Principal Advisor

• Full Time
• 12 Months Fixed Term
• Wellington

Kia ora, Bula Vinaka, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Fakatalofa atu, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Malo ni, Talofa lava, Tena koutou katoa and welcome.

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. 

About our group and team

The Resourcing Group is responsible for delivering operational funding and staffing entitlements to nearly 2,500 schools. We administer annual payments of approximately $5.8 billion to Schools and Kura.

We provide high quality financial advice and support to Schools and Boards of Trustees. We ensure Schools and Early Childhood centres receive correct resourcing entitlements through our Monitoring programme. We provide resourcing operational policy advice and guidance and produce one-off solutions to resourcing issues. Our Resourcing Contact Centre also provides direct telephone and email support to Schools', Early Childhood Centres, and the general public.

Mō tēnei tūranga | About this role

The Principal Advisor prepares and provides high quality expert advice on strategic risks, policy design and implementation across a range of programmes and services that support students to stay engaged and achieve in education throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

They will work with key people across the Ministry to develop solutions to address the critical issues and influence continuous improvements in the way we work and engage with our customers and partners to ensure great outcomes.

The role sits within the Resourcing Group and supports the Group Manager with leading the implementation of programmes of work that affect the services and resources provided to the education sector.

Please note there is further information in the attached Job Description.

Mōhou ake | About you

To be suitable for this role, you will need to demonstrate the following:

• extensive knowledge and understanding of current trends, initiatives, and reforms in education.
• extensive skills and experience in providing effective leadership in a diverse range of settings.
• highly developed verbal and interpersonal communication skills and the ability to undertake high-level consultations and collaborations.
• highly developed written communication and presentation skills including extensive experience in the preparation of complex reports and briefing notes.
• highly developed conceptual, analytical and strategy formulation skills, including the ability to provide innovative solutions to strategic and complex problems.

You will relish the challenge of turning complexity and jargon into clear, concise, engaging advice, will be highly organised and take pride in consistently delivering work to a high standard.

You'll also offer the ability to understand and apply the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

In return, you'll have the opportunity to make your mark, working with a friendly, supportive, and knowledgeable team in an area where you can further develop and broaden your skills and experience.

Experience working in a government agency and a sound understanding of the machinery of government, public sector delivery structures and systems is preferred.

Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi? | Are you ready to make a difference?

We need to reflect the diverse communities we serve, so we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, orientations, and identities. As an organisation, we are committed to building racial equity and excellence in the education sector.

We provide flexible working environments where everyone feels relevant, valued and supported. So, if working from home and/or having a flexible start and finish to the day will help with this, we can usually make it happen. We'd love to hear what this might look like for you, so feel free to outline this in your Cover Letter.

In your cover letter we'd like to know:

• about you, your values and your whakapapa
• your interest and motivations for this role
• the abilities, strengths, personal attributes and diverse perspectives you will bring to the role and this organisation.

The Ministry invites applications from fully vaccinated people or people with a valid medical exemption (under the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021). We will require evidence of your vaccination status, or your medical exemption, at the pre-employment stage of our recruitment process.

For further information, please contact Rebecca Meinders-Sykes at Rebecca.meinderssykes@education.govt.nz

Applications close midnight Monday 7 March 2022.