Specialist Adviser Readiness

Specialist Adviser, Readiness & Response
New Zealand Food Safety
Permanent
Wellington
**Salary range, GSR C**: $117,035 to $136,961 depending on skills and experience
Kōrero mō te Tūranga - About the Role
Due to an internal promotion, we have an exciting opportunity to bring a new Specialist Adviser into this tight-knit team.
This is a unique opportunity to shape Haumaru Kai Aotearoa's readiness and response capability. Providing generalist and specialist emergency management skills to bring a more cohesive, robust and resilient approach to issues such as food contamination responses, or where the food system may be impacted and need to support wider efforts, such as in natural disaster, business continuity or biosecurity response events.
You will focus on developing and delivering training simulations and exercises to help build our business-units people capability, facilitating workshops or lessons learned activities, writing new standard operating procedures and plans, or even deploying into the field to support more traditional response-type operations under CIMS - we guarantee this role will keep you on your toes and intrigued.
We're looking for a team player, a steward for a respectful and inclusive culture, a networker to the other parts of MPI's response system, and a trusted adviser to other government agencies and industry partners.
In return, you will be part of a high-performing team, where your thoughts, innovations and status-quo challenging ideas are welcomed. A team where capability development, personal ambition, fun and humour are deeply encouraged - along with the much-needed work/life balance that is required in a dynamic response role like this. This truly is a role to make your own.
Mōu - About You
You'll have a well-worn pair of response boots, be versed in the art of ‘herding cats' and be comfortable tackling whatever the ambiguous or challenging task at hand may be.
To be successful in this role we are looking for someone who has:

- Significant experience leading and managing in a formal incident management structure.
- Extensive knowledge of, and experience operating under, the New Zealand's Coordinated Incident Management System.
- Knowledge and understanding of New Zealand's national security framework, including domestic and international dimensions of biosecurity, trade, food, or other sectors or disciplines.
- Extensive experience of making operational decisions with incomplete information in a high pressure and complex environment.
- Experience in delivering simulations and training in an emergency management setting.
- An innovative mindset, comfortable looking through the corporate fog and bringing fresh, engaging and pragmatic response ideas to the fore.
- A high level of presentation, written/verbal communication and influencing skills - being able to pivot and tailor messaging no matter the audience.
- An ability to have fun, show empathy, have a laugh and support those (including colleagues), who are impacted by responses and the associated effects.

Mō tō mātou Rōpū - About the Team
The Haumaru Kai Readiness & Response team is still a relatively new team, operating now for around two years. Established off the back of recommendations from historic and current food safety responses, this internal capability and capacity allows NZFS to prepare for and respond to future events more effectively and efficiently.
New Zealand Food Safety | Haumaru Kai Aotearoa leads the development, implementation and oversight of the regulatory and compliance system that underpins our impressive food economy. Ensuring producers and growers have the best opportunities to thrive and grow their business leads through to having consumers have the knowledge that the food in front of them is safe, sustainable and the best product for them, their whānau and friends. NZFS is a business unit of the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua - About MPI
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) partners with New Zealand's food and fibre sector to be the world's most sustainable provider of high-value food and primary products.
Ngā hua o te mahi i te Manatū Ahu Matua - Benefits of working at MPI
- Annual Wellness payment
- Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames
- 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.
Ngā Taki Whakahaumaru - Security checks
Higher level Security Clearance
- most preferably a New Zealand citizen who has resided continuously in New Zealand for at least the last ten (10) years, OR
- is a citizen of, and/or has resided continuously in one or more of the following countries for the last ten (10) years: either Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK or the USA; and has a background history that is verifiable and can be assessed as appropriate by the NZSIS towards a recommendation of suitabilit