Principal Advisor, Office of the Deputy Secretary

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Principal Advisor, Office of the Deputy Secretary delivers high-quality strategic advice and support to the Head of Office of the Deputy Secretary, Strategy and Assurance. They will enable the delivery of core enterprise priority projects in conjunction with other Strategy and Assurance and key corporate teams, making sure advice to decision makers and the Ownership Minister is high quality and fit for purpose.

This senior role requires an experienced writer, who is able to connect issues across teams and work with others, including the MBIE team in the Minister’s office, to drive delivery. They need to be able to think on their feet, manage effectively and show leadership.

The role demands that the Principal Advisor achieves and maintains a high level of credibility across the branch for trust, good judgement, consistency, strategic thinking and expertise in all communications and engagement matters.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Understands the strategic context, current MBIE strategy and priorities; is able to see enterprise issues in the wider context and applies foresight and judgement to identify what is important for Strategy and Assurance.
• Has the intellectual capability to work with multiple complex ideas in parallel as well as being able to integrate multiple concepts and pathways and deal comfortably with ambiguity.
• Has the ability to manoeuvre comfortably through complex advisory processes across MBIE to achieve the desired outcomes for complex, sensitive or risky issues.
• Is sensitive to how people and the organisation function, deals comfortably with organisation politics and anticipates land mines and plans approach accordingly.
• Has strong writing skills and has the ability to draft accurate and succinct correspondence and reports.
• Has strong project management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver high quality work under tight time constraints.
• Is skilled at drawing on experience, evidence, wisdom, judgement and expertise to build advisory and writing capability of other staff.
• Proven ability to work closely with policy and delivery staff to ensure that the customer experience is understood and reflected in advice and decision making.
• A good tertiary qualification.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Skills

• Strong writing, editing and oral communications skills.
• Able to quickly form effective working relationships have robust and resilient conversations when needed.
• Proven experience in providing clear and trusted advice to Ministers, officials and senior managers.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining effective working relationships to deliver priority work for Ministers and other decision makers. 

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Delivers quality results which contribute to the Ministry’s outcomes

• Support the Head of Office of the Deputy Secretary with managing the quality assurance of advice and reporting for Ministers and other official information activity.
• Supports the Head of Office of the Deputy Secretary to execute their responsibilities in their wider system leadership role through the provision of high quality strategic advice and support.
• Enhance the quality and clarity of written advice prepared for Ministers, senior leadership, the Deputy Secretary, and governance groups.
• Provide clear, accurate and well-reasoned responses that anticipate and meet the needs of the Deputy Secretary and Head of Office of the Deputy Secretary and communicate complex issues and concepts clearly and succinctly.
• Oversight of group processes in relation to ministerial correspondence and ensuring all relevant correspondence is efficiently managed including parliamentary questions and Official Information Act requests.
• Work with the Strategy and Assurance LT to provide the Deputy Secretary with high quality and timely briefings and advice as needed.
• Communicates effectively with clarity, authority and in a way that is appropriate to the audience.

Leadership

• Provide intellectual leadership by bringing new ideas and knowledge to discussions to provide sound, high quality, impartial options and solutions.
• Identify opportunities and develop and implement approaches for the branch to be more effective and efficient.
• Supports the Head of Office of the Deputy Secretary so that the branch operates effectively and efficiently and delivers agreed outputs to support achievement of MBIE outcomes.
• Contributes to the performance of the team through providing peer review and quality control of Minister, Deputy Secretary and MBIE’s Leadership Team briefings and reports.

Relationship Management

• Manages constructive working relationships with work colleagues and external stakeholders to enhance understanding and co-operation needed to achieve desired results.
• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.
• Develops effective working relationships with senior 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 and customers, as necessary, in order to identify and share best practice information. 
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in any external interactions.

Self Management

• Takes responsibility for own behaviour and is open to development.
• Models positive behaviours.
• Models the desired values and culture of the organisation. 
• Willingly shares knowledge, expertise and within the team and with others in the organisation.
• Acts with honesty and integrity.

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 Principal Advisor, Office of the Deputy Secretary position reports to Head of Office Deputy Secretary within the Strategy and Assurance 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