Manager - Vetting Verification and Research Services

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Manager Vetting, Verification and Research Services leads a multi-disciplinary team who are responsible for the vetting and verification of bargaining processes and the delivery of legal research capability to inform statutory decision making by the Chief Executive MBIE and Members of the Employment Relations Authority (the Authority).

The Manager is responsible for:

• Overseeing the verification and vetting activities associated with the bargaining and finalisation of Fair Pay Agreements, ensuring the legislated process and requirements, including approvals and publication have been followed.
• Overseeing the provision of legal research activities to support, ensuring quality and consistency in advice and research approaches follow best practice.
• Oversee the allocation of funding support to Social Partners and funding bargaining parties to support their activities.
• Ensuring the quality, consistency and timeliness of advice and practice, bringing their expert business understanding and perspective to work in partnership with their manager and others across MBIE and the Authority.
• Day to day team management, ensuring that team members carry out their functions to a high standard and in accordance with national consistency practice, legislative boundaries, operational policy and business process frameworks.  This includes responsibility for all planning, monitoring and other management functions including coaching and professional development.
• Building and maintaining key relationships with influential and relevant internal and external stakeholders in order to effectively undertake legislative requirements and operational activities to deliver an effective services.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• A proven track record of experience in leading, developing and operating XYZ or similar service delivery function.
• Strong legislative knowledge and expertise, specifically a demonstrated understanding and experience in the practices of employment law (or comparable) and managing statutory decision making processes.
• Experience in operational policy design, practice frameworks and business processes and how these should be applied to effectively undertake verification and vetting processes.
• Sound judgment to ensure effective and evidenced decisions are made regarding verification and vetting and the management of funding.
• Experience in best practice approaches to research including qualitative and quantitative analysis methods across jurisdictions.
• Listening empathetically to people’s needs and concerns while remaining firm and professional as an impartial regulator, including managing conflict.
• Strong written communication, specifically writing clear and complete reports and recommendations with robust analysis, sound conclusions and effective recommendations.
• Experience leading a geographically dispersed team and proven leadership skills including demonstrated ability to engage and motivate staff.
• Managing conflicting priorities and ensuring that deliverables and commitments are addressed within efficient and acceptable timeframes.
• Proven leadership skills including demonstrated ability to establish, engage and motivate staff, including experience in coaching, training and /or mentoring staff.
• Ability to quickly establish and build strong working relationships with a wide range of people both internal and external stakeholders at a range of levels.
• Well organised, have a high degree of initiative and excellent interpersonal, analytical and communication skills with the ability to multitask, prioritise and escalate where necessary.
• Understanding of the implications of and commitment to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Qualifications

• A relevant qualification or equivalent training and/or experience.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Technical capability and knowledge

Leads the team ensuring consistent and high quality practice and appropriate technical / specialist expertise is applied to all assessments including:

• Delivery of credible and consistent high quality vetting and verification activities as relates to Fair Pay Agreement bargaining processes including assessment of legitimacy of ratification and public interest.
• Delivery of credible and consistent high quality legal research activities and provision of guidance and advice.
• Providing relevant practice expertise to support such delivery.
• A systemic approach is undertaken to employment relations practice, backed by strong technical capability and consistent and high quality delivery.
• Leads engagement with stakeholders in relation to verification, vetting and funding activities.
• Establish the vetting, verification and research function as a centre of employment relations practice advice and delivery leadership and expertise for the Ministry, and an exemplar of best practice for both the public service and the wider New Zealand labour and business markets.
• Provide oversight and management of the day to day work of the team ensuring consistent and high quality assessments are carried out to actively support and contribute to the achievement of the Ministry’s outcomes and that deliver to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
• Management of records and information in a manner consistent with legislative requirements, MBIEs systems and information management requirements, including recognising and managing risks associated with the management of personal information in accordance with MBIEs policies and processes.
• Deliver services to actively support and contribute to the achievement of the Ministry’s outcomes and that deliver to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.

Personal leadership

• Fosters an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, ongoing learning and knowledge sharing within the team.
• Provides direct, specific feedback, both motivational and developmental and is prepared to take action on tough issues.
• Is aware of their personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and limits, is open to feedback and learns from experience and mistakes.

Relationship management

• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.
• Develops effective working relationships with other MBIE managers and staff in order to transfer knowledge and learning from the team to the wider organisation.
• Develops and maintains effective relationships with critical partners, including the Employment Relations Authority, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU) and Business New Zealand.
• Builds strategic alliances with key government and non-government representatives to ensure MBIE’s views are influential in their decision-making.
• Builds and maintains effective relationships and partnerships with national and international organisations to identify and share best practice information and to promote the Ministry, its products and services.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in any external interactions.
• Tests the effectiveness of stakeholder relationships using a range of appropriate measures and processes (including stakeholder feedback).

Team leadership

• Builds strong team spirit with sound practices so that the team operates effectively and efficiently.
• Establishes clear accountabilities, expectations and performance standards with direct reports and ensures regular performance management and development occurs.
• Monitors individual, team and branch performance to ensure that performance targets are met.
• Anticipates future capability needs, identifies gaps in capability and addresses these gaps through targeted recruitment and development or other actions.
• Coaches, mentors and develops staff to meet the needs of the team, branch and wider MBIE now and in the future.
• Identifies and develops talent for key roles in the Employment Services branch.

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 Manager Vetting, Verification and Research Services position reports into the Manager, Business Advisory Services within the Employment Services branch. The branch sits within the Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery group.

More information about MBIE's structure

Matatautanga – Competencies (Leadership Success Profile)

The Leadership Success Profile (LSP) is a leadership capability framework, developed by the New Zealand public sector for the New Zealand public sector. It creates a common language for leadership and establishes what great leadership looks like. You can look at the twelve underpinning capabilities and four leadership characters here: Leadership Success Profile | Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission(external link)

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).

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