Country Lead, Pacific Maritime Safety Programme (PMSP)

Mo m tou | About Us

Our Vision: Preventing Harm. Saving Lives. Securing our Future

We play a key role in the guardianship of New Zealand waterways. We are bringing together our aroha, work and skills to achieve our outcomes of sustainable supply chains and sectors, safe people and operations, secure ports and ships, and clean seas and waterways.

Our values are about who we are as individuals and the behaviours we expect from each other at Maritime NZ.

Care | Kia Tika - We care for each other and do the right thing

Connect | Kotahitanga - We unite in a common purpose

Courage | Kia M ia - We are brave, capable and confident

Mo to m tou Ropu - About the team

The Partnerships and Engagement Group leads a coordinated, organisationwide approach to growing strategic partnerships and relationships in the Maritime sector and across Maritime NZ through functions including engagement, guidance, education, and communications.

Within this, the Engagement team leads domestic and international engagement coordination and capabilitybuilding, including in the Pacific. Within this, the Pacific Maritime Safety Programme (PMSP) supports maritime safety capability across the Pacific-working in partnership with Pacific Island countries to deliver practical, sustainable improvements.

Te tunga | The roles

Maritime NZ is undergoing a period of change to strengthen its sustainability and future focus. Following an organisational redesign, we are recruiting into a number of newly shaped roles that support our shift toward more efficient, digitally enabled ways of working, helping position us for the future.

These are unique roles that sit at the intersection of international engagement, relationship management and maritime safety. As a PMSP Country Lead, you will act as the key connection between Maritime NZ and one or more Pacific partner countries, building trusted relationships and making sure support is aligned, well-coordinated and delivers meaningful outcomes. You will bring a strong understanding of maritime environments and use this to shape programme delivery that reflects real-world needs and context.

Key areas of focus include:

• Leading relationships with Pacific maritime administrations and stakeholders
• Acting as the primary liaison between country needs and Maritime NZ capability
• Applying maritime expertise to assess risks, priorities and support requests
• Coordinating technical advice, education and support across the organisation
• Supporting the design and delivery of country-level programmes and initiatives
• Making sure work is aligned with agreed country plans and programme outcomes
• Providing insight and feedback to inform programme planning and improvement
• Supporting alignment with broader Pacific and international engagement priorities

These roles are central to building strong partnerships and delivering practical safety outcomes across the Pacific maritime system.

Please note: These are 5-year fixed term contracts

Nou te rourou | What you bring

You are a maritime professional with strong relationship skills and the ability to operate confidently across diverse environments. You combine technical expertise with cultural awareness and a collaborative approach.

You will bring:

• Experience in maritime safety, operations, regulation or related environments
• Strong understanding of maritime systems and ability to apply technical judgement
• Experience working in Pacific or international contexts
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships across cultures and organisations
• Experience coordinating or delivering technical advice or capability support
• Strong communication skills, including translating technical concepts into practical solutions
• Ability to work across complexity and adapt to different environments
• A collaborative, partnership-focused approach
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally

Mou | For you

Maritime NZ recognises and respects te Tiriti o Waitangi and we are committed to working with M ori to build strong, meaningful and enduring relationships to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

We aim to be a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported with a sense of belonging. We encourage our people to actively contribute to our workplace culture where we all thrive and authentically live our Maritime NZ values.

On joining us you will receive a full range of benefits including Income Protection & Life Insurance. Check out our full range on our careers page to find out more about why we love working here.

Salary range

$140,735 - $171,946 depending on skills and experience + superannuation.

Me pehea te tuku tono | How to apply

We are unable to accept applications via email. Please click the apply button to submit your application.

We are committed to making sure our application process is accessible to everyone. Please reach out to our recruitment team below if there is any support we can provide to make sure the process is accessible to you.

Applications for this role close 2 July 2026. Please also note that you must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand to be considered for this role.

If you have any questions please e-mail ***email_hidden***