Manager Ministerial and Accountability Services, Immigration

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Manager Ministerial and Accountability Services, Immigration leads and manages a team of principal, senior and business advisors who are responsible for providing Ministers and senior officials within Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and across the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) with accurate, objective and timely information, analysis and advice. The role leads a team that covers three broad areas:

• The processing of INZ-related Official Information Act requests (OIAs), including Ministerial OIAs, and responding to related Ombudsman complaints.
• Supporting the interface between INZ and Ministers’ offices, including managing the weekly report, setting the agenda for officials’ meetings with the Minister, managing requests for information, ministerial correspondence and the drafting of responses for written and oral Parliamentary Questions.
• Managing INZ’s public accountability requirements, including coordinating supporting materials for Estimates and Annual Review processes and managing the process by which immigration officials are designated to make statutory decisions.

The Manager Ministerial and Accountability Services must be an effective, empathetic and capable people leader. They are responsible for building and enhancing the overall capacity of the team to ensure quality and consistency of practices in relation to the team’s work. A key component of the role is driving and delivering a commitment to continuous improvement in processes and ways of working.

The Manager will be required to have strong knowledge of machinery of government practices and be able to provide advice in ministerial and machinery of government management processes. They will act as a point of escalation for the team and they will be accountable for the sign-out of large and/or complex OIA responses.

The role reports to the Head of the Office of the Deputy Secretary, Immigration. The role is a member of the Office of the Deputy Secretary leadership team and plays an important part supporting the Office to deliver on the immigration system’s strategic plan.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of ministerial and machinery of government management processes.
• Knowledge of business planning cycles, accountability frameworks and reporting systems.
• Proven experience in the implementation, delivery and continuous improvement of business and operational planning, performance and reporting systems and processes, including the capture and analysis of information.
• Ability to communicate ideas, provide insightful feedback, facilitate workshops and presentations.
• Excellent political awareness and sensitivity to anticipate areas of potential risk and inform decision making.
• Proven ability to develop trust and integrity with managers and staff.
• Understands the role within MBIE and how it contributes to MBIE’s purpose.
• Experience in leading an effective service-orientated team.
• Experience in leading, coaching and mentoring people to achieve results and personal growth.
• Experience in leadership and management of a team in a service delivery environment.
• Proactive and action orientated with an appreciation of quality service delivery.
• Ability to understand and process new information quickly.
• Ability to establish sound working relationships.
• Follow instructions and procedures with a minimum of direction.
• Sound organisational and time management skills.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

• Lead the day-to-day operations for a team of advisors to ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner to ensure adherence to minimum timeliness requirements while maintaining a high level of quality.
• Leads and designs the implementation of continuous improvement of processes, performance targets and new initiatives for their team, together with supporting measurement, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
• Establishes clear accountabilities and expectations for their team – and coaching and developing staff to enable them to achieve performance targets.
• Creating a culture of delivery to standard and deadlines in the team and across the team for Ministerial Services products.
• Actively contributing to organisational wide Ministerial Services improvement and community of practice.
• Actively working with MBIE Corporate Groups to build the capability and quality assurance of best practice advice and products for Ministerial Servicing.
• Be a repository of expertise in ministerial services best practice and provide expert advice on complex requests and oversight of OIA complaints to the Ombudsman. And ensure visibility and oversight of OIAs of enterprise interest.
• Ensure visibility and oversight of OIAs of enterprise or reputational interest.
• Participates as part of the wider Office of the Deputy Secretary leadership team to drive the delivery of the immigration system’s strategic plan, Striking the Balance.
• Provides technical and specialist input into work programmes including providing comprehensive analysis, advice and document required.
• Establishes and maintains key internal and external relationships and working closely with these stakeholders.

Leads the effective delivery of the team across its three broad areas of work, including:

• Responses to Official Information Act requests.
• Managing the interface between the department and Ministers’ offices, including Ministerial correspondence, production of the weekly report and managing the agenda for officials’ weekly meeting with the Minister.
• Managing INZ’s public accountability requirements, including coordinating supporting materials for Estimates and Annual Review processes and managing the process by which immigration officials are designated to make statutory decisions.

Personal leadership

• Models positive management and leadership behaviours.
• Models the desired values and culture of the organisation and leads this across the team.
• Fosters an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, on-going learning and knowledge sharing within the team.

Team leadership

• Leads the day-to-day operations for a team of business and senior advisors to ensure tasks are assessed and resolved in a timely manner and follow process standards.
• Accountable for staff management functions of their team – including recruitment, induction, performance management, staff development, disciplinary and administrative functions
• Leads the implementation of work programmes, performance targets and new initiatives for their team, together with supporting measurement, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
• Manages work allocation and workload monitoring across the team to achieve business objectives.
• Establishes clear accountabilities and expectations for their team – and coaches and develops staff and provides feedback to enable them to achieve performance targets.
• Continuously reviews and considers improvement to all elements of the team’s operations. 
• Effectively and consistently identifies and manages risk and value.

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.
• Builds and maintains effective relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, in order 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.

Organisational commitment and public service

• Contributes to the development of, and helps promote and builds commitment to MBIE’s vision, mission, values and services, as well as the delivery of the Striking the Balance immigration strategic plan.
• Willingly undertakes any duty required within the context of the position.
• Understands Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) principles and the application of these to MBIE.
• Complies with all legislative requirements and good employer obligations.

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 Manager Ministerial and Accountability Services position reports into the Head of the Office of the Deputy Secretary Immigration within the Office of the Deputy Secretary Immigration branch. The branch sits within the Immigration New Zealand group.

More information about MBIE's structure

Ngā Kawenga Ārahitanga – Leadership Expectations

At MBIE our leadership expectations provide consistent language for how we expect our leaders to lead at MBIE. They are supported by our values, and the Public Sector leadership capabilities as described in the Leadership Success Profile (LSP).

Leadership Expectations - Ngā Kawenga Ārahitanga (MBIE)

Lead by example - Whakatinana hei tauira
Enable our people - Whakaāhei ō tātou tangata
Deliver what matters - Whakatutuki ngā manako

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 New Zealand for All.

To Grow 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