Team Leader – Triage Services

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Team Leader reports to the Manager Triage and Allocation and is responsible for day-to-day leadership of the Triage Officers within Employment Services. This includes ensuring that team members carry out their functions to a high standard and in accordance with national consistency practice, operational policy and business process frameworks. The Team Leader will oversee, in conjunction with the Senior Triage Officers, the triaging and allocation of complaints, requests for resolution, enquiries and applications, ensuring quality and consistency in decision making and handling.

The Team Leader will work with the Manager Triage and Allocation to deliver on all planning, monitoring and leadership functions including coaching and professional development.

The Team Leader will provide coaching, mentoring and leadership to an operational, fast-moving team responsible for the triage, evaluation and allocation of contacts (complaints, requests and applications) on behalf of Employment Services regulatory functions and the delivery of reporting to inform compliance activity decisions.

This role is responsible for building and enhancing the overall capability of the team, while also working in partnership with the Senior Triage Officers and Manager Triage and Allocation to provide an exceptional service and provide leadership capability support to the Manager.

This role will require some travel.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Minimum two years’ recent experience as a people leader.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to create a motivated environment and a positive team.
• Experience leading a geographically dispersed team.
• Highly developed relationship management and communication skills to inform, persuade and influence.
• Demonstrated agility in supporting multiple teams and responding to/managing changes in priorities.
• Practiced knowledge of working within a regulatory or government environment, with knowledge of relevant employment and immigration legislation, operational policies, practice frameworks and business processes and how these should be applied (or an ability to gain such knowledge quickly);
• Strong analytical ability and sound judgment to ensure effective and evidenced decisions are made regarding allocation of work across the branch;
• Managing conflicting priorities and ensuring that commitments, complaints or problems are addressed within an efficient and acceptable timeframe.
• Providing leadership to a group including the coaching and mentoring of staff and building a positive team.
• Writing clear and complete reports with robust analysis, sound conclusions and effective recommendations.
• Working co-operatively within a team environment including the sharing of knowledge and assisting with workload or strategic priorities to help deliver a national outcome.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand

Key Relationships

• Managers and team members within Employment Services.
• Managers and team members of Immigration Branches.
• Managers and staff in other MBIE Groups as required.
• Members of the public and those utilising our services.
• Staff in other Government agencies.
• Industry, professional and community groups associated with workplace and employment relations issues.

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.

Lead and manage the Triage team

• Day to day oversight and leadership of a team of Triage Officers in line with the direction of the Manager Triage and Allocation
• Establish clear accountabilities, expectations and performance standards with direct reports and ensures regular performance management and development occurs.
• Monitors individual and team performance to ensure that business objectives are met.
• Anticipates future capacity and capability needs, identifies gaps and addresses these gaps through succession planning.
• Coaches, mentors and develops team members to meet the needs of Employment Services now and in the future.
• Ensures consistency across the team in terms of best practice and actively works to develop and improve practice as required.
• Oversee the actions of the team to undertake in the effective triaging of complaints, enquiries and requests for support to the appropriate teams across Employment Services and INZ (through the Joint Tasking and Coordination Group.)
• Guide the team, in conjunction with the Senior Triage Officers to ensure consistent and high quality practice and appropriate technical / specialist expertise is applied to all assessments.
• Work with the Service Centre to adopt consistent approaches and service offerings aligning with the appropriate triage of matters within Employment Services.
• Integrating service delivery with practice ensuring a customer focused culture across the team.
• Ensure agreed quality and timeliness standards in all aspects of enquiry and complaint management are upheld
• Lead the development of practice, guidance and training material to the Triage team.

Relationship Management

• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve programme and project outcomes.
• Develops effective working relationships with executives, other managers, staff, and relevant stakeholders.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in external interactions with organisations MBIE requires relationships with.
• Tests the effectiveness of stakeholder relationships using a range of appropriate measures and processes (including stakeholder feedback).
• Understands, leads and communicates stakeholder outcomes.
• Evidence that the needs and priorities of the Team, Unit and Branch are appropriately represented in team outcomes.

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 Team Leader Triage Services position reports into the Manager Triage and Allocation within the Business Advisory Services Unit within Employment Services (ES) Branch.  The ES Branch sits within the Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery group.

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