Principal Strategic Advisor

**Mō te tūranga | About the role**
- Able to work with our stakeholders, including district councils, to maintain and improve alignment with regional policy through positive working relationships and formal processes.
- Lead and/or support policy programmes, projects and projects workstreams, including contract management.
- Undertake and/or lead policy analysis, policy advice, and policy process management.
- Strengthen internal and external relationships through advising, facilitating, engaging and negotiating complex issues.
- Mentor team members and staff on policy matters and share specific policy expertise.
- Provide expert advice and support to the Executive Leadership Team, Councillors, and WRC staff.
- Foster and maintain internal and external relationships with stakeholders and partners, including mana whenua.

**Mō te tangata | About you**
- Be an articulate and compelling communicator with strong writing and presentation skills.
- Be skilled in working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.
- Be a constructive team member who actively contributes to the positive culture of the team.

**Mō ngā pūkenga | Qualifications and experience**
- A relevant degree qualification in policy, planning, law, resource management, environmental management or similar.
- Minimum of 7-10 years relevant experience.
- Experience working in local or central government environmental policy or planning.
- Have experience in a relevant field.
- Have a working knowledge of local or central government and the relevant legislative environment.
- Excellent communication skills - written and verbal.
- Excellent policy development, policy process, and policy analysis skills.
- Ability to draw together people from multiple disciplines, and to distil a large number of ideas into a compelling and integrated argument
- Proven success at building relationships and resolving issues with internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to deliver in a political environment that could be high pressure and rapidly changing.

**Mō te tīma | About the team**
- The role sits in the Strategic and Spatial Planning team who contributes to the work of and represents WRC in a range of intra and inter-regional collaborative initiatives that advance regional and inter-regional integration including Future Proof and the Upper North Island Strategic Alliance.
- We support and inform the growth management and infrastructure planning activities of district councils and maintain the alignment of the Regional Policy Statement with national and regional growth management strategies.
- We work across the organisation, with territorial authorities and other regional partners to promote policy alignment with a focus on the Regional Policy Statement. We do this both through formal settings (submissions on district plans, and plan changes etc.) and through collaborative approaches (advocacy, working in partnership, providing information, capability building and facilitation).
- We are also the ‘voice of the council’ within the policy setting processes of government, coordinating the council’s submissions on government policy and legislative proposals.

**Mō mātou | About us**
- We work hard to care for the mighty Waikato, so current and future generations will benefit from a healthy environment, strong economy, and vibrant communities.
- Our mahi is as diverse as the region we care for and the people who share it. Our work helps look after our region's water, soil, air, geothermal areas and coasts - so we can all enjoy these precious resources for generations to come.
- Customers sit at the heart of everything we do, and all staff have an important role to play in the delivery of exceptional customer service.
- If you’d like to understand more about what we do please click here The work we do | Waikato Regional Council.
- By partnering with iwi and working with many others in our communities, our collective kaitiakitanga will make the Waikato region even better.
- Together, we’ll create a sustainable future that will make a positive difference to people’s lives.

**Mō te tuku tono | How to apply**
- Applications will be reviewed as they come in, and this role will close on **Sunday 17 November 2024.**:

- For a copy of the **role description **, please click here.