Senior Advisor Learning and Development

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Senior Advisor L&D sits within the Talent & Development Centre of Expertise and works:

• in partnership with one or more of MBIE’s Business Groups providing strategic direction and advice for business-specific learning and development needs, and to contribute a business perspective on MBIE- wide L&D needs, and/or
• with an MBIE-wide capability development focus, working across a varied range of programmes and initiatives.

The Senior Advisor L&D collaborates with the business to devise and agree learning needs and priorities aligned to business challenges and requirements. They lead strategic capability development discussions for their portfolio including prioritisation, planning and alignment of L&D activities within the business group and/or across MBIE and building shared ownership for L&D solutions with key stakeholders.

The Senior Advisor L&D works closely with the Strategic HR Business Partners and HR Advisory team members to ensure strong alignment between strategic HR and L&D plans and activities. They also work collaboratively with each other to ensure optimal integration between Business Group and MBIE-wide capability development and continuous improvement.

The Senior Advisor L&D will play the lead role of articulating the value of L&D interventions within their portfolio, making sure that they benefit both the business and the learner, with clear L&D objectives from inception and robust evaluation methodology to track risk and impact to ensure L&D solutions deliver the required results. The role is accountable for the delivery of the Portfolio L&D plan.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Strong business and HR acumen; expert applied problem solving skills, critical thinking, solution focus and initiative.
• Broad and in depth understanding of how businesses operate and where and how L&D can make a strategic contribution.
• Experience in articulating clear L&D value propositions for a business audience and actively demonstrating the value of learning to the business.
• Strong relationship building skills; ideally with track record of building credible expert relationships with internal and external stakeholders, influencing to deliver the best outcomes, and providing appropriate challenge when necessary.
• Proven track record of experience and achievement in managing the design and delivery of training programmes against best practice training and learning methodology and technology, to develop capacity in a large organisation.
• Strong planning, prioritisation and execution skills; attentive to details and deadlines; ability to manage multiple initiatives.
• Ability to be flexible and to quickly adapt to the needs of a business’s changing demands.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment and to develop and maintain effective work relationships, maintaining trust and credibility with managers and staff.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, ability to adjust to a range of stakeholders.
• Strong computer skills, including demonstrated competence in Microsoft Office suite of products, especially Word and PowerPoint.
• Tertiary qualification, preferably in human resources, industrial/organisational psychology or business studies or equivalent practical experience. Alternatively, has extensive and comparable experience in organisational capability development or learning and development.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Professional leadership in L&D

• Acts as an expert advisor on learning and development within their assigned portfolio, understands, initiates and champions the capability shifts necessary for the Business Group and/or MBIE to move forward, identifying obstacles and providing insight and leadership for innovative L&D solutions.
• Provides expertise and knowledge of leading edge L&D practice, leads critical assessment with the team on how this should influence practice and oversees implementation.
• Coaches and mentors L&D team members to build their professional and operational L&D skills and knowledge and builds capability across the L&D team.

Partnership

• Works in partnership as a trusted advisor to leaders and key stakeholders for a defined portfolio of MBIE Business Groups, and/or for MBIE-wide strategic capability development to provide senior learning and development expertise.
• Develops an expert understanding of the assigned Business Group or at an enterprise level that includes business models, drivers, strategies, and needs, trends, and operating environment.
• Builds a clear and shared understanding with Business Group stakeholders/ of the priority capability shifts the L&D Governance Group and other key stakeholders required to solve their business problems and deliver on business outcomes.
• Leads strategic L&D discussions for ensuring capability development is integrated into (and supports) business planning and the delivery of key projects.
• Works collaboratively with the Strategic HR Business Partners, HR Advisory and other key stakeholders to ensure strong alignment between strategic HR and Business Group/MBIE-wide L&D plans and activities, and ensure that business-specific L&D needs with wider implications are identified and managed.
• Creates effective business cases to justify investment in L&D and demonstrate the contribution of learning to the business.
• Build strong collaborative relationships with the business to support their ownership and implementation of capability development solutions.
• Builds and maintains strong partnering relationships with longer-term suppliers.

L&D analysis and solutions

• Provides valued L&D consulting level support and guidance in resolving capability issues through assessing critical capability needs, leading learning needs analysis and developing strategic solutions in collaboration with business stakeholders.
• Helps to link and integrate learning and development frameworks and initiatives to other HR initiatives and business plans.
• Maintains currency with L&D services, products, technologies and trends in the market place and how they can contribute to business outcomes and strategies.
• Recommends and participates in the design of L&D standards, tools, technologies and methodologies and their implementation, shares best practice and lessons learned with the L&D team and SHRBPs.

L&D planning and prioritisation

• Leads the prioritisation, planning and alignment of agreed L&D interventions, contributing to planning and prioritisation for MBIE-wide needs as appropriate.
• Drives the development of the Business Group L&D plan/MBIE-wide L&D plan for approval by the Business Group Leadership Team/L&D Governance Group.
• Works with the Business Group Leadership Team/MBIE project team to ensure that plans are on track to deliver what has been agreed.
• Reports to Business Group project team/ L&D Governance Group on delivery and any review or new projects required in the light of changing business priorities.
• Ensures a consistent approach to L&D governance, principles and framework is maintained.

L&D project management

• Ensures key Business Group/MBIE stakeholders are engaged appropriately to implement L&D solutions in a way that builds their ownership.
• Leads the translation of solutions into the development of L&D project deliverables, advising on scope, costing, resources and services.
• Provides support in the selection and engagement of third party vendors, developing requirements as needed and working collaboratively to manage these vendor relationships (including contract and SLA management) to ensure continuous improvement and value for money.
• Manages delivery against outcomes through effective reporting; monitors measurable evaluation processes; and establishes and monitors effective feedback systems in order to ensure activity delivers required results and is continuously improved.
• Contributes L&D expertise to project oversight and decision-making, actively supporting the Business Group in managing delivery against outcomes through reporting.
• Transitions solutions into BAU mode within the business where appropriate, and closes out the project.

Systems, tools and frameworks

• Leads the development of proposals, business cases, project plans, requirements, RFI and RFP as required for business and external provider audiences.
• Contributes to the development of systems and processes to improve access to L&D systems, services, products and technology and improve this experience for the business and for learners.
• Provides advice and guidance to the rollout of new systems and processes to ensure these are transitioned effectively into the business as necessary.
• Oversees the maintenance of training resources to ensure they remain current and applicable, in line with the Content Management strategy.
• Supports the Learning & Development Manager and the team in the selection and engagement of third party vendors, providing requirements as needed and working collaboratively to manage these vendor relationships (including contract and SLA management).

Relationship Management

• Effectively collaborates and communicates with members of HR.
• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.
• Develops effective working relationships with other HR leaders and employees in order to transfer knowledge and drive best practice.
• Builds and maintains effective relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, as necessary, 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.

Self-Management

• 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.
• Welcomes feedback and is receptive to input from others.
• Keeps up to date with the latest HR best Shares learning and inputs new thinking into the wider HR team.

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 Advisor Learning & Development position reports into the Learning and Development Manager within the People and Culture branch. The branch sits within the Corporate Services, Finance and 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