Manager Ministerial Services

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

MBIE is an important and complex agency, with a broad scope of responsibilities across 17 regulatory systems and a range of different stakeholders, business partners and customers who rely on us for information and advice. High quality and accessible data and insights are key to MBIE’s ability to understand impact in systems, manage risk effectively and support policy and investment decisions that ultimately help us to achieve our core purpose to grow New Zealand for all.

The Manager Ministerial Services is a leadership position within LSE. The Manager will bring their business understanding and perspective to work in partnership with other managers and staff, and key external stakeholders including the Ministers’ offices.

The Manager is responsible for:

• The day-to-day management of the Labour Science and Enterprise (LSE) Ministerial Services team. The team is responsible for providing responses to ministerial service requests for the LSE branches.
• Building and enhancing the overall capability of the team to ensure quality and consistency of advice and practices in relation to the team’s work.
• Working with the LSE Head of Deputy Secretary Office to transition LSE to a centralised ministerial services function.

As well as being the People Leader for the direct reports, the Manager will also be expected to deliver, expert advice to business groups on Ministerial Service activities.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Ideally an in-depth knowledge and experience in Ministerial Servicing, including a deep knowledge of the Official Information Act and Ombudsman guidelines.
• Experience leading, motivating and managing a team of engaged professionals and creating a team environment where people can grow and develop.
• A strong understanding of the processes that underpin the operations of the public sector environment, including policy development, Cabinet and parliamentary processes, accountability and reporting.
• A strategic and analytical thinker who makes connections between various aspects of the organisation and is able to prepare a cohesive approach across an organisation.
• Demonstrated ability to develop policies, frameworks procedures and practice guides.
• Preferably experience in coaching and training practitioners in Ministerial Servicing best practice.
• Demonstrated experience in leading continuous improvement to enhance performance.
• Ability to quickly establish and build strong working relationships and develop trust, credibility, ‘buy-in’ and collaboration with managers, staff, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and lead work through others to get the best outcomes where direct reporting relationships do not exist.
• Proven ability to develop trust and credibility with senior managers.
• Excellent communication skills – both verbal and written, particularly business writing and reporting.

Qualifications

• A relevant tertiary qualification, preferably with experience in a relevant Minister’s office or a central agency. Or relevant experience.
• You must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand and be able to satisfy the Ministry’s security clearance requirements.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Key Deliverables

• Oversight and leadership of the day-to-day work of a team of Senior Ministerial Services Advisors.
• Leading ministerial services practice across LSE, including the transition to a centralised ministerial services team for LSE.
• Liaising with Ministerial offices and acting as a point of escalation for leaders and Ministers’ offices.
• Creating a culture of delivery to standard and deadlines in the team and across the team for Ministerial Services products.
• Leading and designing the implementation of continuous improvement of processes for the group, together with supporting measurement, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
• Actively contributing to organisational wide Ministerial Services improvement and community of practice.
• Actively working with LSE branches to build the capability and quality assurance of best practice advice and products for Ministerial Servicing.
• Be a repository of LSE 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.
• Supporting and providing guidance on behalf of LSE to enterprise-wide Ministerial Services requests.

Relationship Management

• Participating as an active team member contributing knowledge and expertise to achieve goals.
• Developing effective working relationships with other LSE managers and staff to transfer knowledge and learning across LSE and to the wider organisation.
• Building and maintaining effective relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Representing whole-of-Ministry views and protecting its reputation in any external interactions.

Team Management

• Implementing strategies, work programmes and performance targets for the team with supporting measurement, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
• Regularly monitoring and reporting on progress towards achievement of plans and strategies.
• Continually reviewing and considering improvements to all elements of the team’s operations.
• Effectively and consistently identifying and managing risk.

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 Services position reports into the Head of the Office of the Deputy Secretary LSE within Office of the Deputy Secretary Labour, Science and Enterprise the branch. The branch sits within the Labour, Science and Enterprise group.

More information about MBIE's structure

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