Business and Development Lead, Business Connect

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

Business Connect

Business Connect is a digital service platform that allows businesses to apply for things like licences and permits from different government agencies in one place. It’s about reducing the time, effort and frustration experienced by businesses when dealing with government.

To improve government services, Business Connect specifically focuses on initiatives that improve the consistency of the service experience and coordination between agencies.

The Business and Development Lead manages the lead and acquisition of new services onto the Business Connect platform while maintaining an active network across Government. The role leads the networking and deliberate business development activity and partners with potential new clients and stakeholders across government in order to generate new and ongoing business for the platform. Representing Business Connect positively and articulating Business Connect’s value proposition strongly, they work with senior leaders to identify and generate new leads, develop and deliver pitches to secure new service opportunities, negotiate partnership/contract agreements, coordinate requirements, and promote the value of the products Business Connect offer. To be successful in this role, they must gain an excellent working knowledge of the Business Connect platform and products, roles and responsibilities and support processes.

The role requires a flexible approach as the nature and content of the work will change depending on the requirements of Business Connect over time.

Person specifications

• Five years or more effectively managing government and/or private sector strategic relationships within a business development context.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills with the ability to build credible, trusted, respected relationships with key stakeholders, senior managers, team members and staff across public and private sectors.
• Applies strong intellectual capability and judgement to analyse large, complex regulatory and policy issues, and readily grasp and synthesise the ideas, translating these into opportunities for customers and MBIE.
• Ability to position solutions for strategic opportunities with key customers, driving outcomes and managing diverse stakeholder interests.
• Experience in confidently leading face-to-face conversations within one-on-one situations or groups, senior and executive leaders, presenting to larger groups, and learning quickly about the stakeholders’ perspectives and the detail of their needs, and identifying opportunities of mutual benefit.
• Proven ability to establish successful cross-functional working relationships and partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Sound working knowledge and understanding of corporate management disciplines and techniques.
• Experience developing and negotiating proposals, contracts, MoUs and partnership agreements for clients.
• Excellent understanding of changing government priorities, sector specific, social, environmental, and economic trends, issues, markets and organisations to anticipate business need, identify feasible business development opportunities, and successfully engage and develop new business relationships.
• Experience working effectively to deadlines and managing multiple projects efficiently and to ability to effectively prioritise competing commitments.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, excellent attention to detail, organisational skills, high standards of professionalism and performance driven.
• Strong work ethic and high level of self-motivation.
• Sound working knowledge and understanding of the machinery of government and relevant operating procedures and policies that apply within the state sector.
• Tertiary qualification in a relevant field and at least 5 years relevant experience in strategic business development, account management and/or B2B sales.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

• Proactively identify, develop and cultivate the acquisition of new services onto the Business Connect platform.
• Engage and work with government stakeholders to build strong and effective relationships and help them determine priorities for what services could be onboarded to the Business Connect platform.
• Build strategic alliances with key government representatives to ensure the offerings and opportunities available through Business Connect are well understood and that Business Connect products are influential in their decision-making.
• Taking a partnership approach, work closely with key government stakeholders and business leaders to understand their challenges and opportunities, using both a long term strategic lens as well as considering operational solutions in the short term.
• Lead, define, and scope large sales initiatives that contribute to achieving Business Connect outcomes.
• Manage and drive the opportunity pipeline for Business Connect, supporting all opportunities to move through to proposal and successful close stages.
• Prepare and conduct presentations on Business Connect products and services to existing and prospective customers, delivering a value proposition that focuses on the features and benefits as it relates to customer needs.
• Arrange, facilitate, and participate in both internal and external meetings and presentations.
• Stay abreast of international standards trends and best practice and translate this into business development opportunities.
• Contribute to the development of strategic planning processes providing leadership and input on how engagement, communications and marketing can support delivery of business outcomes and achievement of strategic objectives.

Communication

• Use a range of appropriate communication tools and methods to communicate effectively.
• Adjust written communication to ensure it is well organised, easily understood and relevant to the target audience.
• Communicate technical information and/or complex information in an easy to understand manner, with precise attention to detail.
• Partner to understand the audience and positively influence to drive Business Connect outcomes.
• Able to present and pitch confidently and comfortable answering questions and fielding concerns off the cuff.
• Can draft wider value proposition communications for consideration by the communications team.
• Work with Business Connect Marketing Lead and engagement team to develop relevant supporting collateral to sell Business Connect value story and secure new business.

Client/sales focus

• Develop and maintain trusted partnerships with multiple stakeholders internally and across government agencies, providing trusted advice.
• Leverage government, industry and product knowledge and data to share insights about how a government agency client, through Business Connect, can drive benefits within their agencies.
• Identify and proactively promote opportunities to work with service providers to bring further services to the platform that will make it easier for small and medium businesses to deal with government.
• Foster and facilitate open and active collaboration between agencies.
• Capture, track and record activity on key account management and relationships
• Develop and negotiate appropriate proposals, contracts, MoUs and partnership agreements for clients, aligned with MBIE processes.

Relationship management

• Drive the work programme delivery and time frames.
• Communicate back to Director Business Connect and team to allow for resource allocation and prioritisation of work.
• Maintain and monitor key relationships through a sustained period of change.

Coaching and mentoring

• Provide intellectual support and coaching of others on relationship management, monitoring, government systems and knowledge of institutional practice.
• Provide constructive, timely and specific feedback to engagement team, delivery team and service design and user experience team and give credit for tasks well done.
• Support, without taking away ownership of, work output or ideas from other managers and analysts.
• Seek and explore opportunities to develop the capability of others in the team.

Personal leadership

• Model exemplary leadership behaviours, and State sector ethics and values.
• Create a sense of vision, engages and motivate people to participate, and make things happen.
• Foster an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality innovation, ongoing learning and knowledge sharing.

Wellbeing, health and safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives
• Ensures own and others safety at all times
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Business and Development Lead position reports into the Director, Business Connect within the Business & Consumer branch. The branch sits within the Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery group.

More information about MBIE’s structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission