Technical Specialist

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

Border Officers work a 24-hour 7 day a week operation and the Technical Specialists work on a rostered basis (rostered weekends / on-call roster) across that timeframe. Immigration Risk and Border branch is accountable for high quality and timely visa and border entry decisions. We facilitate legitimate passengers and work to manage risk at the earliest possible point by working collaboratively with other teams in INZ and international partners. The Technical Specialists are responsible for providing professional expertise in the ongoing development and management of risk and quality within Border Operations and assist in providing assurance that processes are in place and are being used to systematically identify, manage, and mitigate risk and or immigration fraud across the Border operation.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Experience ensuring quality processes and strategies designed to improve service delivery and excellence.
• Ability developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders.
• Experience in document examination and identification of immigration fraud.
• Demonstrated problem analysis skills and sound judgement.
• A detailed knowledge of current immigration law, policy, procedures, and guidelines.
• A knowledge and understanding of the Privacy Act 2020 and the Official Information Act 1982.
• Monitoring the work of others that ensures compliance with processes, standards, and quality guidelines.
• Working effectively without direct supervision, managing, and organising fluctuating workloads in sometimes stressful situations.
• Experience in coaching or mentoring other staff to achieve results.
• Relationship management.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills and a demonstrated ability to exercise sound, consistent and reasoned judgement.
• Integrity in all transactions and interpersonal contacts.
• Tertiary qualification, preferably in a related discipline and/ or comparable relevant experience.
• The ability to gain and maintain an Aviation Security clearance.
• Must hold or gain an Immigration and Border warrant.
• The ability to gain and maintain a national security clearance as required.
• Must be a NZ citizen or hold a Permanent Residence class visa (if the role is located in New Zealand).
• Credit check required - Yes.
• Required to drive - No.
• Police vetting – Yes.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

• Provides advice and guidance to Border Officers in applying immigration policy in relation to processing arrivals on and offshore.
• Undertakes two-person checking and quality assurance programme processes.
• Undertakes analysis as directed to support intelligence, profiling, and verification.
• Provides analysis and input into operational policy development and other projects and reviews.
• Provides coaching to other staff on decision making, document examination and case management.
• Assists Border and Operations Managers as required.
• Works collaboratively within Border Operations and together with the Lead Technical Specialist ensures robust quality assurance processes, ongoing learning, continual improvement and best practice.
• Assists in the building of a culture of proactive, balanced risk management and quality assurance that goes beyond a compliance mentality, is preventative and based on information sharing.
• Leads projects as required or contribute as Subject Matter Experts for projects both internal and external to the Border.

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 Technical Specialist position reports into the Border Manager within the Immigration Risk and Border branch. The branch sits within the Immigration New Zealand 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