Verification Officer - Offshore

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Verification Officer position provides specialist verification activities including interviews, document verification and third-party checks. This specialist role will use intelligence to support robust immigration decision-making and act as a subject matter expert for customer facing staff to call upon.

The Verification Officer provides high level analysis on risk, issues and trends arising from markets which may affect the integrity of the immigration system. The Verification Officer undertakes robust risk monitoring and review activities to support decision-making that results in positive outcomes for New Zealand, while also providing advice on appropriate risk management strategies to decision-makers.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Good technical knowledge of risk management methodology and a broad experience of its application within a regulatory environment.
• Good understanding of applying verification to an immigration context.
• The ability to quickly understand risk emanating from different geographical regions, specifically the Americas).
• Ability to quickly assimilate new information or areas of work.
• A proactive, can-do attitude.
• Ability to quickly establish and build strong working relationships.
• Strong interviewing skills.
• A working knowledge of security in the government sector and management of classified information.
• Demonstrated logical problem analysis approach, which leads to robust and valid recommendations, conclusions, assumptions and decisions.
• Clear, logical and articulate communication style.
• Highly developed written communication and report writing skills.
• Demonstrated customer service focus, including the ability to adapt service level and style to meet the differing needs of customers and stakeholders.
• Awareness of, and respect for, cultural differences in regard to communication and interpersonal style.
• Organisational skills (of self, work and time management).

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualification is preferred and/or extensive and comparable experience in regulatory, immigration, law enforcement, or a risk management environment.

Other

• Must hold or gain practicing Immigration Warrant.
• Must be a NZ citizen or hold a residence class visa (if the role is located in New Zealand).
• Must have the legal right to live and work in the country in which this position resides (if the role is located outside of New Zealand).

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

• Understands and effectively uses risk management and reporting.
• Uses tools/systems and templates to assess and validate documentation and information.
• Uses effective investigative and/or interviewing techniques to determine authenticity of information.
• Applies robust analysis and judgment to verification processes in order to make appropriate recommendations and decisions, within current instructions.
• Examines and validates documentation using a range of verification techniques, as appropriate, including:
  • Paper-based and/or electronic verification techniques.
  • Remote verification through use of phone, email, online databases, etc.
  • Use of third-party services.
• Provides quality timely verification services, information and advice to customer facing staff.
• Provides a product focus risk and verification service to immigration decision makers and other internal INZ branches.
• Evaluates information received from international partners and provides advice to assessing officers on how to best utilise this information in their assessment.
• Utilises open-source information gained through environmental scanning and condenses this into important risk advice for assessing officers.
• Operationalises intelligence, within current instructions, processes, and procedures to form specific risk products.
• Escalates risk/issues to their manager when required.
• Facilitates collaboration across internal and external stakeholders to achieve desired outcomes.
• Provides input into the development of risk related tools e.g., report templates, databases, and training materials.
• First point of contact for geographic risk and/or verification related issues.
• Provides risk monitoring and reporting to internal INZ stakeholders that operating procedures and guidelines relating to risk and verification are adhered to.

Monitoring and planning

• Identifies and communicates fraud patterns and trends.
• Provides feedback regarding suggested changes to risk rules and development of new rules.
• Identifies ‘key triggers’ for staff as to when verification is required.
• Shares information on verification and fraud experience through appropriate knowledge management mechanisms.
• Provides post decision specialist verification on applications.
• Provides specialist verification for products based on proximity to market (specifically the Americas and Israel).

Relationship management

• Builds and maintains relationships with external agencies which assist with the verification process.
• Works collaboratively with internal and external parties to obtain and share risk information.
• Develops strong relationships between off- and onshore colleagues to enable a seamless transfer of verification information.
• Engages third party verification sources as required.
• Works with and engages across the risk & verification network to produce collaborative products.
• Assists with the planning and execution of joint operations with other internal parties e.g., Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery Compliance and Investigations.

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 Verification Officer position reports into the Risk and Verification manager within the Immigration Risk and Border branch. The branch sits within the Immigration New Zealand 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