Principal Policy Advisor

Full job description
Come join us and make a difference to New Zealanders


Discover a career with purpose at MBIE
; Influence the policy and regulatory settings that support financial markets in New Zealand
; Make a difference to New Zealander's financial wellbeing
; Fixed-term opportunity until December, Wellington CBD location
; $132,417 - $160,472 plus KiwiSaver
Tenei turanga - About the Role:
The Financial Markets team provides advice to Ministers to promote fair, efficient and transparent financial markets in New Zealand. Our vision is that all New Zealand consumers and businesses have access to the money they need to thrive.
Our role includes advising on the regulation of financial services like banks and insurers, insurance contract law, KiwiSaver and other managed funds, and wider investment settings and how to grow our capital markets. In an environment where many New Zealanders are worried about their finances, and New Zealand faces a range of long-term economic and social challenges, financial products and services are critical to help businesses and individuals save and invest for the future, manage their risks, and grow our collective wellbeing.



The Financial Markets team sits in the Commerce, Consumer and Business Policy branch, the Government's lead advisor on the commercial environment in which all New Zealand businesses and consumers operate. We look after the laws, institutions and systems that underpin how businesses and consumers interact with each other including: competition, consumer affairs, market performance, financial conduct, corporate governance and intellectual property, small business and manufacturing. Our teams cooperate and work flexibly to provide strategic and timely advice for Ministers.

It is an exciting time to join our team. We are currently working on a range of high priority and challenging issues, including progressing legislation to reform conduct obligations on financial institutions such as banks and insurers, and reviewing how our capital markets can better support the productivity of the New Zealand economy and financial outcomes for businesses and investors.

The Principal Policy Advisor is responsible for:

Partnering with the policy manager to drive the strategic policy agenda and set the direction for the team's policy domain
Providing authoritative policy advice and leading programmes of work and project teams on complex and sensitive areas
Effectively influencing on domain topics through engagement and communication with senior stakeholders.
What we offer:
We are proud to have been voted New Zealand's second most attractive employer for 2025 in Randstad's Employer Brand Research survey. This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to creating an inclusive workplace and nurturing a values-led culture. Join us and discover a career with purpose.


Nga pukenga me nga wheako e hiahiatia ana -
Skills and Experience Required

For the role of Principal Policy Advisor, you will have advanced policy skills and ideally you will:
; Be able to understand the strategic context, current policy agenda and priorities; is able to see policy issues in the wider context and applies foresight and judgement to identify what is important for the policy area in the medium and long term.
; Build requisite knowledge for different policy issues quickly.
; Draw on expert knowledge of the policy area as well as broad knowledge from other policy domains to critically assess information from a wide variety of sources and identify implications for policy analysis and advice.
; Have or want to improve your cultural capability and knowledge of te ao Maori, te reo Maori and how Te Tiriti o Waitangi informs our work
; Have the intellectual capability to work with multiple complex ideas in parallel as well as being able to integrate multiple concepts and pathways and deal comfortably with ambiguity.
; Have the ability to maneuver comfortably through complex policy advisory processes and Cabinet requirements to achieve the desired outcomes for complex, sensitive or risky policy issues.
; Be an expert user of policy project management processes, have skills and experience to manage policy conflicts and understand how to assess risk and develop risk mitigation strategies.
; Be skilled at drawing on experience, evidence, wisdom, judgement and expertise to build policy capability of staff.
Come join us and make a difference to New Zealanders.

Etahi korero mo MBIE - About MBIE:
MBIE's goal is to create a resilient and high-performing economy that delivers real and ongoing quality of life for all New Zealanders.

We do this by working with others to create an environment that supports businesses to be more productive and internationally competitive, enables all New Zealanders to participate in the economy through improved job opportunities and by working to ensure quality housing is more affordable.

People are at the heart of our mahi, our way of working is guided by our values which shape our behaviours.

Mahi Tahi - Better Together
Maia - Bold and brave
Pae Kahurangi - Build our Future
Pono Me Te Tika - Own It
Our aspirations are echoed in our Maori identity - Hikina Whakatutuki - which broadly means `lifting to make successful'.

MBIE recognises the partnership founded under Te Tiriti o Waitangi between Maori and the Crown and is committed to giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We will do this through enduring, meaningful and effective partnerships with iwi, Maori, other Maori groups/organisations and the Crown, as this is critical to enable economic and social development, both for Maori and for wider Aotearoa New Zealand. We are committed to continuing to partner with iwi in order to find new sustainable solutions to address long standing systemic and cross-cutting issues facing Maori and wider Aotearoa New Zealand and we are also committed to identifying opportunities for iwi to lead and creating an enabling environment for iwi to leverage these opportunities.

E mohio ana a Hikina Whakatutuki i puea ake te kotuinga I waenganui i a ngai Maori me te Karauna i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a, kei te whai ia ki te whakau ake i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ma te whai kiko o nga kotuinga ahungaroa o ngai wi, o ngai Maori, me etahi atu ropu Maori ki te Karauna, katutuki tenei. He ahuatanga nui tenei e ahei ai nga mahi whanaketanga a-ohanga, a-papori hoki ki a ngai Maori me Aotearoa whanui. E whai tonu ana matou ki te kotui atu ki nga iwi mo te rapu huarahi hou ki te whakaara i nga kaupapakua roa nei e tami ana i a ngai Maori me Aotearoa whanui, a, e whai ana hoki ki te tautohu i nga aheinga kokiritanga ma nga iwi, me te tautoko i nga iwi kia whai mana ake ai enei aheinga.

Me pehea te tono - How to Apply:

Click here to view a position description.

When you are ready to apply please send a CV and cover letter telling us why you're the perfect fit for this role.

All applications must be submitted via our online process.

We can't wait to hear from you!

Email Monica Chow at monica.chow2@mbie.govt.nz quoting ref MBIE/17616 if you have any further questions.

Applications close on Thursday, 26 June.

 
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