Senior Advisor

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The senior advisor is a member of the Operations Support and Improvement (OSI) team within the Strategy Planning and Performance (SPP) branch of Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit (Kānoa). The senior advisor supports the manager and principal advisor with identification and implementation of operations support and continuous improvement initiatives and will lead initiatives as required.

The senior advisor will:

• bring business understanding and perspective to work in partnership with managers and other staff to support operational teams in their activities, identify opportunities for improvement and lead the implementation of changes.
• collaborate with other teams to understand operational processes, interpret data and support and/or develop quality assurance frameworks that ensure Kānoa and OSI products are accurate, and suitable for the intended audience.
• work closely with managers and teams across Kānoa to lead and/or support effective and efficient development and completion of a range of critical outputs, including reports to the Minister(s), written parliamentary questions (WPQs), and official correspondence including but not limited to requests under the official information act (OIAs) and Ministerial correspondence.

The role requires excellent relationship management, strategic and systems thinking, building and maintaining deep subject matter knowledge, and business process improvement skills.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Experience involving analysis, internal consultation and engagement, and interaction with decision makers.
• Proven ability to build relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Understands how a government agency functions, understands key government processes and current Government priorities.
• Demonstrated general problem identification and solution skills and can develop robust solutions that are viable for government; technically possible and desirable for all people affected.
• Demonstrated knowledge of continuous improvement, business process management, operational policy and/or service design.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills: demonstrated competence in effectively communicating complex ideas both orally and in writing to a wide variety of audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal, teamwork and relationship management skills.
• Knowledge of public sector requirements and processes, including official correspondence and working with Ministers and with Ministers’ offices.
• A strong track record of achievement of results and ability to maintain a clear focus on long term goals.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and complexity comfortably.
• The ability to function independently and as part of a team, as required.
• Familiar with project management concepts and the disciplines of project reporting.
• Ability to coach and mentor others.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in relevant discipline or equivalent work experience

Pre-Requisites

• Must have the right to live and work in New Zealand

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Accountabilities of this position are expected to change over time as the Ministry responds to changing needs. The incumbent will need the flexibility to adapt and develop as the environment evolves. This includes performing any other reasonable duties as required.

Senior advisor activities, tasks and expectations 

• Build and maintain effective relationships and partnerships across Kānoa and with other teams at MBIE.
• Scan at a strategic and operational system level and work collaboratively to identify issues, business process improvement opportunities; tension points that need addressing; and opportunities for innovation.
• Use insight and diagnostic techniques to identify and analyse issues, and data to identify opportunities for innovation; determine key issues; or identify potential delivery and implementation impacts from proposed changes.
• Support advisors in the team (or lead/complete when required) to co-ordinate or lead answering WPQs and requests made under the OIA, responding to Ministerial correspondence (and any other official correspondence/Ministerial service requests) and the review of documents to be proactively released.
• Exercise good judgment to manage and escalate potentially sensitive issues.
• Use project management and service design disciplines and methodologies to ensure effective delivery of initiatives.
• Use critical thinking to identify problems then test and implement solutions.
• Take a forward-looking and proactive strategic approach and seeks opportunities to implement new ideas and methods.
• Support, coach and mentor advisors to build and enhance the overall capability of the team.
• Provide advice to the branch leadership team on effective information management, business process improvement and collaboration opportunities in the Kānoa.

Coaching and Mentoring

• Contribute to a high-performing team that can deliver quality operations support and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide intellectual support and coaches others on relationship management, monitoring, government systems and knowledge of institutional practice.
• Provide constructive, timely and specific feedback to others and give credit for tasks well done.
• Motivate team members and give them opportunities to participate.
• Support work output or ideas from advisors and empower/support them to take ownership.

Personal leadership

• Provide leadership that engages and motivates others to succeed and develop, and proactively share experience, knowledge and ideas.
• Model exemplary leadership behaviours, and State sector ethics and values.
• Create a sense of vision, engage and motivate people to participate, and make things happen.
• Foster an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, ongoing learning and knowledge sharing.

Manage key relationships and linkages within MBIE and with sectors/industry

• Value and develop connections with stakeholders within and outside of MBIE, purposefully engaging with them and leveraging their activities to gain deeper insights and better achieve desired policy outcomes collectively.
• Actively contribute to development of and promotion of whole of Kānoa/Ministry views in internal and external interactions.
• Contribute to and manage collaboration within Kānoa on solutions to ensure effective input and ownership of outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to monitor, review, evaluate and improve existing business, customer and community experiences against desired outcomes.
• Establish and maintain relationships with similar functions across MBIE and within the wider public sector.

Wellbeing, health & 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 position reports into the Operations Support and Improvement within the Kānoa branch. The branch sits within the Regional Development and Commercial Services 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