Director Strategic Communications

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Director, Strategic Communications provides advice on strategic communications and engagement to the Chief Executive (CE), Senior Leadership Team, and technical leadership on developing and delivering the CE’s communications.

The role requires a senior communications professional leader with strategic awareness, organisational savvy, and political nous, coupled with excellent relationship skills and the drive to make things happen.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Role specific competencies

• Highly experienced communication professional, with an in-depth understanding of the political and media landscape, and of stakeholders that matter for MBIE.  
• Proven experience building effective working relationships with senior leadership across an organisation, and with Ministers and Minister's offices, building high levels of trust and confidence in communications advice and delivery.
• Excellent organisational awareness and political nous, with the ability to navigate sensitive issues and competing priorities.
• Strong issues and risk management capability, including the ability to identify emerging issues, provide early advice, and influence effective responses.
• Ability to operate with a high degree of discretion, integrity, and sound judgement in a confidential environment.
• Extensive experience leading complex communication projects and programmes.
• Experience developing and implementing strategic communication plans.
• Demonstrated leadership within the communication profession.
• Demonstrated ability to keep customers and stakeholders up to date and informed of planned communications activity.
• Excellent writing, editing, and other communication skills.
• Strong strategic and critical thinking skills, with the ability to develop effective solutions to complex issues.
• Excellent relationship-building and influencing skills across all levels of leadership.
• In-depth knowledge of the internal and external environment, including the machinery of government and its challenges and opportunities.

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualification, e.g. public relations, communications, journalism) and/or equivalent relevant experience).
• You must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand. 
• The ability to gain and maintain a national security clearance to Confidential level. 

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Communication planning and delivery

• Develop and execute CE internal communications strategy. Support SLT internal communications and engagement strategy and implementation.
• Influence and inform the CE’s internal and external engagement strategy to support delivery of MBIE’s organisational strategy, including proactive media.
• Develop and implement approaches to assess MBIE’s reputation and use these insights to refine communications strategies to improve outcomes.
• Support and influence planning of other complex high-risk cross-MBIE communication programmes to ensure effective and risk-aware approaches are taken.
• Recognise broader implications and connections between issues, promoting a joined-up communications approach across the Ministry.
• Provide strategic communication advice to the CE and Head of the Office of the CE providing suggestions and alternate perspectives on issues.
• Champion the use of strategic storytelling, and support the development of communication and engagement material (e.g. speeches, presentations, articles) to support the CE’s priorities.
• Provide expert review and mentoring in content development across the Ministry on issues that relate to the CE’s priorities, working across MBIE with other communication roles to ensure seamless delivery and outcomes.

Advice and risk management

• Provide expert advice (including strategies, plans, key messages) to meet OCE business needs and support the achievement of the CEs priorities.
• Assist with assessing high risk Official Information Act requests and media requests, providing guidance and oversight on highly sensitive matters.
• Support and influence appropriate risk management of organisational and external communications.

Relationship management

• Build and maintain effective working relationships with senior leaders, Ministers’ Offices, and key senior journalists.
• Support and influence effective engagement with political representatives to support communication of Government policy priorities, with a critical eye for the potential impact of high interest topics.
• Navigate ambiguous political situations, taking into account political sensitivities.
• Be a trusted advisor to colleagues, including senior leaders, being a sounding board and providing advice, coaching and constructively challenging as appropriate.
• Foster an open, collaborative environment that encourages deliberate improvement, quality, innovation, ongoing learning and knowledge sharing.
• Work collaboratively with the General Manager, Communications and Government Services and communications managers to ensure organisational coherence across communications activities for the Ministry.

Leadership

• Providing a sense of vision and leadership that engages and motivates others to participate and make things happen
• Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organisation achieve its objectives 
• Fosters an open and collaborative environment that embeds an on-going culture of excellence, innovation, learning, development and knowledge sharing
• Supports the Head of the CE’s office in ensuring an engaged, functional team, including pro-actively identifying any issues that detract in a timely manner
• Using excellent communication and influencing skills to build buy-in and commitment without reliance on positional leadership

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 Director Strategic Communications position reports to the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Chief Executive.

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 New Zealand for All.

To Grow New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi (work). 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