Senior Operational Policy Analyst (Maximising Carbon) | Wellington City

Job Description

Role type: Permanent full-time

Location: Wellington

Salary band: $92,073 to $124,570 depending on skills and experience of the successful applicant

Do you love forests?

Excited by the opportunity to be part of a team that builds lasting impact for New Zealand's climate change outcomes?

Want to play a leading role in the development of regulatory and operational policy advice?

The Ministry for Primary Industries is currently recruiting for a Senior Operational Policy Analyst to join our new Maximising Carbon Programme as part of our wider Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service business unit based in Wellington.

Kōrero mō te tūranga - About the Role

The Senior Operational Policy Analyst (Maximising Carbon) role is responsible for assisting in the design of policy and research programmes that are part of the wider Maximising Carbon Programme. This role is highly collaborative and involves working closely with the wider Maximising Carbon Programme staff, partner agencies, policy and operational staff, tangata whenua and forestry stakeholders to deliver practical regulatory and operational policy advice.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and supporting the development of regulatory and operational policy advice, options, and analysis for how to assess and recognise the relationship between forest management and carbon stock.
• Providing advice on the likely economic, environmental, climate change, social, and cultural impacts, and possible trade-offs of different options to recognise carbon stock changes in forests.
• Supporting the wider programme, Operational Policy and ETS Operations teams to understand the implications of the programme, and its implementation.

Mōu - About You

We encourage you to apply if you have strong analytical and written communication skills, an ability to develop collaborative working relationships with a range of stakeholders, and experience in gathering, organising, and communicating information.

As a Senior Operational Policy Analyst, you will have a strong policy, operational policy, or implementation background, and you will be able to take a lead role in the team. You will collaborate with our policy staff and partner agencies to develop and test proposals that are evidence based and can be practically applied within the Emissions Trading Scheme and other policy interventions.

Mō tō mātou rōpū - About our team

The Maximising Carbon Programme team is a new team which is focused on developing regulatory and operational policy advice, options, and analysis for how to assess and recognise the relationship between forest management and carbon stock.

The team is part of the Forestry and Land Management directorate. The directorate covers a range of regulatory and operational responsibilities for forestry in the ETS, with a focus on New Zealand's climate change responsibilities.

If you are excited by the opportunity to be part of a team that will create a lasting impact for New Zealand's climate change outcomes apply now!

To find out more about the Ministry and what we do please click here.

About the Maximising Carbon Programme: increasing natural sequestration to achieve New Zealand's future carbon goals

In Budget '22 the government invested $26.6million into the ‘Max Carbon' programme of research to improve the understanding of the relationship between carbon stocks and management interventions in forests. This research and implementation programme will be run over 4 years by MPI, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for the Environment.

The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a key part of New Zealand's climate change response to reduce emissions. While the rules for how people account for forests in the ETS are covered by the Climate Change Response Act 2002, it is the regulations which set out the detail of how this is done. The Max Carbon programme provides the first opportunity to step back and consider how forests are included in the regulations and how this aligns with the outcomes being sought within the ETS and wider forestry outcomes [for example, biodiversity]. While there is broad agreement that we can make improvement to the current approach there is little consensus around what the design goal is.

Max Carbon allows us to design and implement a research programme which provides the evidence we need to propose changes to the regulations which results in improved recognition of management and more accurate carbon accounting with the ETS. Following consultation, these proposed changes will be incorporated into a regulations update and be used by ETS forestry participants.

To achieve these ETS focused outcomes, the programme requires research into forest not covered by the ETS, and how different management interventions can lead to measurable carbon stock changes. This understanding will assist in the design and implementation of policies to promote carbon stock increases in these forests. 

Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua - About MPI

The Ministry for Primary Industries is helping to seize export opportunities for our primary industries, improve sector productivity, ensure the food we produce is safe, increase sustainable resource use, and protect New Zealand from biological risk.

Ngā hua o te Mahi i te Manatū Ahu Matua - Benefits of working at MPI

• Up to three additional leave days
• Wellness benefit for employees
• Career development and internal opportunities across the branch and organisation

Wā Mahi Ngāwari - Flexible Working

We support flexible working arrangements and are happy to discuss these options with you.

Me pēhea te tuku tono - How to Apply

To view the position description and/or apply online, please click Apply or visit the MPI Careers Site. To apply, you must hold the right to work in New Zealand or be eligible to obtain it – click here to find out more about work visa eligibility and options.

Applications close at 11:59pm on 5 February.

If you have any questions about the role, please email shane.gooch@mpi.govt.nz  

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