Principal Adviser

**Principal Adviser (Forestry System)**

**Role type**:Permanent, full-time preferred

**Location**:Wellington

**Salary band & range**:General Salary Range C: $119,376 to $139,700 depending on skills and experience

**About the Role - Korero mo te Turanga**

Are you ready to help us shape the future of New Zealand's forestry and wood processing sector?

Te Uru Rakau - New Zealand Forest Service is seeking a strategic and experienced Principal Adviser to lead high-impact policy and regulatory initiatives that support diverse economic opportunities, benefits that communities derive from ecosystems, and resilience to climate change.

This newly established position sits within a fast-paced, delivery-focused team working at the intersection of policy and regulation. You'll lead complex workstreams, provide evidence-based advice to Ministers and senior leaders, and foster strategic development across the forestry system.

The key responsibilities are to:

- Lead the development of regulatory and operational policy across forestry, wood processing, land use, and climate change.
- Drive strategic outcomes through systems thinking, regulatory stewardship, and cross-agency collaboration.
- Coach and mentor staff, contributing to team capability, and continuous improvement.
- Promote Te Tiriti - Crown relations and integrating Te Ao Maori perspectives into regulatory frameworks.
- Lead projects such as ETS efficiencies, cost recovery, and farmland conversion incentives.

**About**You - Mou**

You bring extensive experience in policy, regulation, and government processes, with a strong understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.

You are confident navigating complex regulatory systems, supporting legislation drafting, producing high-quality advice, and using your strong written and verbal communication skills for different audiences.

Your ability to analyse problems, assess regulatory impacts, and communicate clearly makes you a trusted adviser.

You have significant technical experience in:

- writing high-quality government agency papers and documents
- leading projects/analysis and providing mentoring and guidance to analysts
- quickly assessing and understanding the nature of problems, identify a range of solutions, and clearly communicating their impacts.building and maintaining trusting relationships with a range of different stakeholders
- considering the broader political environment and wider government objectives in your advice
- making timely and informed decisions and be comfortable proceeding with uncertainty and ambiguity
- providing thought leadership, to drive work programmes and deliver results.

**About the Team - Mo to matou Ropu**

You will be based in our Wellington office, reporting to the Manager Operational Policy - Forestry Incentives. You'll be working within a collaborative, fast-paced team focused on delivering efficient, fit-for-purpose regulatory advice made up of 3 Analysts, 3 Senior Analysts, a Policy Lead and manager. The team are all based in wellington and work closely, often contributing across different workstreams, making use of shared knowledge and peer review.

You will work across the wider team, Forestry System Directorate, MPI and external agencies. Your work will contribute to initiatives across the end-to-end forestry and wood-processing supply chain, with a focus on the Emissions Trading Scheme for forestry.

**About MPI - Mo te Manatu 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 - Nga hua o te mahi i te Manatu Ahu Matua**
- Bi-annual paid eye test
- Additional MPI leave days
- ; Access to free professional confidential counselling

**Security checks - Nga Taki Whakahaumaru**

Low level Security Clearance
- most preferably a New Zealand citizen, 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.

**Are you ready to make a difference? - Kua rite koe mo tenei mahi whaitake?**

We are committed to being a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi which includes working closely with iwi, hapu, whanau, and hapori.

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 org