Advisor Protective Security

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Advisor Protective Security is a team member position in MBIE. As part of the Protective Security team, the Advisor Protective Security is responsible for supporting the overall capability of the team and strengthening capability maturity uplift across MBIE.

The Advisor Protective Security contributes strongly to continuous improvement of MBIE’s ability to manage the risks arising from insider threats. The position operates within a lifecycle of assessing personnel security risks, managing those risks, and evaluating the effectiveness of MBIE’s personnel security measures.

The position requires extensive relationship management and representation both internally and externally for MBIE. The position has no decision-making authority, signing authority or financial delegations. 

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

To be successful as the Advisor Protective Security, the position holder requires the following knowledge, experience, skills and personal attributes:

• A relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent experience.
• Ability to articulate and deliver information, advice and guidance to key stakeholders in a diplomatic way.
• Experience working in a busy team, working flexibly and prioritising work demands to meet deadlines and customer and stakeholder expectations.
• A high standard of written and oral communication skills appropriate to a variety of audiences, including the ability to communicate clearly, concisely and in plain English.
• Analytical and graphical representation skills to support trend analysis and reporting.
• Approachable, cooperative and collaborative working style linked to a ‘can do’ attitude and desire to find workable solutions that meet protective security requirements for MBIE.
• Strong problem-solving capability, including the ability to identify problems, manage and mitigate risks, and offer thoughtful options and solutions.
• Sound interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage interactions with internal and external customers and stakeholders with professionalism, consideration and courtesy.

Other:

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

Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret national security clearance. Employment requires the candidate to be: 

• A New Zealand citizen or resident who has resided continuously in this country for 10 years, or, 
• A citizen of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, or the United States of America, and have resided continuously in one or more of those countries for the past 10 years prior to application, with a background history which is verifiable and can be assessed as appropriate by the NZSIS towards a recommendation of suitability for a national security clearance.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

The Advisor Protective Security is accountable to the Head of Protective Security for:

Key deliverables

• Manage the vetting system and maintain the database and records for all national security clearances.
• Liaise with NZSIS and GCSB to ensure that national security clearances and associated briefings are provided in a timely manner to meet MBIE’s needs.
• Present clearance holder information to the Head of Protective Security and the Chief Security Officer and ensure follow up actions are completed in a timely manner.
• Provide personnel security advice and education to national security clearance applicants, clearance holders, and clearance holder’s people leaders.
• Work with people leaders to create Security Risk Management Plans for clearance holders granted a qualified clearance.
• Participate in training clearance holders on how to use the equipment and systems required to do their job.
• Administer relevant communications to national security clearance holders in a timely manner.
• Liaise with other agencies to manage national security clearance transfers.   
• Administer the national security clearance information available to staff on the intranet.
• Act as SCIF Manager, maintaining the environments to ensure they remain fully operational and fit-for-purpose for MBIE.
• Supervise service providers and project managers whenever they need to access and/or modify the SCIF environment.
• Liaise with NZSIS and GCSB to ensure that all equipment and works is approved prior to installation in the SCIF environment.
• Work with the COMSO, the Head of Protective Security and the Chief Security Officer to ensure MBIE is ready for SCIF certification and accreditation every three years.
• Participate in regular information security audits/musters.
• Review internal policies and procedures at least every two years, or more frequently if a material change occurs, to ensure MBIE’s policies and procedures remain up-to-date.
• Participate in maintaining an up-to-date business continuity plan, for managing the national security clearance function in the event of a significant business disruption.
• Track and record clearance holders’ participation in induction, briefings, reporting, and debriefing.
• Manage parliamentary access cards for staff working with Ministers.
• Liaise with Parliamentary Security to ensure that parliamentary access cards are issued in a timely manner.
• Support investigations related to security and integrity breaches, participating as appropriate.
• Work with the Senior Advisor to ensure clearance holders are meeting their international travel obligations. 
• Participate in creating an effective personnel security culture that encourages everyone in the organisation to contribute to good security behaviours.
• Provide advice to people leaders and project managers on protective security risks to ensure continuous improvement in the management and mitigation of personnel security, physical security and information security related issues.
• Proactively seek out and identify areas of improvement in the Protective Security function delivered across MBIE and put forward innovative workable options to help lift capability maturity.
• Support ongoing improvement through data capture, trend analysis and reporting related to the personnel security lifecycle.

Relationship management

• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.
• Develops effective working relationships with other MBIE managers and staff in order to transfer knowledge and learning from the team to the wider organisation.
• Builds and maintains effective relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, as necessary, in order to identify and share best practice information and to promote the Ministry, its products and services.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in any external interactions.

Self management

• Models positive behaviours.
• Models the desired values and culture of the organisation.
• Willingly shares knowledge and expertise within the team and with others in the organisation.
• Acts with honesty and integrity.
• Welcomes feedback and is receptive to input from others.

Organisational commitment and public service

• Builds commitment to MBIE’s vision, mission, values and services.
• Willingly undertakes any duty required within the context of the position.
• Manages own personal health and safety, and takes appropriate action to deal with workplace hazards, accidents and incidents.
• Complies with all legislative requirements.
• Adheres to the Ministry’s and Public Service Commission Codes of Conduct.

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 Advisor Protective Security position reports to the Head of Protective Security within the Workplace, Safety and Security branch. The Workplace, Safety and Security branch sits within the Corporate Services, Finance and Enablement 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 New Zealand for All.

To Grow New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi (work). 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