Principal Advisor, Economic Growth Programmes

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Principal Advisor, Economic Growth is a senior role within the Economic Growth Programmes Team. The team covers are range of functions and programmes supporting economic growth, including secretariat functions, the Government’s flagship Going For Growth Programme, and engagement activity aligned to MBIE’s economic leadership role.

This position is responsible for leading key projects and workstreams across the Economic Growth portfolio, with a particularly focus on strategic engagement. Working closely with the Engagement Lead – who is responsible for the overall engagement programme, the Principal Advisor’s role includes designing, coordinating and delivering high-impact engagement for Ministers, MBIE’s CE and senior leaders.

Sitting across the breadth of Economic Growth Programmes, the Principal Advisor provides thought leadership and direction, alongside maintaining a strong focus on delivery. The role operates with a high degree of autonomy, leading complex work programmes and ensuring alignment with Government priorities. It has a particular emphasis on driving the quality, consistency, and strategic impact of engagement activity, while contributing to broader programme outcomes.

The Principal Advisor will also play a key role in building team capability, coaching others, and embedding best practice approaches across the Economic Growth Programmes Team. This includes contributing to a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Demonstrated experience leading strategic engagement programmes in a complex public sector or political environment.
• Proven ability to design and deliver engagement strategies for senior leaders aligned to strategic outcomes.
• Strong understanding of machinery of government, Ministerial processes, and operating effectively with senior decision-makers.
• Highly developed political acumen and judgement, including managing sensitive issues and reputational risk.
• Strong written skills, with experience producing high-quality briefings, correspondence and communications for senior audiences.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management capability, including with senior leaders and external partners.
• Ability to operate with a high level of autonomy, leading multiple complex workstreams concurrently.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate insights into actionable plans.
• Proven experience coaching, mentoring and lifting capability across teams.
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with shifting priorities.
• Must have legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Qualifications

• A tertiary degree in a relevant field is highly desirable.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Strategic engagement leadership

• Working closely with the Engagement Lead, you will play a key role in the design, coordination and delivery of strategic engagement across the Economic Growth portfolio.
• Provide expert advice on engagement strategy, sequencing, and messaging for the CE, Ministers and senior leaders.
• Ensure engagement activity is purposeful, aligned to Government priories, coordinated across MBIE and delivering on engagement outcomes
• Anticipate emerging issues and shape engagement approaches to manage risks and opportunities.

Ministerial and senior leader engagement

• Lead the development of high-quality briefings, talking points and engagement material, including collaborating across MBIE
• Oversee the planning and execution of business engagements, events, and visits, ensuring they are strategically aligned and well delivered.
• Build strong relationships with Ministerial offices, senior leaders and key stakeholders to support effective engagement outcomes
• Ensure consistency and quality across all engagement-related outputs
• Understand the wider strategic context and current policy agenda for Economic Growth

Programme and project leadership

• As required, provide strategic leadership across the Secretariat functions and other key priorities and workstreams.
• Identify risks, dependencies and opportunities, and take proactive steps to manage these effectively.
• Ensure alignment and integration across workstreams within the Economic Growth Programmes team, as well as across the wider branch.

Relationship management and influence

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including other government agencies and business.
• Influence at a senior level to ensure alignment, collaboration and delivery of shared outcomes
• Represent MBIE’s perspectives with credibility and professionalism.

Capability and team leadership

• As required, provide coaching, mentoring, and quality assurance across the team to lift capability
• Lead by example in applying best practice, quality writing, and following MBIE’s policies, procedures and processes.
• Contribution to the overall leadership and performance of the Economic Growth Programmes team, and wider branch.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing team culture.

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 Principal Advisor position reports to the Programme Director, Economic Growth Programmes in the Economic Growth Branch. The branch sits within the Labour, Science and Enterprise 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