Head of Strategy and Standards

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Government Property Office is accountable for the strategic leadership of the government’s office accommodation portfolio and provisioning for the centralisation of components of the government’s property function.  The Government Property Office is also responsible for delivering on MBIE's own property strategy as well as providing high-quality property management services to MBIE.

The government’s office accommodation portfolio is significant, encompassing circa 1,000,000 sqm of office space and a rental spend of circa $330 million per year across 73 agencies, including Crown Agents. MBIE is an agency with a significant property portfolio (about 10% of the government’s footprint), encompassing both office and non-office sites, across New Zealand and offshore. 

The Head of Strategy and Standards is a strategic investment, performance monitoring, and expert advisory role.  The position reports to the General Manager, Government Property Office and leads and manages the strategic investment outcomes, information and operating systems, and performance framework.  The position will be responsible for overseeing the strategic financial investment of the government office accommodation portfolio, and the provision of critical specialist advisory expertise and services.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Extensive experience in the development and delivery of large scale/complex investment plans to meet competing objectives (e.g. between system and agency drivers, with well-developed strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Specific experience in property investment strategy is preferred.
• In-depth understanding of the Public Finance Act, and significant experience in strategic financial management within the government context.
• Proven ability to lead, navigate and deliver effective engagement processes across government (e.g. Ministerial briefings, PSC engagement, Governance Board, Senior Official forums) to achieve desired results.
• Comprehensive understanding in establishing performance frameworks to capture system outcomes, including measures and targets (informed through data collected from sector partners, market intelligence and insights) for monitoring and reporting.
• Senior level experience in the development and delivery of systems, frameworks, processes, policies and expertise to support and drive effective organisational performance (management strategies, plans and decisions, and the ability to demonstrate organisational results).
• A commitment to the achievement of results, working with agility, and in a way that is highly connected to system portfolio and wider government plans and required outcomes.
• A strong focus on delivery of challenging KPI and property system outcomes, including drive, energy and a commitment to achieving a highly strategic, agile, and effective centralised planning and leasing function for government.
• Demonstrated ability to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi including appropriate understanding of current Government policy, tangata whenua perspectives and community views on Te Tiriti.
• Demonstrated ability to lead Te Tiriti responsiveness within the context of the Government Property Office.
• Proven ability to develop and manage a highly engaged, high performing team.
• Understanding of Government decision-making and operating procedures.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate qualification in relevant field or extensive and comparable experience.

Pre-requisites for the position

• To be considered for this position you must have a legal right to live and work in New Zealand.
• Must consent to and satisfactorily complete a credit check as the role holds financial delegations.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Key Deliverables

• Contribute as a member of the leadership team to shape business strategies and outcomes. This includes the provision of effective people leadership and the fostering of a team culture based on respect for others; teamwork, fun and mutual support; resilience; innovative thinking; and the achievement of meaningful results.
• Development of sound financial investment strategies and plans that drive and support the achievement of portfolio planning and leasing strategies, plans and outcomes, and align to the achievement of the Centre objectives, KPIs and overall property system uplift.
• Ensures the Government Property Office has a sound foundation of business enabling systems, policies and processes, including:
  • reliable and comprehensive data capture, analytics, and reporting.
  • organisational KPIs that are relevant to the achievement of required property system outcomes and agreed and able to be monitored at governance level, and that are cascaded down to meaningful accountabilities at functional level.
  • risk identification, management and monitoring systems and processes.
  • high quality policies, standards and guidance relevant to the property system leader mandate.
• Sourcing, provision and management of specialist advice and services for the Government Property Office (e.g. external legal advice as necessary).
• Ensures the strategic investments are assessed for cost effectiveness and cost benefit.
• Ensures the team provides systems, data capture and analytics to support planning, engagement, decision-making, investment, and system performance monitoring and reporting.
• Manages the setup and management of organisational risk management systems, assurance processes, governance and accountability mechanisms and reporting.
• Ensures the timely and quality delivery of cabinet papers, business cases, ministerial briefings, OIA responses, sector communications, performance reports.
• Provides financial oversight of delivering savings from WCP (and future projects) to the centre and governance support.

General Leadership

• Provide day-to-day leadership, management and HR responsibility for direct reports.
• Foster an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, on-going learning and knowledge sharing within the team and with agency partners.
• Provide intellectual support and coach others on relationship management, monitoring, government systems and knowledge of institutional practice.
• Create a positive and delivery-focussed culture within the team, which is open to taking risks and learning lessons from failure, and where diverse views and perspectives are sought out and considered.
• Model MBIE’s values and culture.

Relationship Management

• Builds and maintains effective relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders and ministers across the public service in order to ensure effective project delivery.
• Builds strategic alliances with key government and non-government representatives to ensure Property System Leadership views are influential in their decision-making.
• Develops effective supportive working relationships with other managers and teams in the Centre to deliver the programme of work and transfer knowledge and learning across the Centre.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in any external interactions.

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 Head of Strategy and Standards reports to the General Manager in the Government Property Office. The branch sits within the Kānoa - Regional Development and Commercial Services group.

More information about MBIE's structure

Matatautanga – Competencies (Leadership Success Profile)

The Leadership Success Profile (LSP) is a leadership capability framework, developed by the New Zealand public sector for the New Zealand public sector. It creates a common language for leadership and establishes what great leadership looks like. You can look at the twelve underpinning capabilities and four leadership characters here: Leadership Success Profile | Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission(external link)

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).

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