Senior Advisor – Economic Growth

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Senior Advisor plays a critical role to help shape the Government’s Economic Growth priorities. This role sits within the Economic Growth Programmes team and primarily drives the secretariat functions associated with the Government’s Economic Growth agenda, including Going for Growth.

This role is responsible for working across both MBIE and government agencies to collate and develop material to support Governance meetings with senior officials and Ministers, coordinate and support these meetings, and input into centralised reporting and support senior leaders.

This role requires a high level of accuracy, diligence, inter-personal skills, efficient processes and attention to detail. A good understanding of the policy context and the ability to understand government policy at a general level is important. It also requires, from time to time, flexibility to re-focus effort, if necessary, to respond to our rapidly evolving environment.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Attention to detail and strong, proven planning skills, including the ability to manage multiple workstreams and timelines concurrently.
• Strong process and coordination skills.
• A strong conceptual thinker and problem solver, demonstrating innovation and continuous improvement.
• Clear, concise communicator with particular strengths in producing reports and papers for senior officials and Ministers.
• Self-motivated and results-driven.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to liaise and collaborate effectively at all levels of the organisation and an ability to build and maintain strategic relationships.
• Political nous, sound judgement, flexibility, and a sense of teamwork in a demanding and unpredictable work environment, which can involve urgent problem resolution.
• Growth mindset and eager to learn, improve and positively contribute to the team.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in a relevant field or equivalent experience.

Prerequisites

• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

• Works across MBIE and multiple government agencies to collate, develop and deliver the papers and meeting packs for governance meetings with senior officials and Ministers. 
• Manages multiple workstreams and timelines for supporting the secretariat functions associated with the Government’s economic growth agenda, including Going for Growth and the Economic CEs forum.
• Committed and skilled relationship manager, using their influencing and collaboration skills and experience to build and maintain important relationships, to identify best practice processes. 
• Manages, implements and utilises various technology platforms and systems to support collaboration, collation of reporting and delivery of key outputs.
• Plans and manages key processes to ensure all workstreams and deliverables are met. 
• At times, directly supporting governance meetings which may include taking meeting minutes etc. 
• High quality accurate work is delivered within agreed timelines.

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 Advisor position reports into the Programme Director within the Economic Growth branch. The branch sits within the Labour, Science and Enterprise (LSE) 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 (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