Operations Adviser | Wellington City

Job Description

Operations Adviser

Role type: Fixed-term/Secondment until end of March 2026

Location: Wellington preferred

Salary Range: General Salary Range F: $76,463 to $89,215 depending on skills and experience

About the Role - Kōrero mō te tūranga

As an Operations Adviser within Verification Services (VS), you'll play a key role in ensuring our relief resourcing is coordinated efficiently and cost-effectively. You'll be the first point of contact for our frontline teams, providing advice on MPI and VS business processes and contributing to the smooth running of day-to-day operations.

In this role, you will manage relief resource modelling and develop effective solutions to support frontline service delivery. You'll need to be adaptable, able to shift focus quickly as priorities change, and comfortable managing expectations across multiple teams and managers.

You'll be joining a dedicated team that supports a large national frontline workforce. This is a great opportunity to gain valuable experience within New Zealand Food Safety and Verification Services, while making a meaningful impact to help on our people and operations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Coordinating the scheduling of relievers and working closely with fellow Operations Advisers to ensure national coverage for our frontline Establishment teams.
• Acting as a conduit for onboarding, training, planned leave requests, and relief coordination.
• Providing advice to frontline teams on MPI and VS business operations processes.
• Sharing information, resolving issues, and contributing to continuous process improvement across the directorate.
• Supporting the Business Operations and Performance work programme, including tasks related to project delivery.

About You - Mōu

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Experience in a planning, advisory and operational support environment.
• Strong Microsoft Word and Excel skills, with excellent attention to detail.
• Proven relationship-building skills and a commitment to high-quality service delivery.
• Clear and effective communication skills, with the ability to explain, persuade, and influence across a range of audiences.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and the capacity to work under pressure in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• The ability to interpret and apply standards, legislation, cost recovery processes, and business documentation to provide timely, accurate advice and support.

About the Team – Mō tō mātou Rōpū

You'll be part of a dedicated and collaborative team that provides business support and operational advice for Verification Services. Our primary focus is on resource coordination and relief rostering for frontline verifiers across Aotearoa New Zealand.

We work closely with frontline veterinarians and Team Managers to ensure every region maintains a continuous veterinary presence at meat processing establishments. In addition to rostering, we deliver a range of business support and advice to the directorate's frontline teams.

Our team is nationally distributed, with members based in Wellington and across the regions. We stay well connected through regular online meetings and frequent Teams calls. Despite the physical distance, we're a strong and supportive team that values fresh ideas and is committed to building our collective capability and resilience.

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

• Annual Wellness payment
• Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames
• Career development and internal opportunities across the branch and organisation

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” 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 Sunday 14^th September

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

Follow MPI here - Whāia ngā tūhononga ki MPI i konei

Links to Facebook, MPI Careers, LinkedIn, X