Senior Incursion Investigator - Animal Health Incursion Investigation | Wellington - Wallaceville

Job Description

Senior Incursion Investigator – Animal Health

Role type: Permanent full-time

Location: Upper Hutt, Wellington

Animals Surveillance & Incursion Investigation Salary Range 2: $119,146 to $140,171 depending on skills and experience

About the Role - Kōrero mō te Tūranga

The Senior Incursion Investigator is part of the Diagnostic, Readiness & Surveillance (DRS) directorate within Biosecurity New Zealand. This role will be based in Wallaceville, Wellington.  

Animal Health Incursion Investigators are responsible for the investigation of reports and when required, the urgent management and control and/or eradication of suspected exotic pests and diseases that may affect animals (including livestock, wildlife, pets, marine mammals and bees). You'll engage with our border and laboratory teams, members of the public, commercial laboratories, and with vets in the field. If a response were to happen, you'll be working in a response team which is highly reactive. You'll be closely involved with the end-to-end process of disease investigation.

You'll also act as a subject matter expert giving veterinary advice across the business, particularly readiness groups, as well as stakeholder groups including councils, other government departments, specific industry groups and others as needed.  

As a Senior Incursion Investigator,you will:

• Support the team by participating in the on-call rota and fulfilling core investigator duties – this involves afterhours duties including assessment of pages within a 15-minute timeframe over a 7 days a week/24 hour a day on-call period.
• Contribute to MPI's outcomes through advice which ensures the team is contributing at a strategic level to improved performance of the Animal Health general surveillance system, including for key exotic diseases, working with industry within the existing Government Industry Agreement (GIA) framework, and with public reporting.
• Routinely speak with members of the public who call the exotic pest and disease hotline with notifications.

About You - Mōu 

We are looking for a registered veterinarian with no less than 5 years of clinical experience, and ideally with postgraduate training in epidemiology (or equivalent) or a strong desire to pursue such training.

You'll be someone who can work effectively within a team as well as independently when required, is motivated, has excellent communication skills, and exercises good judgment when confronted with complex and challenging decisions.

To be successful in this role you will also have:

• A strong interest in epidemiology and/or pathology, with post-graduate qualification preferred
• Very strong analytical ability; a capacity to quickly identify and clearly express core elements of an issue or proposal.
• High level of information technology skills and the ability to use databases such as those supporting New Zealand's Animal Health biosecurity.
• Excellent written skills, with a demonstrated ability to produce written material that is concise, fluent and clearly presented.
• Expertise with scientific literature and ability to research and interpret scientific information and analyse investigation and survey results.
• Demonstrated ability to build collegial working relationships across colleagues of diverse work styles and preferences, and to proactively foster an atmosphere of open and proactive communication and problem-solving within a team.

About the Team - Mō tō mātou Rōpū 

The Animal Health Incursion Investigation Team includes veterinarians with diverse skills and experience. We operate in a dynamic high-trust environment to effectively contribute to New Zealand's biosecurity system. Our focus is on rapid evaluation and investigation of exotic, new and emerging notifications of animal disease.

You'll work with 5 other experienced vets with similar responsibilities. The environment is fast-paced, and the team uses their own judgement and a collaborative framework to make decisions on how we should respond to exotic animal diseases. We have a strong sense of what we do, and why we're doing it. We're highly collegial.

About MPI - Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua

We're passionate about growing prosperity in the sector while ensuring respect for Kaitiaki – guardianship of our natural resources.

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

• Additional MPI leave days
• Ability to purchase extra annual leave
• Annual Wellness payment

Low level Security Clearance

• most preferably a New Zealand citizen or Permanent Resident, who has resided continuously in New Zealand for at least the last five (5) years, OR
• is a citizen of, and/or has resided continuously in one or more of the following countries for the last five (5) years: either Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (UK) or the United States of America (USA); and has a background history that is verifiable and can be assessed as appropriate by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) towards a recommendation of suitability for a security clearance at this level.
• click here to find out more about the national security vetting process and access the eligibility self-check tool.

If you do not meet these minimum criteria, we will not be able to accept your application.

Are you ready to make a difference? - Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi whaitake?
We are committed to being a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi which includes working closely with iwi, hapū, whānau and hāpori. We aspire to reflect the diverse communities we serve, so we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, and identities. As an organisation, we are committed to making Manatū Ahu Matua Ministry for Primary Industries a great place to work for all.

In your cover letter we'd like to know about you, your values; your interest and motivations for this role; the abilities, strengths, personal attributes and diverse perspectives you will bring to the role and this organisation, which may have also been gained outside of the workforce.

To view the position description and/or apply online, please click “APPLY FOR THIS JOB” 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 Thursday 29 May

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