Policy Team Leader – Trade Facilitation
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Tēnei tūranga – About the role
The Team Leader - Trade Facilitation is a management position in MBIE and is responsible for:
- Driving the strategic agenda and setting the direction for the Trade Facilitation team’s regulatory and policy work programme. This includes the stewardship and policy settings for the standards and conformance system, Technical Barriers to Trade, and Tariff policy in amongst other areas.
- Providing day to day operational management for the Trade Facilitation Team.
- Providing authoritative advice and leading programmes of work at times on complex and sensitive areas.
- Effectively influencing on domain topics through engagement and communication with senior stakeholders and ministers.
- Maintaining a high-performing team, developing and maintaining a culture of learning and development, safety and wellbeing within the team.
Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role
Personal specifications
- Is able to create a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organisation achieve its objectives.
- Is able to apply sound general management practices so that the team operates effectively and efficiently, and delivers agreed outputs to support achievement of MBIE outcomes.
- Draws on expert knowledge from within the team, MBIE and more widely to critically assess information from a variety of sources and identify implications for analysis and advice.
- Is able to establish and sustain collaborative working relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders to help advance the team’s work programme. This includes working in an international context and accounting for diplomatic considerations.
- Understands the strategic context, current policy and domestic regulatory agenda; and applies foresight and judgement to identify what is important for the team’s work in the medium and long term.
- Has the ability to use effective commissioning and management techniques including to identify and manage risks. Including knowing when to elevate issues to senior management.
- Ability to communicate and persuade using a range of oral, written and visual mediums in diverse situations.
- A relevant tertiary qualification or significant work experience in a regulatory or policy environment.
- Must be eligible to legally work in New Zealand.
Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables
Policy activities and tasks
- Drives the strategic agenda and the direction of team’s regulatory and policy domain.
- Drives the delivery of high-quality advice and results for the team.
- Applies advanced frameworks and methods of analysis to identify policy and regulatory problems, analyse the issues, and identify and assess the policy options.
- Applies advanced system, strategic and critical thinking, clear and logical reasoning and sound judgement to analyse policy issues.
- Critically synthesises information from a wide variety of domains, uses expert knowledge of the policy area and applies sound judgement to draw conclusions.
- Leads engagement with delivery agencies, stakeholders and government agencies on complex/sensitive policy and regulatory issues and manages the landing of advice/proposals.
- Communicates complex issues and concepts clearly and succinctly.
- Provides policy advice that recognises the choices and constraints Ministers face, anticipates needs, predicts and plans for potentially controversial or politically sensitive issues, and presents frank advice even if that tests Ministers’ views and preferences.
Work management
Plans and manages work, for staff, develops and maintains relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.
- Manages staff in the team on a day-to-day basis to deliver teams work programme, priorities and domain strategy.
- Uses project planning and management techniques to effectively carry out the agreed policy work, within the resources available and provides timely reports on progress.
- Works will little guidance - identifies the overall policy and regulatory objectives and seeks guidance where required and uses initiative to resolve conflicts, manage risks and coordinate work with others.
- Manages multiple pieces of work concurrently and actively and independently plans and manages work-load across team and self.
- Participates and contributes to meetings, including where matters are complex or sensitive, require negotiation or solutions.
- Assists the Manager in managing expenditure and resources in line with approved guidelines, budget, deadlines and reporting requirements, with a focus on driving cost effectiveness in the Ministry.
- Manages recruitment and resourcing of the Trade Facilitation Team.
People leadership
Manages, coaches and mentors, drives a high performance culture and supports team capability development.
- Leads the team and understands and utilises the capability of team members to deliver high quality policy and regulatory outputs.
- Provides team leadership that engages and motivates others to succeed and develop, and proactively share knowledge and ideas.
- Establishes clear accountabilities, expectations and performance standards for direct reports, and ensures regular performance feedback and development occurs.
- Coaches, mentors and develops staff to meet the needs of MBIE now and in the future.
- Monitors individual and team performance to ensure that performance targets are met (including pro-actively identifying and addressing any issues in a timely manner, informing/escalating to the Manager).
- Works with the Manager to anticipate future capability needs in resources and identify gaps in capability.
Relationship management
- Maintains relationships across a variety of functions and locations. Draws upon multiple relationships to exchange ideas, resources, and know how. Actively seeks to build and maintain a network of contacts.
- Effectively influences through engagement and communication with senior stakeholders on domain topic.
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
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 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).
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
