Senior Advisor Regulatory Operations

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Senior Advisor will bring their regulatory, analytical, and communication skills to support the broader Petroleum & Minerals team.  They will provide advice and assistance to support a wide range of statutory decisions, business process improvement, information requests, and briefings for the Minister of Energy and Resources.

The Senior Advisor sits within the Regulatory Operations team and works as an enabler for the wider Petroleum & Minerals team’s technical specialists.  The role will translate between policy and operations, lead the operationalisation of new approaches to regulatory work, drive business process improvement, support the preparation of high-quality regulatory work, and lead the delivery of reporting, Ministerial servicing, and information requests.

The Senior Advisor will lead:

• the translation and operationalisation of changes in policy and approach into the Petroleum & Minerals team’s regulatory work
• projects to improve regulatory business processes
• services to support technical staff to prepare high quality recommendations for statutory decisions
• delivery of the Petroleum & Minerals team’s reporting, Ministerial servicing, and information requests.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• A tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g. social sciences, economics, public policy, law).
• Experience in one or more of the following: development of policy, interpretation and application of legislation, advice for statutory decision makers, and business process improvement.
• In-depth knowledge of regulatory management best practice.
• Experience in the translation of legislation and regulation.
• Demonstrated general problem identification and solution skills and ability to develop robust solutions that are viable for government, technically possible and desirable for users and the community.
• Demonstrated knowledge of effective service delivery models and service excellence principles.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills: demonstrated competence in effectively communicating complex ideas both orally and in writing to a wide variety of audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal, teamwork and relationship management skills.
• Knowledge of public sector requirements and processes relating to financial and budgetary requirements, legislation and regulatory change.
• Familiar with systems thinking and regulatory stewardship concepts.
• Ability/willingness to coach and mentor others.
• Must be a NZ citizen or hold a residence class visa.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

Operationalise changes to policy and approach into regulatory work

• Utilises expertise to advise on how to effectively translate changes in policy and approach into regulatory work.
• Develops implementation material that is fit for purpose and easily understood by operational teams and/or external stakeholders including designing and writing operational policy, templates, guidance and/or business processes.
• Applies human-centred service design methodologies (e.g. co-design, inclusion of people/customer-centred impacts assessments and evaluation techniques).
• Understands policy issues in the wider context, including Government priorities.

Produce robust permitting recommendations in a timely fashion

Supports and compliments technical staff to prepare high quality advice to statutory decision makers

• Understand complex prospecting, exploration and mining permit applications (new, subsequent permit and permit change applications) in the context of the Crown Minerals Act 1991, and other related legislation.
• Utilise strong analysis and communication skills to ensure the preparation of robust, well-written recommendations for decisions that balance the natural tension between the efficient application of legislation and regulation, commercial outcomes, and public accountability.
• Uses judgement to identify and assess options against the desired outcomes, identify their cost-effectiveness and impact, identify risk and effective mitigation strategies, deal comfortably with uncertainty and make innovative, practical and durable recommendations without the total picture.
• Works with minimal direction and guidance on what is required and is confident working on new, difficult or unusual assignments.

Continuous business improvement

Leads the identification, prioritisation and implementation of business process improvements for the wider Petroleum & Minerals team

• Collaborates with others to identify issues and opportunities for improvement.
• Scopes and prioritises potential improvements, consistent with the branch’s quality management processes.
• Implements a range of business improvements, autonomously and/or as part of a team.

Reporting, Ministerial servicing, information requests

• Supporting the wider Petroleum & Minerals team with a range of reporting obligations.
• Working both autonomously and collaboratively to prepare high quality briefings to the Minister, responses to other ministerial inquiries, Official Information Act requests and Parliamentary Questions in a timely fashion to MBIE standards.

Deliver work programme outputs

• Well organised, plans systematically, regularly monitors and reports on progress towards achievement of plans and strategies.
• Effectively and consistently identifies and manages risk, alerting manager to potential problems/risks well in advance and proposing solutions.
• Effectively allocates tasks within portfolio area, assists others with project panning, and is able to plan and manage a range of complex issues.
• Knows when to work alone and when to seek advice and identifies resources necessary to meet objectives of self or team
• Chairs and contributes to meetings, including where matters are complex or sensitive, require negotiation or working towards solutions.

Relationship Management

Develops and promotes whole of Ministry views in interactions

• Proactively develops and maintains connections with stakeholders within and outside of the Ministry, purposefully leveraging their activities and insights to better achieve desired policy outcomes.
• Works collaboratively across operational areas, regulatory systems, and between policy and operational teams.
• Actively contributes to development of and promotion of whole of Ministry views in internal and external interaction.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in external interactions.
• Tests the effectiveness of stakeholder relationships using a range of appropriate measures and processes (including stakeholder feedback).

Self-Management

Takes responsibility for own behaviour and is open to development

• Models positive behaviours.
• Models the desired values and culture of the organisation.
• Willingly shares knowledge, expertise and within the team and with others in the organisation.
• Acts with honesty and integrity.
• Welcomes feedback and is receptive to input from others.

Wellbeing, health & 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 Senior Advisor position reports into the Manager Regulatory Operations within the Energy and Resources Markets branch. The branch sits within the Building, Resources and Markets 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