Senior Solicitor 1 – Legal, Ethics & Privacy

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Senior Solicitor is a team member position in MBIE. The Solicitor will bring their business understanding and perspective to work in partnership with their manager and other staff.

The Senior Solicitor contributes to the operations of the Legal Services team. The team is responsible for providing guidance and support in a number of areas, including operational advice, procurement and contracting, science investment, the regulation of petroleum and minerals, development of policy and legislation, prosecutions and advocacy work in Tribunals, the District Court and the Employment Court.

Senior Solicitors in the Legal Services Branch are responsible for providing high quality, timely, accurate and practical legal advice in a dynamic context and in a variety of forms, ranging from opinions to oral advice through to training clients.  They provide assistance to the Chief Executive, Ministers and the Ministry generally; to support, facilitate and contribute to facilitate and contribute to the Ministry’s goals and objectives.

The Senior Solicitor is responsible for ensuring quality and consistency of advice and practices in relation to their contribution to the team’s work.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Previous intermediate/senior experience working in a legal role.
• Solid experience and knowledge of public and contract law principles including statutory interpretation.
• The ability to reason robustly and persuasively and deliver successful outcomes in a demanding environment.
• A strong client service attitude, with effective relationship management skills.
• A practical, solutions-focussed approach.
• An ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with a wide range of people both internal and external to MBIE.
• An ability to lead and work pro-actively and co-operatively with clients, colleagues, and with staff of other organisations.
• An ability to communicate clearly and concisely with people at all levels.
• A willingness and ability to be responsible for particular client relationships.
• Ability to lead assignments and cross organisation project work.
• Awareness of, and sensitivity to, the cultural values of different ethnic groups generally, and the Tangata Whenua in particular.
• Knowledge of the Treaty of Waitangi and its impact on MBIE’s work.
• An interest in the political decision-making process, and in particular in the Parliamentary legislative process.
• LLB with good grades and admission to the Bar.
• Approximately 5 – 7+ years PQE.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand..

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Technical Legal Advice

• Accurately identify legal and related issues and provide sound legal advice on complex matters demonstrating understanding of business context. Able to work independently and provide support to more junior colleagues.
• Lead assignments and small teams while providing guidance to less experienced team members.
• Operates independently at internal and external meetings.
• Broad general legal knowledge, broad understanding of specialist subject areas and the ability to make strategic decisions relating to them where necessary.
• Able to operate more independently and with limited senior support and able to share judgements with manager.
• Able to identify legal and other and escalate potential risks and opportunities that may have a legal impact on the Ministry including taking a lead role in complex issues.
• Understands MBIE’S legal business and able to approach it strategically.
• Ability to consistently communicate in a clear and concise manner on complex matters to a wide audience.
• Aware of development needs and actively manages personal development.
• A confident practitioner with demonstrated high level general advocacy and presentation skills and excellent judgement on a wide range of legal matters.

If applicable:

• Litigation role: act as counsel for Ministry business units, including in more complex civil and/or criminal matters
• Legislation role: provides advice in relation to policy and legislative processes including drafting instructions, the development of primary and secondary legislation, and liaison with key stakeholders.

Coaching and Mentoring

• Support less experienced colleagues and actively provide coaching, mentoring and opportunities for development.
• Beginning to review legal work and provide quality control.
• Effectively delegate work to others within the team and provide clear expectations.
• Provide advice and direction to less experienced colleagues including technical legal considerations on complex issues.

Stakeholder Engagement / Management

• Build and maintain professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including cross organisation, senior managers, crown law and Ministers.
• Ability to demonstrate high trust relationships with clients and proactively recognises client needs and engages accordingly.
• Has awareness of the NZ system of government to ensure a detailed understanding of the Ministry when engaging with stakeholders.
• Able to influence peer internal and external stakeholders.

Assignments & Project Work

• Leads increasing complex and less well defined assignments
• Starting to take the lead on defined pieces of work
• Initiate and negotiate cross organisation processes and assignments.
• Leads increasingly complex assignments, managing people and resources and provide reports on milestones.
• Draft, review and provide quality control of legal documents including Court documents, submissions, warrants, deeds, contracts, leases and other documents.

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 Solicitor 1 position reports into the Manager Legal Services  within the Legal, Ethics and Privacy Branch, in the Corporate Services, Finance & Enablement 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