Senior Advisor Quality Management Systems

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

Standards New Zealand (Standards NZ) is New Zealand's national standards body. We work closely with government, industry, consumer, and stakeholder groups to develop and provide access to standards that shape and improve the lives of all New Zealanders.

The primary purpose of this role is to develop and implement an ISO 9001:2015 quality management systems certification for Standards NZ.

This includes implementing a project-based approach to undertake the following activities to enable Standards NZ to obtain ISO 9001 certification and bed in a quality management system, including:

• Review and update existing operational systems, processes, policies, and procedures.
• Ensuring the way in which Standards NZ develops operational polices and business processes is fit for purpose and meets both the business needs and requirements for ISO 9001 standard/certification.
• Lead the implementation of quality management system and practices, including establishing the administration process of ongoing quality assurance reviews, audits, meetings, reporting, change management and continuous improvement activities.
• Preparing the business to have certification audits undertaken, including undertaking internal audits first.
• Implementing and setting up systems for ongoing administration of the quality management system processes for the maintenance of the certification for Standards NZ.
• Managing and overseeing external audit activities and leading work to address recommendations and corrective actions.
• Engaging and reporting up to the Standards NZ management team on progress, compliance, improvement opportunities, etc.
• Helping build a culture and business discipline of continuous improvement across Standards NZ.
• Ensure QMS is successfully absorbed into BAU at the end of the project.
• The role requires close liaison, work activities and relationship management with the three business teams within Standards NZ, a management team and connection into wider Branch and Ministry QMS resources and expertise.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Proven and extensive experience implementing and maintaining/managing quality management systems, including leading work to achieve this in a business from scratch.
• Excellent understanding of the ISO 9001:2015 standard requirements, practices and business approaches.
• Proven ability in developing and documenting business systems, procedures and processes.
• Confident user of technology – experience with the application of business process mapping software.
• Excellent influencing, interpersonal and communication (oral and written) skills.
• Proven ability to develop trust and credibility at a senior management level.
• Ability to quickly assimilate new information and understand complex issues.
• Ability to communicate ideas, provide insightful feedback, facilitate workshops and presentations.
• Able to organise and prioritise workloads effectively, to ensure high quality results within deadlines.
• Sound judgement especially around consideration of risk management.
• Excellent project planning and project management skills.
• Well-developed communication and relationship management capabilities
• Experience in document control.
• Experience in managing non-conformances, change control, and deviation.
• High attention to detail, positive solution-focused and strong drive for improvement – willing to challenge the status quo and get things done.
• A can-do attitude and ability to work under pressure and juggle multiple projects and competing priorities.
• Hands-on approach and easy to communicate.
• Deadline oriented.
• Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel, MS Project).
• Good team-worker with sense of humour.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical Areas of Success

Lead a programme of work to achieve and bed in an ISO 9001 quality management systems certification for Standards NZ. This includes (but not limited to):

• Developing and leading a detailed project plan identifying key milestones, timeframes, tasks and resources required to achieve ISO 9001 certification.
• Undertaking review/gap analysis of existing business processes and procedures and working with the relevant parts of the business to update and refresh these where they exist.
• Developing new documented systems, processes, policies, and procedures where they do not yet exist and are required for ISO 9001.
• Supporting the business teams to develop, adopt and successfully implement documented policies and procedures.
• Supporting the business teams with quality management practices including continuous improvement activities and reporting.
• Documenting operational policies, business processes and procedures in a user-friendly fit for purpose way, consistent with ISO 9001 requirements but most importantly meeting the business needs.
• Undertaking internal audits, leading meetings and other activities to prepare the business for the certification process/assessment and bed in and maintain it as BAU activities.
• Coordinating and conducting regular reviews / internal audits of quality management activities.
• Analysing, presenting and discussing audit / reviewing results with management team, make recommendations and agree on follow-up actions to ensure compliance.
• Working closely with all team managers and their key staff to help instil a culture of continuous improvement and imbed new or refined quality systems and processes. This includes leading workshops to ensure team understanding and buy in.
• Documenting preventative actions in accordance with ISO 9001 quality management systems to minimise any risks of reoccurrence.
• Liaising with and managing external audit activities with third party service providers (incl contract management).
• Evaluating, reviewing and in conjunction with relevant managers, leading any remedial/corrective actions and recommendations implementation, offering the necessary advice, guidance,support and oversight to managers to ensure standards are met and maintained.
• In conjunction with team managers, help leading and maintaining ISO certification statutes/activities for Standards NZ.
• Regular reporting up and engagement with Standards NZ management team, flagging risks, progress, status, options and recommendations.
• Implementing the above programme of work in collaboration with the entire Standards NZ management team.

Self-management

• Actively seeks out opportunities for self-improvement, seeks feedback and is receptive to input from others, and willingly implements any necessary changes identified.
• Fosters an open, supportive, and collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, customer service excellence and ongoing learning and knowledge sharing.
• Leads by engaging with others, creating a sense of vision, and motivating others to participate and achieve shared goals.
• Models the desired values and culture of the organisation through positive behaviour and acts with honesty and integrity.
• Build and maintain expertise and recognition as a centre of excellence.
• Regularly review, keep abreast of, and maintain up-to-date knowledge of quality management practices and share knowledge and wisdom within the Standards New Zealand team and the wider MBIE team as required.
• Build and maintain relationships with other experts within MBIE and other government agencies.

Relationship Management - Work collaboratively with others to support the achievement of MBIE outcomes 

• Build and maintain strong, influential and effective working relationships with managers and their key staff.
• Help build a culture of continious improvement and quality assurance across Stanards New Zealand, supporting team to embed the business disaplines to achieve this - with an adding value not compliance approach to this.
• Represent whole-of-Ministry views and protect its reputation in external interactions. 

Coaching and Mentoring

• Provide intellectual support and coach others on quality management and assurance and risk management.
• Provide constructive, timely and specific feedback to wider Standards New Zealand team and give credit for tasks well done.
• Motivate wider Standards New Zealand team members and give them opportunities to participate.
• Seeks and explores opportunities to develop the capability of others in the team.

Personal Leadership

• Model exemplary leadership behaviours, and State sector ethics and values.
• Create a sense of vision, engages, and motivate people to participate, and make things happen.
• Foster an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality innovation, ongoing learning, and knowledge sharing.

Collaboration

• Seek views and opinions of others, develop new systems and processes in conjunction with others, capturing their needs, views, and preferences where appropriate.
• Value the knowledge and expertise of others and capture this in ones thinking and work.
• Build strong, non-authorising but influential relationships with all managers and key staff within Standards NZ.
• Seek ideas and inputs from others to help inform final products and solutions.
• Share knowledge and information to support others to learn, improve and be their best.
• Take a whole of organisation approach and lens to ones work and outputs.

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 Quality Management Systems reports into the Manager Business Systems and Operations within Standards New Zealand. Standards New Zealand is a business unit within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). We are New Zealand’s national standards body and leading developer of standards and standards-based solutions.

For more information see standards.govt.nz (external link)

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