet our user needs. Ensures it aligns with the content strategy, style guides, and meets NZ plain language requirements and web standards for accessibility and usability.
• Designs successful web pages based on content priority, visual design, and the right page components to meet objectives.
• Provides sound technical advice, guidance and recommendations to ensure that published content is high-quality, customer focused, accessible, optimised for search and conversion, and consistent with style guides, editorial guidelines and digital best practice.
• Leads the development and oversees the implementation of content maintenance plans for each website to ensure content is current, accurate and integrated.
• Supports the development and leads the implementation of a standardised content peer review and sign off process that effectively balances risk with efficiency.
• Regularly reviews content performance and identifies content issues. Develops solutions that are user-centric, practical and cost-effective.
• Promotes and maintains the use and application of standards and guidelines to ensure the integrity of MBIE’s visual identities and brands and consistency across all communications activity, digital products and services.
• Collaborates with subject matter experts, I&E team members, MBIE’s communication team, and MBIE project teams to plan content architecture, page structure and content formats in line with the overall content strategy.
• Contribute to the planning and delivery of projects and initiatives and apply best practice methodologies and principles to support the achievement of organisational objectives.
• Contribute to the team’s kaitiakitanga role, ensuring digital best practice and Government web standards are met so MBIE sites meet the needs of MBIE and our online customers.
• Delivers improved user experiences that support customers to self-serve and reduce the need to seek help using other more expensive channels (e.g. service centre).
• Integrates customer data from many sources (including the MBIE Customer Service Centre) to identify strategic opportunities.
• Keeps up to date with digital innovation and applying relevant new techniques to improve the user experience. Shares this knowledge to lift capability across I&E.
• Supports plain language content writing for I&E collateral intended to print for offline environments, e.g. PDFs and print publications.
• Supports the Channel Engagement leadership team with scoping, sizing and prioritising content design work.
• Actively contributes to the successful delivery of the branch and group strategic and tactical work programmes.

Collective Leadership

• Participates collaboratively as a member I&E, taking an ‘I&E first’ approach to ensure the successful delivery of team, branch and group priorities.
• Effectively contributes to the alignment of business plans, activities and key messaging to our overarching Information and Education strategy, Channel Engagement strategies and frameworks.
• Works collaboratively with members of the Information & Education and Channel Engagement teams to support achievement of MBIE outcomes and strategic priorities.
• Contributes beyond core functional area to enhance overall effectiveness of the provision of Information & Education.
• Works collectively to provide surge capacity across I&E to support business needs.
• Supports the design, maintenance and compliance with agreed processes and standards for triaging work requests and handling sensitive and embargoed content.

Personal Leadership

• Trusted advisor, sounding board for I&E and Channel Engagement leadership teams and our people.
• Manages and balances a range of competing demands and project priorities while meeting tight deadlines and timeframes.
• Able to self-identify areas in personal approach and adapt and strengthen when required to deliver results and model exemplary behaviour to set the example for others.
• Establish and maintain effective, healthy working relationships with I&E colleagues, delivery partners and business partners, providing proactive support and communication and taking a “no surprises” approach.
• Models behaviours aligned to MBIE’s values.
• Contributes to a sense of vision, participates as a team member, and makes things happen.
• Fosters an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, ongoing learning and knowledge sharing.
• Sound judgement, integrity and discretion, particularly around work programme delivery.
• Self-motivation and persistence in challenging frameworks and pushing hard issues, but with good judgement in identifying when to pull back on issues or seek guidance.

Coaching and mentoring

• Coaches others on development of expertise and knowledge of institutional practice.
• Identifies opportunities to develop the capability of others in the team.
• Seeks and explores opportunities to develop own professional capability and grow own self-awareness for future.
• Excellent communication and coaching skills to embed a culture of excellence in the team.

Relationship management including Māori Crown relations

• Works in partnership with the Manager Digital Engagement, Channel Engagement team members and subject matter experts to deliver fit for purpose digital services, content and advice.
• Works closely with Practice Lead Content and other members of the Senior Advisor Content Design cohort to help raise capability and set and comply with standards.
• Represents Information and Education, and Engagement & Experience branch and whole-of-Ministry views and protects their reputation in any external interactions.
• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve TWSD and wider MBIE outcomes.
• Develops effective working relationships with colleagues in order to transfer knowledge and learning from the team to the wider organisation.
• Build, enhance and maintain effective relationships and partnerships with business partners and external stakeholders, as necessary, in order to identify and share best practice information and to promote MBIE products and services.
• Politically-savvy with a demonstrated ability to easily build trusted, influential professional relationships with key internal and external business partners, leadership team colleagues, other senior leaders, delivery partners and stakeholders.
• Demonstrates a commitment to learning and continuous improvement in partnering with Māori and cross-cultural capability.

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 Content Design position reports into Manager Digital Engagement, Online Channels within the Customer Service Delivery branch. The branch sits within the 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 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