Principal Advisor, Investment

Everybody should have a place to live that is warm, dry, safe, stable and affordable, with access to the support they need to live healthy, successful lives.

Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga - The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) leads Aotearoa - New Zealand's housing and urban development work programme. A key part of our role is to understand what's happening, what the future might hold, and help focus effort across the system to ensure the right settings, tools and funding are in place and drive action through collaboration and partnership.

Mō te tūnga | About the role

You will be a key part of a team that leads work to ensure that the Ministry's investment in housing is effective and represents value for money. The team brings together investment, public finance, commercial and policy disciplines. This role will support the Manager, Portfolio Investment and team to:

• develop investment strategies, frameworks and plans, and provide advice on how to apply these
• steward investment decision making processes and provide assurance on how these are being undertaken to senior leaders
• maintain an overall view of the government's investment in housing, as well as provide advice on more complex and significant projects

This role will involve working across the delivery, policy, strategy, finance and Crown entity monitoring teams to embed a consistent, system approach to how the Ministry thinks about investment in housing. It will involve writing papers for SLT and Ministers, leading complex areas of work as well as bringing strong thought leadership.

The team won't be focused on specific projects, but will lead change in systems and frameworks to achieve better outcomes from government investment in housing and support other teams to apply these frameworks. The team may from time to time be involved in complex, high risk and/or high value projects to provide technical, specialist advice and assurance.

This role sits within the recently created Portfolio Investment team and National Settings branch, as part of the Ministry's Delivery Group.

The salary range for this role is $144,464 to $176,568 + 3% Kiwisaver contribution.

Ō wheako, ō pukenga | About you

We are looking for a system thinker and thought leader who can provide commercial advice in a government context, lead complex work programmes from conception to implementation and has experience in mentoring and building capability. Ideally you will have a public finance, investment or commercial background and strong experience of applying policy frameworks.

Ideally your skills and experience will include:

• An ability to design, implement and continuously improve investment and commercial frameworks that are easily used by others and have positive system-level outcomes
• A track record for providing specialist financial and commercial advice, including on complex investment proposals
• A practical and solutions focussed approach
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience preparing briefings and Cabinet papers under tight timeframes
• A deep understanding of government public finance and investment processes
• A track record of providing sound, trusted advice to senior leaders and Ministers
• Demonstrated thought leadership experience, particularly in establishing new functions and developing capability.

Mō mātou | About us

Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga reflects the intention of 'the foundation for a treasured home'. The name comes from the Māori whakatauki (proverb) 'he kurakāinga e hokia, he kuratangata e kore e hokia', - 'a treasured home will endure, not so a treasured person'. It carries with it a strong connection to our purpose: he kāingaora, he haporiora - thriving communities where everyone has a place to call home. The importance of ensuring the wellbeing of people within the home, and our connection with the land - acknowledges the generations of people who have always called this place 'home' - and affirms our commitment to delivering for future generations of New Zealanders.

Ngā painga | What we offer

• Engaging employee-led people networks that celebrate diversity, provide safe spaces, and encourage thought-leadership
• Close to the railway station, modern office space and cloud -based technology that allows for joined up, cohesive collaboration
• Wellbeing initiatives, tools and courses, and a discounted health insurance scheme
• Open minds - we aren't afraid of change and encourage fresh approaches and ideas from people who want to make a difference

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

Please click on the APPLY button to be directed to the application page, from here you can upload your CV and cover letter.

Please note, while applications close on Sunday 30 November 2025, we will be reviewing applications as they are received and may progress with suitable applicants prior to the application closing date. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible if you are interested in this position.

Please let us know if you need any support or have any access requirements that will help you through the recruitment process.

For tracking and evaluation purposes, all applications must be submitted via our on-line process. You must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand to be eligible for this position.

For further inquiries please contact