Principal Advisor

Permanent, full-time
- Wellington

Help shape the future of Education
He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai ōna huanga
We work to shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes
At Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education, we work to provide services and support nationally, regionally and locally to the education sector, and in some cases, directly to ākonga and whānau.
We help shape the policies, settings and performance of the education system for early learning, schooling and tertiary. We do this by building relationships and understanding the needs of those who receive our services.
We are making significant changes to how we deliver our mahi by
- Taking practical action to give effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- Giving priority to regional and local voice.
- Delivering greater responsiveness, accessibility and integrated services and support.
- Improving feedback loops and information flows.

Our organisation is made up of talented and committed people across Aotearoa from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. While we work in different groups and on different things, we all strive every day to make the biggest difference we can for every child, young person and adult student in our education system.
Mō tēnei tūranga | About this role
This Principal Advisor role is within the Provider Services team, Learning Support Service Delivery, based in the Ministry's Wellington office.
The Principal Advisor will lead responsive support and services to remove barriers and promote inclusion of all ākonga to be present, participate, engage, and progress in education.
If you are passionate about enabling our children and young people to enjoy and achieve educational success, come join our team.
Please note there is further information in the attached Job Description.
Mōhou ake | About you
We are looking for someone who can work collaboratively, lead, contribute and champion the business process for Provider Services. Your key previous experience will be in an operational policy or service delivery role, leading the planning, implementation, and monitoring of initiative(s).
To be successful in the role you will be skilled at communicating complex ideas and information and be able to work collaboratively with key internal and external stakeholders. We will rely on you to design processes that align with initiative objectives and wider Learning Support Delivery and Ministry of Education objectives and outcomes.
You'll be joining a high-performing and responsive team that works across a wide range of initiatives and programmes. The environment is supportive and can be fast paced. You may need to juggle competing priorities and urgent timeframes.

**You will also offer**:

- Experience of working in a government agency and a sound understanding of the machinery of government, public sector delivery structures and systems
- Relevant practical experience and understanding of project delivery and governance practice in a Government Agency
- Good working knowledge of the education system in New Zealand, especially of the compulsory sector
- Understanding of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and their implications on operational policy within the education sector, the significance of identity, language and culture
- Ability to influence and work collaboratively across organisations/sectors to achieve outcomes
- A team player who works to both support and challenge colleagues
- Strong project planning and management skills, and the ability to develop and maintain responsive systems for planning and implementation, managing records and information, and tracking work programmes

Mātau rōpū ake | About our group and team
Te Mahau | Te Pae Aronui (Operations & Integration). Find out more about Te Pae Aronui via this link. We use information, insights and service design functions to help the three Te Mahau frontline groups design and deliver services for our sector.
As part of Te Mahau, Te Pae Aronui provides the service design, data insights, regulation, learning and other support our three frontline Te Mahau regional teams, and ākonga rely on. It includes what was previously National Office Sector Enablement and Support (SE&S), Parent Information and Community Intelligence (PICI) and Evidence, Data and Knowledge (EDK) teams, excluding the Chief Economist position.
Our teams around the country work closely with the Early Childhood and Schooling sectors, providers, and communities to provide support, expertise and resources to help children and young people reach their full potential. We also directly provide Learning Support for around 40,000 children and young people. The Provider Services team is part of Learning Support Delivery.
Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi? | Are you ready to make a difference?
We want to provide flexible working environments where everyone feels relevant, valued and supported. So, if working from home and/or havin