Senior Adviser Microbiology

Senior Adviser
Microbiology, Food Risk Assessment

**Role type**: Permanent

**Location**: Wellington

**Salary range**: $96,073 to $128,570 depending on skills and experience

Kōrero mō te Tūranga - About the Role
An exciting opportunity for someone passionate about Microbiology to take up an important role in the Food Science and Risk Assessment Directorate, within New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS).
This is an interesting and varied role that will help deliver science to fill knowledge gaps, mitigate risks, and strengthen evidence-based decision-making as it relates to food and food safety standards.
You will provide advice that relates to possible human health effects from pathogens (microbiological, viral, parasitic) found in food, water, and the environment (such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria). When these events occur, they could become high-profile, which could attract high scrutiny and interest from external parties, such as the public, media, and international trading partners.
These will become individual projects that can range from being long or short term, working around identified risks as they arise. Alongside this you will need to present your findings to senior leaders communicating the technical aspects in a clear, simplified manner.
You will be a key contact for answering those important microbiological questions currently facing the primary industries and food safety from international regulatory bodies and primary industry stakeholders.

Mōu - About You
You'll be comfortable drawing insights from quantitative and qualitative information, use data appropriately, and can distil information into relevant, narrative-rich analysis and advice

**To be successful, you will have the following**:

- Essential: Postgraduate degree in Microbiology
- Highly desirable: Postgraduate degree in food science or public health
- Technical knowledge of New Zealand's Food Safety system
- Experience in risk profiling, and qualitative and quantitative risk assessment
- Experience in gathering, organising, and communicating technical information in a clear manner to multiple audiences
- Strong knowledge of international and national trends in food related microbiology
- Time management skills and the ability to plan, organise and prioritise to efficiently accomplish tasks and meet objectives
- Strong judgement and analytical skills with the ability to write robust scientific reports without supervision
- Experience in managing inter-government relationships and consultation with a wide range of external stakeholders

Mō tō mātou Rōpū - About the Team
The Food Science & Risk Assessment Directorate has a specialised role in providing a wide range of general science and risk assessment advice to internal (MPI) and external stakeholders (including industry, consumers, and funders of scientific research) that is essential to robust development of food safety standards. Science and/or risk assessment is a key input at all decision and operational steps.
Following internationally agreed procedures, the Food Risk Assessment team primarily provides science advice on the risks associated with food, and the likely impact of various control measures. The data is used by risk managers across MPI to assist them to select the most effective risk management options.
Working closely with the Manager Food Risk Assessment you will also work alongside a team of 8 scientists of different backgrounds and varied knowledge such as, Meat Hygiene, Toxicology and Microbiology.

Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua - About MPI
Our role includes seizing export opportunities for our food and fibre sector, improving sector productivity, ensuring the food we produce is safe, increasing sustainable resource use, and protecting New Zealand from biological risk.

Ngā hua o te mahi i te Manatū Ahu Matua - Benefits of working at
- Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames
- Reduced premiums for Group Healthcare Schemes
- Comprehensive 3-day MPI Induction Programme

Wā Mahi Ngāwari - Flexible Working
We support flexible working arrangements and are happy to discuss these options with you.

Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi whaitake? - Are you ready to make a difference?We are committed to being a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi which includes working closely with iwi, hapū, whānau and hāpori.

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.
Applications close at midnight on Thursday 3 August 2023
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