Senior Ministerial Services Advisor
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Tēnei tūranga – About the role
Senior Ministerial Services Advisors contribute to the operations of Ministerial Servicing and are responsible for providing a high-quality official correspondence drafting service to the business group. The Senior Ministerial Services Advisor is responsible for ensuring quality and consistency of advice and practice in relation to both their contribution and to the broader team’s work and ensuring effective stakeholder relationships.
The Senior Ministerial Services Advisor will take a lead in prioritising, and assist with practice, programme and service development initiatives or projects. They will also assist the Manager Ministerial Services by providing quality assurance, peer support, coaching and technical advice to colleagues, and business planning and partnering advice.
Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role
Personal specifications
- Experience in writing responses to OIAs and Ministerial correspondence, and a readiness to respond to other requests for ministerial writing services (eg WPQs).
- Innovation and eagerness to explore and evaluate new operational delivery practices.
- Ability to produce and recognise high quality work and provide peer support, coaching and technical advice to colleagues.
- Ability to focus on both strategic and operational issues.
- A demonstrated ability to form robust professional working relationships, which includes collaboration and co-operation with internal and external stakeholders when developing new models and systems.
- Highly developed customer service skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an eye for detail and a high level of accuracy.
- The ability to quickly assimilate new information or areas of work.
- The ability to work well under pressure, and to tight timeframes.
- Capacity to multitask effectively, with an adaptable working style.
- Can-do attitude and a high level of initiative, sound judgement and discretion.
- Political acumen and sound knowledge of Parliamentary and government structures and processes.
- Knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation, rules and regulations.
- Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.
Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables
Responsibilities 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.
The Senior Ministerial Services Advisor will be required to deliver results in the following areas:
- Drafting Ministerial replies for the relevant Minister that meet quality and timeliness requirements.
- Preparing responses to Official Information Act requests that meet quality and timeliness requirements.
- Preparing responses to Privacy Act requests that meet quality and timeliness requirements.
- Providing advice on responses to ensure quality and consistency across MBIE.
- Assisting in the smooth management of workflow to support accurate reporting in Business Groups and for MBIE Ministerial Servicing performance results.
- Liaising with policy and service delivery staff to source and build knowledge in the particular work area.
- Prioritising workflow to meet MBIE and Ministerial requirements and guidelines.
- Ensuring business intelligence from Ministerial correspondence and OIAs and Parliamentary Questions is shared with appropriate business groups.
- Supporting continuous improvement across MBIE
- Undertaking peer review of colleagues’ work.
- Ensuring tracking, recording, statistical reporting and follow-up actions are timely and accurate.
- Preparing other material as required and agreed by the Manager Ministerial Services, in conjunction with the relevant business group, Legal and Communications staff.
- Taking responsibility for prioritisation, specific practice, programme and service development initiatives or projects, and effective stakeholder relationships.
- Providing peer support, coaching/mentoring and technical advice to ministerial advisors in the team.
- Participates in the MBIE Ministerial Servicing Community of Practice.
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 Senior Ministerial Services Advisor position reports into the Manager Ministerial Services in Group Performance directorate, within the Strategy, Performance and Design branch. The branch sits within the Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery group.
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
