Senior Advisor - Strategic Engagement

Tēnei tūranga – About the role 

The Senior Advisor (Strategic Engagement) role sits within the Economic Growth Programmes team at MBIE. The team covers a range of functions focused around driving the delivery of strategic projects and programmes under the Economic Growth portfolio – including the Government’s flagship Going For Growth Programme.

The Senior Advisor will support multiple projects and workstreams, with a key focus on supporting Ministerial and business engagements. This will include working closely with businesses and other key stakeholders, writing Ministerial briefings and supporting communications material. Duties can, at times, include wider activities such as on the ground logistics, event planning and project management. This role will also provide general Senior 
Advisor support to the wider team, which is responsible for the Going For Growth programme, supporting Ministerial Groups and Governance Groups and other ad hoc projects. 

The successful candidate will bring their experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, a good understanding of how government works, ideally some experience working with Minister’s Offices, and being a proactive, positive team player.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• 5+ years of experience in a public sector or engagement role.
• Experience in managing stakeholder engagement and external relationships and the ability to quickly establish and build strong working relationships. 
• Proven experience developing written materials, such as briefings, communications material, and letters, for ministerial, chief executive or other senior leader consumption. 
• Proven planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple pieces of work concurrently. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability interact with a variety of different stakeholder groups in the public and non-government sectors.
• Experience working to senior leaders/executives/Minister’s Offices, particularly in government, and a demonstrated understanding of meeting their requirements at the strategic level is highly desirable.
• Politically savvy and aware of government priorities, obligations, and protocols.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Working understanding of public sector agencies. 
• Ability to work in a high-paced and dynamic environment, with a proactive attitude and a high level of initiative.
• Experience responding to Official Information Act requests and Ministerial Correspondence would be beneficial. 
• Having a growth mindset and eager to learn, improve and positively contribute to the team. 

Qualifications and Other Requirements

• A tertiary qualification or a professional qualification in a relevant field is desirable.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand. 

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Responsibilities of this position are expected to change over time as the Ministry responds to changing needs.  The incumbent will need the flexibility to adapt and develop as the environment evolves. This includes performing any other reasonable duties as required.

Business Engagement 

• Works collaboratively with Ministers Offices, senior leaders and key stakeholders to identify and undertake desktop research on a variety of businesses, making recommendations for Ministerial business engagements. 
• Engages confidently with new stakeholders, business, key contacts across MBIE, other government agencies, non-government organisations, and Ministerial Offices.
• Establishes stakeholder management processes, to ensure a coordinated and structured approach from the Programme Team as a whole when engaging with stakeholder groups. 
• Produce high quality Ministerial Briefings to support events, engagements and business visits; including providing supporting communications material as required. 
• Provide coordination and logistics support to enable business engagements to run smoothly. This may include attending visits if required.
• Gather post-visit insights and learnings, and produce letters, various reports and file notes. 
• Supports workstreams with the planning and delivery of stakeholder engagement sessions, including workshops, planning sessions, and exercises. 
• Supports workstreams with the development and maintenance of core written materials including summary briefings, correspondence, presentations and key messages. 
• Establishes core communications message banks and other key programme documentation, and maintain appropriately. 
• Draft responses to Official Information Act request and Ministerial correspondence. 
• Follows project management disciplines, with support from the Project Coordinator. 
• Contributes to other cross-programme work as required – this will likely include contributing to updates of the Going For Growth Programme and at time include supporting the secretariat and governance functions. 

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 (Strategic Engagement) position reports to the Programme Director, Economic Growth Programmes within 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 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