Senior Advisor/advisor

About us
The Ministry of Social Development is a people-centred organisation. We're in communities across the motu, working with partners to help New Zealanders be safe, strong and independent.
We provide social policy and advice to government and assistance, including income, employment and housing support to people of all ages, families, whānau and communities.
As a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partner we are committed to supporting and enabling Māori, whānau, hapū, Iwi and communities to realise their own potential and aspirations.
Our people are as diverse as the communities we serve. We care about the wellbeing and success of our people and provide a supportive and inclusive working environment where people can thrive and be who they are.

Senior Advisor/Advisor - Te Pae Tawhiti Kotahitanga
- Wellington based - we're flexible Open to other locations as well
- An opportunity to make a real impact
- Multiple opportunities - two-year Fixed term/secondment

Searching for a team that thrives on motivation and mutual support? Come be part of our team

Te Pae Tawhiti - Our Future is about the Ministry of Social Development's (MSD) future role and how we can make a bigger and better difference for New Zealanders. Te Pae Tawhiti transformation programme is a multi-year journey that will deliver services that are easier, more accessible, and better integrated across MSD.
Te Pae Tawhiti will also accelerate MSD's embedding of a relational approach to commissioning, which will help us work in a more consistent and fairer way with all our partners throughout Aotearoa. This is the focus of the Kotahitanga service change, which reflects that we are stronger when working together with whānau, hapū, iwi, providers, communities, and other government agencies. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a tūāpapa (foundation) for all the work we do.

Te āhua o te tūranga / About the roles

As a Senior Advisor or Advisor, you will provide key advice on how we can innovate, design, and test our service changes, ensuring they align with MSD's strategic direction and commitment to improving equity of outcomes.
In both of these roles, your valuable advice will shape how we approach our partnerships in future by identifying where we can improve our existing commissioning and partnering processes. You'll work across Kotahitanga, Te Pae Tawhiti, and wider MSD initiatives to help develop and implement our relational approach. This is your chance to contribute to meaningful change.

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako / Skills and experience

We're looking for a variety of skillsets and previous experiences so you'll demonstrate capability in some or all of the below:

- Demonstrated initiative and problem-solving capabilities; you're comfortable with ambiguity and finding ways to navigate it.
- Strong relationship management skills, coupled with experience in engaging with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders. You have an aptitude for learning from, and influencing, different perspectives. Experience of engaging with Pacific communities and iwi/Māori is advantageous.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking abilities. You have a keen interest in addressing complex problems.
- Excellent communication skills, with an ability to articulate complex information clearly. You're comfortable asking questions that deepen your understanding.
- Previous experience in social sector commissioning preferred but not essential.
- A good understanding of the critical issues facing MSD and the Government.
- Experience in service design and/or implementation of projects and initiatives.

If you're considering the Senior role, we'll expect you to demonstrate
- your depth of experience to a greater degree than applicants for the Advisor position
- your ability to lead work and mentor others.

Position Description - please copy and paste the links into your browser

**Salary range**:
Senior Advisor $99,546 - $120,778
Advisor $66,660 - $80,585

How to apply

**Note**: Your cover letter will be a key part of our assessment process, so please highlight how your experience relates to the key responsibilities listed in the position description.

**Closing date**: Sunday 16th July, 5 pm.

Joining us
Joining MSD means being part of a whānau that celebrates the diversity each individual represents. We show manaaki, we care about the wellbeing and success of people and want everyone to thrive, and be who they are in a supportive and inclusive working environment. We work together to make a difference for communities while doing the right thing with integrity. We are a Treaty partner committed to strengthening relationships with Māori, Hapū, Iwi and communities to realise their own potential and aspirations.
MSD has a COVID-19 vaccination policy that encourages, but does not require, employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and its variants, unless the role is identified as requiring vaccination at the time.