Adviser (System Improvement and Design)

Adviser (System Improvement and Design)

Role type: Fixed-term ended 30 June 2027

Location: Wellington City

Salary band & range: General Salary Range F - $76,463 to $89,215 depending on skills and experience

About the Role - Kōrero mō te Tūranga

As Adviser, Service Improvement and Design plays a key supporting role within the Pacific Partnerships team, working alongside experienced Senior and Specialist Advisers to strengthen export assurance systems across partner countries. This role brings service design and user research capability into complex regulatory and operational environments, helping partner agencies better understand how their systems are experienced by those who use them. This includes both external users such as exporters and industry participants, and internal users responsible for improving, delivering, and maintaining assurance processes.

This is a development-focused role suited to someone ready to grow their expertise while contributing to the design, prototyping and testing of practical improvements in complex and resource constrained systems. You will support user research and and engagement with partner countries and play an active role in shaping, trialling, and refining solutions based on real-world feedback.The role involves working across cultures and contexts, including engaging with senior international counterparts, and contributing to both in-country and remote deliveryTthrough coaching,hands-on experience and close collaboration with experienced advisers you will build your confidence, judgement, and facilitation skills.as you progress towards a more senior advisory role.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Supporting and contributing to user research activities, and using insights to help shape, prototype and refine practical solutions including, analysing and presenting findings in clear, user-friendly ways (including visual formats)
• Assisting in the planning and delivery of workshops, including preparation, facilitation support, and follow-up
• Developing service design artefacts such as journey maps, service blueprints, and system maps to support the design, prototyping and refinement of practical improvements in defined work areas
• Using technical and regulatory information into clear, practical changes to how systems operate in practice
• Engaging professionally with partner agencies and officials across diverse cultural and organisational contexts
• Working closely with Senior and Specialist Advisers to support delivery of in-country and remote engagements
• Assisting with planning, coordination, and reporting for workshops, visits, and project activities
• Building capability in service design, prototyping, facilitation, and user research through practical experience and coaching

The role is based in Wellington, with regular office collaboration, virtual engagement with partner countries, and some travel to the Pacific.

You do not need to meet all of the role requirements to apply. We offer a breadth of development and learning opportunities and will welcome an application if you think you could make a great fit.

About You - Mōu

To be successful in this role, you will bring a strong foundation in a relevant discipline such as design, social science, public policy, or communications, alongside practical experience or emerging capability in service design, prototyping, and user research. You are comfortable working in environments that involve technical, scientific, or regulatory subject matter, and are able to help translate complex information into clear, user-focused outputs and solutions, including developing simple visual resources to support understanding and decision making

Your experience will include engaging with a range of stakeholders and contributing to collaborative activities such as workshops, interviews, or co-design sessions, and you are able to manage your work effectively to deliver to agreed priorities and timelines.

You will bring:

• A relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent practical experience
• An understanding of, or exposure to, service design, user research, or human-centred design approaches
• Experience working alongside technical or scientific specialists, and confidence engaging in complex environments
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly in both written and visual formats
• Sound analytical and problem-solving capability, with an interest in understanding systems from a user perspective and developing practical solutions
• Experience engaging with stakeholders and working with them to co-design, test, and refine practical improvements in their context
• Experience supporting collaborative activities such as workshops, interviews or co-design sessions
• The ability to plan, organise, and manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively
• A collaborative approach to working within multidisciplinary teams

In addition to your technical skills and experience, you'll be curious, adaptable, and motivated to build your capability in new and evolving contexts, and bring a thoughtful and respectful approach to working with others, including across different cultures and organisational settings.

About the Team -

Mō tō mātou Rōpū

The Pacific Partnership team delivers a programme funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade that works with Pacific countries to support safe trade in fresh produce. This work helps strengthen the livelihoods of Pacific farmers, exporters, and their communities, while also ensuring exports meet New Zealand's biosecurity requirements and protect Aotearoa New Zealand.

We work directly with biosecurity agencies in four partner countries to strengthen export systems in practice. Alongside this, we support the Pacific Plant Protection Organisation in its regional role to build plant health capability and coordination across the Pacific.

You'll join a team of subject matter experts, including two Senior Advisers and a Specialist Adviser with deep expertise in biosecurity and strong experience working across the Pacific. You'll work alongside a new Senior Adviser with system improvement and design expertise, helping strengthen how the team understands systems in practice and turns insights into clear problems and practical improvements.

About MPI - Mō Te Manatū Ahu Matua

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) partners with New Zealand's food and fibre sector to be the world's most trusted provider of high-value food and fibre products.

To find out more about the Ministry and what we do please click here.

Benefits of working at MPI - Ngā hua o te mahi i te Manatū Ahu Matua

• Additional MPI leave days
• Annual Wellness payment
• Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames

Are you ready to make a difference? - Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi whaitake?

We are committed to being a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi which includes working closely with iwi, hapū, whānau and hāpori.

We aspire to reflect the diverse communities we serve, so we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, and identities. As an organisation, we are committed to making Manatū Ahu Matua Ministry for Primary Industries a great place to work for all.

In your cover letter we'd like to know about you, your values; your interest and motivations for this role; the abilities, strengths, personal attributes, and diverse perspectives you will bring to the role and this organisation, which may have also been gained outside of the workforce.

To view the position description and/or apply online, please click “APPLY FOR THIS JOB” or visit the MPI Careers Site. To apply, you must hold the right to work in New Zealand or be eligible to obtain it – click here to find out more about work visa eligibility and options.

Applications close at 11:59pm on Wednesday, 17 June 2026

If you have any questions about the role, please email [email protected]

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