Assessment and Contract Monitoring Advisor

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Assessment and Contract Monitoring Advisor (ACMA) reports to the Assessor Manager and works in partnership with the Senior Assessment and Contract Monitoring Advisors. They contribute to the successful delivery of the centralised assessor management, science funding application assessment and science contract report monitoring programmes of work across a range of (science) investment mechanisms.

They contribute to the planning and implementation of the quality assurance and business improvement initiatives for the team’s work programme.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Experience relevant to this role in a science environment; assessment processes, relationship management, contract reporting and monitoring.
• Experience quickly understanding new complex scientific information or areas of work.
• An understanding of the New Zealand science sector.
• Excellent relationship management and collaboration skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Critical thinking and judgement; ability to manage competing demands.
• Good organising and planning skills, takes a systematic approach to work with a strong attention to detail.
• Juggling multiple demands, ability to change focus quickly, prioritise work and to deliver complex results to tight timeframes.
• Good negotiation and influencing skills.
• Ability to work in an ambiguous environment.
• Knowledge of effective risk management.

Qualifications

• A tertiary qualification in a scientific discipline, with the minimum being a Masters (NZQF Level 9) or equivalent experience (depending on the subject area).

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Managing assessment process of science proposals

• Advise stakeholders during the design and development phase of investment processes to ensure the assessment processes are fit for purpose and able to be implemented and that assessor availability, expertise and engagement is incorporated, identifying risks and putting in place the mitigations to manage them.
• Determine allocation of assessors to science proposals, by reading and understanding comprehensive proposals, analysing key science areas for assessment, matching assessors with relevant expertise and conducting Conflict of Interest due diligence.
• Manage the assessment of proposals to ensure that the required assessments are delivered on time, following each fund’s different objectives and design principles.
• Manage communications and relationships with internal and external stakeholders throughout the assessment process, providing advice and guidance as needed.
• Review comprehensive assessments to ensure they comply with the Assessment Guidelines, and if required manage assessors through the revision process.
• Deliver presentations about the assessment process to external stakeholders as required, for example during assessor briefing webinars.
• Peer review the configuration of assessment forms in the Science System Invesment and Performance branch’s (SSIP’s) investment management system and ensure they are fit for purpose.

Managing assessment resources and database

• Identify the assessor expertise required to assess applications in the New Zealand context, analyse the availability of this expertise in our database, and if necessary prioritise expertise areas where additional assessors are needed.
• Identify and implement ways to further enhance the assessors’ engagement and experience with MBIE.
• Proactively curate the assessor information to enable optimal matching of assessors and applications.

Lead the processes to recruit additional assessors in priority expertise areas and prepare advice to General Manager and other SSIP leadership team members, including:

• Identifying potential assessors who are suitably qualified and experienced, where relevant seeking nominations from external stakeholders.
• Analysing their suitability by gathering and evaluating information from multiple sources, reconciling conflicts, completing due diligence checks to verify information and raising any issues in a timely manner, managing confidential information appropriately.
• Preparing accurate documentation and ensuring it is saved appropriately.
• Applying critical thinking and judgement when reviewing documentation prepared by colleagues.

Assessing performance of science investment contracts

• Analyse contract performance monitoring reports.
• Advise and contribute to the design, development and review of relevant external and internal documentation for assessment and contract monitoring processes.
• Peer review the configuration of contract monitoring forms in SSIP’s investment management system and ensure they are fit for purpose.

Advise Fund Teams on the performance of research, science and innovation investments in different scientific disciplines, by:

• Reading and understanding comprehensive information in contract performance reports in the context of the fund.
• Analysing the level of achievement, reconciling conflicts.
• Identifying risks and issues that need to be resolved with the contract holders and advising whether proposed variations Mitigate these issues.
• Documenting the analysis and advice as appropriate.

Relationship management

• Proactively establish and manage collaborative and purposeful relationships with stakeholders at all levels, in particular with assessors, to ensure ongoing desired results in short time frames and complex scenarios and drive quality and timeliness eg delivery of assessments, assessment process design and implementation.
• Consider the broader MBIE Research, Science and Innovation context when engaging with external stakeholders.
• Maintain relationships across a variety of functions. Draw upon multiple relationships to exchange ideas, resources and know how. Actively seeks to build and develop a network of contacts.

Business and process improvement

• Proactively identify opportunities for business improvement of the team’s work programme, including successfully conducting data analysis to identify solutions and best practice.
• Identify risks, analyse and mitigate or escalate in a timely manner.
• Develop and maintain in-depth knowledge of SSIP’s investment management system relating to the processes for assessor management, assessment and science contract monitoring to enable training and guidance for internal and external stakeholders.

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 Assessment and Contract Monitoring Advisor position reports to the Assessor Manager in the Investment Operations Team within the Science System Investment and Performance branch. The branch sits within the Labour, Science and Enterprise 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