Support Officer

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Support Officer is a team member position within the Refugee and Protection Unit in MBIE. The Support Officer will bring their business understanding and perspective to work in partnership with their manager and other staff.

The Support Officer is responsible for providing administrative support and ensuring the quality and consistency of advice and practices in relation to their contribution to the team’s work.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Ability to work effectively without direct supervision.
• Ability to manage and organise fluctuating workloads in a fast paced and ever-changing environment. Experience in using information systems and computer technology.
• A positive attitude working with people of different cultures, gender, and abilities. Effective written and oral communication.
• Effective data entry skills.
• Ability to develop trust and credibility with managers and staff.
• Ability to deliver high quality accurate work and meet deadlines Understands the role within MBIE and how it contributes to MBIE’s purpose. The ability to gain and maintain a national security clearance as required.
• Must be a NZ citizen or Permanent Resident.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in the country in which this position resides (if the role is located outside of New Zealand).
• Police vetting is required. 

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Administration Support

• Data Entry e.g., for Resettlement Registration Forms and Confirmation of Claim forms. Interview Scheduling and Translation Organisation.
• Processing invoices and interpreter claim forms. Coordinating mail.
• Travel bookings.
• Reception Services.
• Privacy requests and file coordination.
• General administration.

Review Information

• Record and process Resettlement Registration Forms including the allocation of case numbers and documentation. Enter data into in-house databases as required.
• Complete declaration forms for each individual being assessed under the Refugee Quota programme and ensure these are on file for the Case Officer.
• Prepare immigration files as required.
• Manage the formal raising of refugee claims including acknowledging receipt in writing, entering information into databases, and understanding the legislative and legal criteria which may apply to claims.
• Apply your knowledge of refugee law to determine correct claim categories and consequent processes.
• Notify relevant stakeholders including Refugee Status Unit staff, other INZ staff, and the claimant and representative (in writing) of the formal process as required by the claim category.
• Create physical files and ensure all information received is retained therein. Order other relevant files from within INZ as required.

Interview Scheduling and Translation Organisation

• Schedule/reschedule interviews and make appropriate arrangements (interpreters, officers, interview rooms) ensuring that bookings take into account officers’ and interpreters’ availability and that time is allocated according to the complexity of cases.
• Organise interpreter schedule for Refugee Quota Programme intakes for all onsite agencies except Health and AUT. Keep up-to-date records of interview schedules.
• Provide the manager with advice regarding interview bookings and re-scheduling issues. Organise for the translation of documents within approved budgets.
• Maintain up-to-date procedures and guidelines for all related responsibilities and develop new procedures when relevant.

Reception Services

• Be the public face of the Refugee Status Unit (RSU) and ensure public confidence in our service, by, in particular behaving professionally and respectfully to claimants and their legal representatives.
• Provide accurate and relevant information to refugee clients and other stakeholders, including external visitors. Provide excellent customer service to claimants in person, by phone, by email and in formal written correspondence. Be sensitive to issues of culturally appropriate behaviour in particular to claimants.
• Organise and allocate interview rooms and actively manage claimants, lawyers and interpreters who are attending and manage the interview staging process.
• Provide customers with timely, accurate and professional service.
• Liaise between staff at the RSU and internal and external stakeholders as required to facilitate meetings and other communications.
• Manage the formal record of who is in the office and ensure contractors and other visitors are aware of safety and security procedures.
• Arrange courier services and secure document disposal.
• Manage incoming correspondence and record and answer it or disperse it as appropriate to staff.

Biometrics

• Physically collect biometric information from refugee claimants including their photograph and fingerprints.
• Know and explain to claimants and their legal representatives the legal basis of the biometric programme and the process and be sensitive to their concerns.
• Understand and use your delegated powers to take and record biometric information and the requirements and limits on those powers.
• Record the biometric results as required and ensure the information is kept secure.
• Upload information required for the FCC match check for Refugee Quota and asylum claimants.

Privacy Requests and File coordination

• Providing quality processing around Privacy Act & Official Information Act (OIA) requests within the statutory timeframe of 20 working days, especially for NZTA and DIA letters.
• Understanding complex issues that may arise in particular cases and raising them to management. Photocopying and screening of files in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act and OIA. Logging and finalising the privacy request in AMS and internal Databases.
• Contacting the requester about delays and reasons.
• Transferring requests that are the responsibility of another branch or body within the 10-working day limit prescribed in the legislation and advise the requester in writing of any such transfer.
• Liaising with other MBIE staff, government agencies, Legal Services, and representatives regarding the release of materials where necessary.

Refugee Family Support Category (RFSC)

• Lodge all RFSC registrations on AMS.
• Record all RFSC registrations in spreadsheet on MAKO.

File Management

• Receiving applications and creating physical or electronic application files.
• Importing files/documents and ensuring they are attached to the appropriate applications/file records. Transferring physical or electronic files/documents to other offices as required.
• Filing applications and documents accurately and on a regular basis. Obtaining files requested by other staff members.
• Other filing duties as required.
• Centrally coordinating incoming responses from customers, third parties and stakeholders.

Customer Focus

• Liaising with customers and stakeholders to obtain and provide further information.
• maintaining communication with customers through answering general queries using a variety of channels.

Self-Development

• Take responsibility for own professional development, including working with managers, and seeking opportunities to learn and grow.

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 Support officer position reports into the Manager, Refugee Quota within the Refugee & Migrant Services branch. The branch sits within the Immigration New Zealand 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