Principal Strategy Advisor

Discover a career with purpose at MBIE

• New Year, New Role | Start Jan 2026
• Navigate complex planning, identify challenges and opportunities, and deliver practical solutions.
• Align priorities with leaders, providing expert guidance and clarity across the organisation.
• Full-time 12-month Fixed Term | Wellington Central 
• Salary range $118,390 - $143,639 +KiwiSaver and Wellness Benefits 

Tēnei tūranga - About the Role:

The work our people in Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery do is vast.  We play a role in the lives of almost every New Zealander every day; be it as employee, employer, business owner, consumer, landlord, renter, new arrival and even those listening to the radio and protecting our airwaves.  We work with businesses, employees and consumer to help people and businesses understand their rights, but also their obligations.  Alongside our regulatory role, we also support businesses with practical products and services that help them transact confidently, innovate and grow.  Our job is to support businesses to thrive and ensure New Zealanders are protected.

We are looking for an experienced Principal Advisor to join our Group Strategy & Planning team and play a key role in shaping the future of Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery (TWSD). This is a fixed-term position for 12 months to backfill parental leave, offering you the chance to make a real impact in a high-profile role.
The Group Strategy and Planning team ensures TWSD delivers efficient, accessible, and effective services. We provide strategic advice, operational support, and oversight to align branch activity with TWSD’s direction and MBIE’s goal of Growing New Zealand for all.

You will:

• Shape TWSD’s strategic and business planning direction.
• Provide high-impact advice to senior leaders on branch priorities.
• Lead complex projects and apply data-driven insights to accelerate progress.
• Drive collaboration and engagement across the organisation.
• Use design thinking to craft strategies that deliver meaningful, long-term outcomes.

Ngā pukenga me ngā wheako e hiahiatia ana -

Skills and Experience Required
 

• Proven ability to think strategically, develop frameworks, and manage organisation-wide systems.
• Strong knowledge of planning, performance, reporting, risk, business continuity, improvement, and assurance.
• Recognised as a trusted advisor and influential leader; able to turn complex goals and data into actionable plans and communicate effectively at all levels.
• Proactive in identifying and leveraging opportunities across the Group.
• Experience aligning workforce planning with strategic priorities using methodologies, tools, and analytics.
• Excellent political awareness to anticipate risk and inform decisions.
• Solid understanding of public sector operations, accountability, and financial/performance frameworks.
• Working knowledge of the Treaty of Waitangi and how TWSD intersects with te ao Māori.
• Relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent experience.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Ētahi kōrero mō MBIE - About MBIE:

MBIE's goal is to create a resilient and high-performing economy that delivers real and ongoing quality of life for all New Zealanders.

We do this by working with others to create an environment that supports businesses to be more productive and internationally competitive, enables all New Zealanders to participate in the economy through improved job opportunities and by working to ensure quality housing is more affordable.

People are at the heart of our mahi, our way of working is guided by our values which shape our behaviours.

• Mahi Tahi – Better Together
• Māia – Bold and brave
• Pae Kahurangi – Build our Future
• Pono Me Te Tika – Own It

Our aspirations are echoed in our Māori identity – Hīkina Whakatutuki – which broadly means ‘lifting to make successful'.

MBIE recognises the partnership founded under Te Tiriti o Waitangi between Māori and the Crown and is committed to giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We will do this through enduring, meaningful and effective partnerships with iwi, Māori, other Māori groups/organisations and the Crown, as this is critical to enable economic and social development, both for Māori and for wider Aotearoa New Zealand. We are committed to continuing to partner with iwi in order to find new sustainable solutions to address long standing systemic and cross-cutting issues facing Māori and wider Aotearoa New Zealand and we are also committed to identifying opportunities for iwi to lead and creating an enabling environment for iwi to leverage these opportunities.

E mōhio ana a Hīkina Whakatutuki i puea ake te kōtuinga I waenganui i a ngāi Māori me te Karauna i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, kei te whai ia ki te whakaū ake i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Mā te whai kiko o ngā kōtuinga ahungaroa o ngāi wi, o ngāi Māori, me ētahi atu rōpū Māori ki te Karauna, katutuki tēnei. He āhuatanga nui tēnei e āhei ai ngā mahi whanaketanga ā-ohanga, ā-pāpori hoki ki a ngāi Māori me Aotearoa whānui. E whai tonu ana mātou ki te kōtui atu ki ngā iwi mō te rapu huarahi hou ki te whakaara i ngā kaupapakua roa nei e tāmi ana i a ngāi Māori me Aotearoa whānui, ā, e whai ana hoki ki te tautohu i ngā āheinga kōkiritanga mā ngā iwi, me te tautoko i ngā iwi kia whai mana ake ai ēnei āheinga.

Me pēhea te tono - How to Apply:

Click here to view a position description. 

When you are ready to apply please send a CV and cover letter telling us why you're the perfect fit for this role.

All applications must be submitted via our online process.

We can't wait to hear from you!

Email Emily Boyd at emily.boyd@mbie.govt.nz quoting ref MBIE/18799 if you have any further questions.

Applications close on Tuesday 9 December 2025 at 11.59pm.