Principal Adviser

Role overview

This permanent, full-time Principal Adviser position is based in Wellington. It sits within the Ministry for Primary Industries and offers a salary in General Salary Range B, from $138,938 to $162,716, depending on skills and experience.

What the role involves

In this role, you will work as a trusted strategic partner to the Director, providing senior-level advice, leadership, and support across operational and strategic priorities that contribute to New Zealand’s core biosecurity functions. The position has broad influence and visibility, with a strong focus on operational performance, financial stewardship, and delivery excellence.

You will help shape directorate priorities and lead important initiatives, while also turning complex technical material into clear, audience-ready advice for senior leaders, Ministers, select committees, and parliamentary work. The role calls for strong judgement, political awareness, and the ability to influence outcomes without formal authority. You will need to adapt quickly, build trusted relationships across the Ministry, and support a connected, high-performing, future-focused culture.

Key accountabilities

• Provide independent, high-quality strategic advice to the Director on operational, financial, and risk matters, while identifying emerging issues, opportunities, and priorities.
• Contribute as a core member of the directorate leadership team, providing assurance over major programmes of work and stepping in for the Director on strategic and operational matters when needed.
• Apply strong operational management practices to improve performance, prioritisation, and delivery across the directorate.
• Offer strategic financial guidance and stewardship to support planning, budgeting, forecasting, and value-for-money decisions.
• Lead the creation of business cases, investment proposals, and funding requests that are well-evidenced, practical, and clear about benefits and trade-offs.
• Convert technical information into concise and effective ministerial material, including briefings, select committee documents, and parliamentary responses.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships across BNZ, MPI, and central agencies to support joined-up decisions and system alignment.

About you

You will be a proactive and highly capable leader with a strong mix of operational discipline, financial understanding, and strategic thinking. You will be comfortable in complex, fast-moving environments and able to quickly understand the business and contribute from day one.

You should have a strong grasp of how government operates, including public finance principles and the machinery of government, and use sound judgement and political awareness to support good decision-making. You will take responsibility for your own work, manage competing demands, and bring the organisational discipline needed to support a broad and demanding directorate.

Experience and expertise required

• Proven strength in financial strategy, performance, and stewardship, including experience with business cases, investment proposals, and funding processes.
• Solid understanding of the machinery of government, including the Public Finance Act and public sector accountability settings.
• Experience working across complex organisations and partnering with varied stakeholders to improve operations and achieve results.
• Strong analytical ability, with experience handling issues that have financial and reputational consequences.
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills, with the ability to maintain oversight across a broad portfolio of work.
• High political awareness, good judgement, and confidence in sensitive or high-stakes environments.
• Advanced communication, influencing, and negotiation skills, including the ability to explain complex issues to senior audiences.

Working style

The ideal candidate will be collaborative, relationship-oriented, and comfortable earning influence without relying on authority. You will work well across teams and boundaries, contribute positively to culture, and be adaptable, resilient, and comfortable with ambiguity. You should have the confidence to lead through complexity, support others to succeed, coach colleagues thoughtfully, and help grow capability across the leadership group. Energy, curiosity, and a genuine desire to make a difference are essential.

About the team

The Diagnostics, Readiness & Surveillance directorate leads surveillance and investigation of suspected exotic pests and diseases that may affect New Zealand’s primary industries and aquatic and terrestrial environments. The directorate manages containment facilities for identifying plant, animal, and aquatic pests and diseases, as well as Level 3B Post-Entry Quarantine for plants. It also owns the construction programme for the new Plant Health and Environment Laboratory in Mt Albert, Auckland, and leads preparedness programmes for major threats such as Foot and Mouth Disease and High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza.

About the organisation

The Ministry for Primary Industries is a large organisation with broad reach, spanning frontline delivery through to policy development and beyond.

Benefits

• Extra MPI leave days
• Annual wellness payment
• Twice-yearly paid eye test plus a contribution toward corrective lenses or frames

Additional information

The organisation is committed to working as a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including close collaboration with iwi, hapū, whānau, and hāpori. It also aims to reflect the diversity of the communities it serves and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and identities. Candidates are asked to include in their cover letter their values, motivation for the role, and the strengths, attributes, and perspectives they would bring, including experiences gained outside the workforce.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in New Zealand or be eligible to obtain it. The position closes at 11:59pm on Sunday, 19 July. For questions about the role, contact shane.gooch@mpi.govt.nz.