Business Adviser

Business Adviser

Role type: Fixed-term until June 2027

Location: Wellington

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

About the Role - Kōrero mō te Tūranga

This Business Adviser role sits at the heart of the Strategy, Performance & Treaty Partnerships (SPTP) directorate, providing trusted support to the Director and the Chief Adviser to the Deputy Director-General (DDG). You will play a key role in shaping and coordinating the information that supports senior decision-making, ensuring advice, reporting, and briefings are strategic, well-structured, and of consistently high quality. With a strong overview across the directorate, you will act as a critical link between teams, bringing clarity and cohesion to priorities, workflows, and outputs.

You will also contribute to the smooth and efficient operation of the DDG BNZ Office and wider SPTP directorate. This is a varied role that combines business analysis, coordination, governance, and communications. You will help identify risks and opportunities, lift the quality of key deliverables, and strengthen processes across the business. Working closely with the DDG Office, you will step in where needed to maintain continuity and ensure the office remains responsive, well-organised, and connected.

In this role, you will:

• Act as a central coordination point for advice and information flowing to the Director and DDG, ensuring it is timely, aligned, and decision-ready.
• Provide strategic and operational insight to support priorities, identify risks, and drive continuous improvement across the directorate.
• Lead quality assurance of key documents, including briefings, reports, and ministerial communications, lifting consistency and clarity.
• Support the effective running of the DDG BNZ Office by managing workflows, priorities, and business rhythms.
• Shape and deliver internal communications and reporting that keep the directorate informed, connected, and aligned.
• Provide governance and coordination support across leadership forums, including planning, papers, and follow-through on actions.
• Step in to provide executive and office support during periods of high demand or absence, ensuring continuity of service.
• Build strong working relationships across BNZ to coordinate cross-cutting responses and deliver joined-up outcomes.

About You – Mōu

You are an experienced and trusted adviser who thrives in complex, fast-paced environments. With a strong understanding of how executive offices and the public sector operate, you bring a structured and analytical approach to your work. You are confident working at pace, able to distil complex information into clear, actionable insights, and comfortable supporting senior leaders with high-quality advice, reporting, and coordination. Your experience spans business planning, performance monitoring, and the development of well-crafted written materials, and you are familiar with operating within government frameworks and processes.

You will bring:

• Demonstrated experience advising and supporting senior leaders within a large or complex organisation, ideally in a business advisory role.
• Strong analytical capability, with the ability to interpret information, identify risks and opportunities, and contribute to performance insights and improvements.
• Proven ability to produce high-quality written outputs, including briefings, reports, and communications, under tight timeframes.
• A solid understanding of business operations, planning, and reporting, with the ability to connect work across teams and priorities.
• Experience navigating government or similarly structured environments, including an understanding of formal processes and expectations.
• Highly developed organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, coordinate inputs from multiple stakeholders, and maintain momentum.
• Sound judgement, discretion, and a strong commitment to working with integrity in an executive setting.

In addition to your technical skills and experience, you are proactive, adaptable, and resilient, with a natural ability to build credibility and strong working relationships across all levels of an organisation. You communicate with clarity and influence, tailoring your approach to different audiences and situations. Comfortable working with ambiguity, you use initiative and sound judgement to navigate complexity and keep work moving forward. You take pride in delivering high-quality outcomes, supporting others to succeed, and contributing to a collaborative, high-performing team environment.

About the Team -

Mō tō mātou Rōpū

The Performance team work across the branch to lift Biosecurity NZ's strategic capability and performance – integrating performance measurements, reporting, governance, and planning to enhance capability and assist Biosecurity NZ in achieving its goals.

About MPI - Mō Te Manatū Ahu Matua

Our role includes seizing export opportunities for our food and fibre sector, improving sector productivity, ensuring the food we produce is safe, increasing sustainable resource use, and protecting New Zealand from biological risk.

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

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

Security checks – Ngā Taki Whakahaumaru

This roles require a New Zealand national security clearance. To be considered for this role, you must meet the eligibility criteria set out below.

CONFIDENTIAL national security clearance

• You must be a New Zealand citizen, or hold a New Zealand residence‑class visa (including permanent residence).
• You must have a minimum five (5)‑year background history that can be verified and assessed by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) to determine your suitability for a CONFIDENTIAL national security clearance.

Find out more about the national security vetting process here and access the eligibility self‑check tool here.

If you do not meet these minimum criteria, we will not be able to accept your application.

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” 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 Sunday, 5 July

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

Follow MPI here - Whāia ngā tūhononga ki MPI i konei

Links to Facebook, MPI Careers, LinkedIn, X