Principal Adviser | Wellington City

Job Description

Principal Adviser

Role type: Permanent, full-time

Location: Wellington

Salary band & range: General Salary Range B – $138,938 to $162,716 depending on skills and experience

About the Role - Kōrero mō te Tūranga

As Principal Adviser, you will act as a trusted strategic partner to the Director, providing high-impact leadership, advice, and support across both strategic and operational priorities that underpin the effective delivery of New Zealand's core biosecurity functions. This is a highly visible and influential role spanning a wide range of domains, with a strong emphasis on operational management, financial stewardship, and organisational performance.

Alongside shaping directorate priorities and leading critical initiatives, you will play a key role in translating complex technical information into clear, audience-appropriate advice for senior leaders, Ministers, select committees, and parliamentary processes. Success in this role requires strong political savvy, sound judgement, and an ability to influence without formal authority. You will operate with a high degree of adaptability and confidence, building trusted relationships across Ministry for Primary Industries, while helping foster a connected, high-performing and forward-looking culture.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Providing high-quality, independent strategic advice to the Director across operational, financial, and risk-based matters, identifying emerging issues, opportunities, and priorities.
• Acting as a key member of the directorate leadership team, offering assurance across major work programmes and representing the Director on strategic and operational initiatives as required.
• Bringing strong operational management discipline, helping to strengthen performance, prioritisation, and delivery across the directorate.
• Providing strategic financial insight and stewardship, supporting planning, budgeting, forecasting, and value-for-money decision-making.
• Leading the development of business cases, investment proposals, and funding initiatives, ensuring they are robust, evidence-based, and clearly articulate benefits and trade-offs.
• Translating complex technical information into clear, effective ministerial products, including briefings, select committee material, and parliamentary responses.
• Building and maintaining strong, influential relationships across BNZ, MPI, and central agencies, enabling integrated decision-making and system alignment.

About You – Mōu

To be successful in this role, you will be a highly capable and proactive leader who brings a rare combination of operational management excellence, financial acumen, and strategic insight. You are comfortable operating in complex, fast-paced environments, and are known for your ability to quickly get up to speed, build a deep understanding of the business, and add value from the outset.

With strong knowledge of how government works — including public finance principles and the machinery of government — you apply sound judgement and political savvy to support high-quality decision making. You take ownership, drive your own work programme, and bring a continuous learning mindset, alongside the organisational discipline required to support performance across a broad and demanding directorate.

You will bring:

• Strong expertise in financial strategy, performance, and stewardship, including business cases, investment proposals, and funding processes
• Deep understanding of the machinery of government, including the Public Finance Act and public sector accountability settings
• Experience working across complex organisations, partnering with diverse stakeholders to drive operational excellence and deliver results
• Strong analytical capability, with a track record of navigating complex issues and making decisions with financial and reputational implications
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and maintain oversight across a wide portfolio
• High level of political nous, judgement, and comfort operating in sensitive, high-stakes environments
• Advanced communication, influencing, and negotiation skills, including the ability to translate complex information for senior audiences

Equally important is how you work. You are highly collaborative and relationship-focused, able to build trust and influence without relying on positional authority. You bring a strong interpersonal style, working effectively across boundaries and contributing positively to team culture. You are adaptable, resilient, and comfortable with ambiguity, with the confidence to lead through complexity while supporting others to succeed. You invest in people, provide thoughtful coaching, and help lift capability across the leadership team. Above all, you bring energy, curiosity, and a commitment to making a meaningful impact.

About the Team - Mō tō mātou Rōpū

The Diagnostics, Readiness & Surveillance (DRS) directorate is responsible for leading the surveillance and investigation of suspected exotic pests and diseases that may affect New Zealand's primary industries and aquatic and terrestrial environments. DRS operates containment facilities to identify plant, animal, and aquatic pests and diseases and Level 3B Post-Entry Quarantine for plants. DRS is also the business owner for the construction of the new Plant Health and Environment Laboratory in Mt Albert, Auckland. The directorate is also responsible for leading biosecurity preparedness programmes for key threats such as Foot and Mouth Disease, and High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza.

About MPI - Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua

We're a large organisation with massive scope from the frontline to policy development and beyond.

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

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

• Additional MPI leave days
• Annual Wellness payment
• Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames

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, 19 July

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

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