Senior Technical Advisor – Cross Agency

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Senior Technical Advisor is a senior regulatory role within the Regulatory Operations team, supporting MBIE’s administration of the Crown Minerals Act 1991.

The Senior Technical Advisor will lead the wider Petroleum & Minerals team’s integration with other part of government including WorkSafe, regional and district councils, the Department of Conservation, and the Environmental Protection Authority. 

You will work collaboratively with staff from a range of teams in relation to permit applications, permit administration, engagement with iwi and hapū, monitoring permits throughout their life-cycle, and monitoring the future decommissioning of petroleum assets.  You will receive and assess a variety of technical information and help identify and treat risks associated with minerals and petroleum permits.  Your role will be to ensure that MBIE’s administration of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 joins up with other parts of government to ensure that the petroleum and minerals sectors are regulated efficiently and effectively.

The Senior Technical Advisor also supports the development of government policy, Official Information Act, Parliamentary questions and other information requests, work to support the Minister of Energy & Resources, and other core public service activities.

You will work collaboratively with the team and wider Energy and Resource Markets branch, providing support to managers and senior technical colleagues and helping to coach and mentor junior colleagues.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• A good understanding of the New Zealand minerals and petroleum sectors, or the ability to come quickly up to speed on these industries.
• A strong interest in the regulation of all stages in the life-cycle of minerals and petroleum permits, and commitment to ensure that regulation of these sectors is effective, efficient and risk-based.
• Preferably experience in one or more of the following – planning/resource management, the petroleum or minerals sectors, and/or a business that provides services to the petroleum and/or minerals sectors.
• The ability to work well as part of a team, including playing both a lead and support role at different times.
• The ability to understand a complex new situations, identify risks, design solutions and delivery practical outcomes within required frames.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills, with the proven ability to influence stakeholders.
• Proven ability to build strong relationships with both external and internal stakeholders, and iwi.
• Highly developed analytical ability.
• A willingness to coach and mentor junior colleagues.

Qualifications

• A tertiary education in a relevant technical discipline e.g. planning/resource management, law with a focus on natural resources, environmental science, geology or engineering, or equivalent experience.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Technical Expertise

• Recognised as a specialist in their field with a solid network in the industry/profession.
• Has significant experience as demonstrated by competency as a workstream lead on multiple significant projects or programmes of work where different skill sets have been needed in each one.
• Has in-depth understanding and operates within complex areas of the legal and regulatory framework in the area of speciality.
• Undertakes complex work without guidance.
• Able to clearly communicate technical information to a non-technical audience.
• Writes clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication settings and styles.
• Tailors messages for the appropriate audience.
• Is able to apply an outward-looking approach to building relationships with external stakeholders, delivery agencies and government agencies, understands their different perspectives, and is able to manage differences of views and reflect them in advice.
• Leads large project activities including resourcing (people, financial).
• Understands the wider environment in which MBIE operates and is sought out for advice from across MBIE and externally.
• Coaches and mentors junior colleagues.
• Provides insight into technical information and complex ideas.
• Able to adapt information appropriately depending on the audience.

Analysis and Evaluating

• Analyses complex information to inform and advise.
• Provides problem solving decisions on a thorough assessment of circumstances, relationships, resources and risk.
• Uses range of assessment and evaluation techniques to provide an evaluation of a project or application.
• Develops concepts and recommendations to inform solutions that consider relevant project criteria.
• Works with stakeholders to develop criteria for project decision making and evaluation of project outcomes.

Organisational Agility

• Knows how to get things done both through formal channels and informal networks.
• Understands the origin and reasoning behind key policies, practices and procedures.

Strategic Agility                                                                                                                                             

• Can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately.
• Has broad knowledge and perspective.
• Is future orientated and can clearly define pathways forward as required.
• Can articulate and paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods.

Strategic Direction

• Uses advanced critical thinking, reasoning and judgement to identify technical issues.
• Shapes an ambiguous, complex or unclear technical issue into a problem; identify its root causes; explore and evaluate relevant information and integrate it into the development of options.
• Carries out complex research to inform more complex technical issues.
• Builds requisite knowledge for different technical issues quickly, draws on in-depth knowledge of the area as well as broad knowledge from other domains, and critically uses evidence and information from multiple and diverse sources to draw inferences and come to conclusions based on available evidence.
• 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.
• Determines research required to meet the regulatory framework in the technical area.
• Applies an outward-looking approach to building relationships with external stakeholders, delivery agencies and government agencies, understands their different perspectives, and is able to manage differences of views and reflect them in advice.
• Scopes research, writes tender documents and at times leads the evaluation panel in technical area.
• Provides high level contract monitoring.

Support Regulatory Framework

• Uses judgement and deep technical expertise to advise on regulatory framework and relevant legislation.
• Informs and supports interpretation of and changes to the regulatory framework and relevant legislation.
• Conducts research into complex issues and produces technical advice.
• Presents information and actively works with staff in other MBIE branches, government and external agencies.
• Manages information and data appropriately.
• Provides supervision, guidance, coaching and mentoring and on-the-job training to more junior team members.

Delivery

• Plans and manages work, develops and maintains relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
• Works with minimal direction and guidance on what is required and is confident working on new, difficult or unusual assignments.
• Uses project planning and management techniques to effectively carry out the agreed work in technical areas, using initiative to resolve most conflicts, manage risks and coordinate work with others.
• Works with some guidance on the overall technical objectives, within the resources available and provides timely reports on progress.
• Leads multiple pieces of work concurrently and actively and independently plans and manages workloads.
• Takes a leadership role in cross-MBIE and cross-government projects.
• Chairs and contributes to meetings, including where matters are complex or sensitive, require negotiation or solutions.

Monitoring and Compliance

• Contributes to the development of an effective compliance strategy for the effective regulation under the relevant legislation.
• Leads the implementation of programme of compliance activities in alignment with the compliance strategy.
• Helps build an effective intelligence network to inform targeted compliance activity.
• Develops reporting and monitoring tools to gather information as well as the effectiveness of compliance activities against objectives.
• Determines appropriate enforcement.

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 Technical Advisor position reports into the Manager Regulatory Operations team within the Energy and Resource 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