Principal Advisor | Wellington City

Job Description

Principal Advisor, Strategy, Investment & Performance – Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention

Location: Wellington

Fixed Term - 6 Months

Make a real impact: Become part of our vision to eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence in Aotearoa New Zealand

Are you ready to be part of something bigger?

Join the Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention and help shape the strategic direction, investment and implementation advice that supports Aotearoa New Zealand's collective work to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.

We steward the family violence and sexual violence system and drive realisation of the cross-agency strategy—Te Aorerekura. We work in partnership with communities across Aotearoa New Zealand, placing survivors, families, and whānau at the heart of everything we do.

Te Haeata/The Opportunity

The Centre for FVSV Prevention is hiring a Principal Advisor, Strategy, Investment & Performance for its multi-disciplinary team. This senior role focuses on identifying strategic actions and implementation pathways to address family and sexual violence.

You will collaborate across agencies, support Te Aorerekura's goals, and provide strategic advice to Ministers and leaders. Responsibilities include conducting discovery to identify government action areas, setting strategic objectives with stakeholders, and shaping actionable advice for the IEB. Experience in design thinking, facilitation, and project management is essential. If you have relevant skills and want to make an impact, please apply.

What you will do

• Lead and shape complex strategic advice and workstreams that drive transformative change across the FVSV system.
• Bring cross-functional teams and subject-matter experts together to understand complex issues, navigate ambiguity, and develop robust options.
• Apply systems thinking and design-led approaches (including co-design) to scope, develop and test strategic advice.
• Design practical pathways for implementation, including clear plans, sequencing, and risk management.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior leaders across government, partner agencies, Māori and community stakeholders.
• Ensure advice is evidence-based, best practice, and reflects diverse perspectives including the voices of communities and citizens.
• Contribute to strategic capability across the team, including quality assurance, coaching and mentoring of other advisors.
• Grow your cultural competence and actively support stronger Māori–Crown relationships in everyday work.

What you will bring

• Proven experience in strategy development, policy, or public sector advisory work (or equivalent experience in a relevant field).
• Experience leading strategic development processes and working effectively at pace.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex information (including legislation, financial and numerical material).
• Demonstrated ability to influence and build alignment with senior stakeholders in complex environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to present clear advice and recommendations.
• Applied experience using systems thinking and/or design-led thinking methodologies and approaches.
• Sound judgement and the ability to anticipate risks and manage politically sensitive issues.
• A commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi and to building cultural competence to support better Māori–Crown relationships.
• Understanding of (or the ability to quickly develop understanding of) the FVSV evidence base and sector context.
• Relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent knowledge, skills and experience, with a commitment to ongoing professional development.

Ō pūkenga/skills and Experience

• Relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent experience.
• A minimum of 10 years public sector experience in strategic development.
• Previous experience of developing and implementing strategic actions.
• Knowledge of methodologies to enable stakeholders to identify how and where they might take action.
• Sound planning and organisation, including the ability to prioritise activities and plan to deliver critical milestones.

Mō mātou/About us

At Te Tāhū o te Ture - the Ministry of Justice, we're committed to strengthening people's trust in the law of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Joining Te Tāhū o te Ture means you will become part of an organisation that welcomes and supports people of all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, disabilities and religions. 

Ngā painga o tēnei wāhi mahi/What's great about working here

We offer you a range of benefits to support your wellbeing and help make the Ministry a great place to be. These include:

• 4.4 weeks holiday leave
• flexible work hours where possible
• an online professional development portal
• access to a variety of inclusive and proactive networks

See our full range of benefits here.

With a wide range of jobs, you also get the chance to gain a variety of skills and experience while developing your career.

• Our Values: We are guided by values such as Kotahitanga (equity in relationships and inclusion), Kaitiakitanga (protection and accountability), Mahi Tahi (collaboration and collective advocacy), Ora (wellbeing and restoration), Koi Mahi (learning and innovation), and Tiki-Pono-Aroha (integrity).
• One Team: As a small unit, we work as one team to deliver maximum impact. We are flexible, working in cross-functional teams to ensure we have the right mix of capability to do the right work. We are innovative and harness the people across the Family Violence and Sexual Violence system to deliver collective impact.
• Professional Development: We support continuous development of technical capability and leadership expertise.

Utu ā-tau/Salary

The appointing salary for this role will be between $130,129 – 179,192, based on skills and experience.

Tono mai/Apply

To apply for this position, please submit your application through our careers portal here. Ensure your application includes a cover letter and CV detailing your relevant experience and qualifications.

Applications close on Sunday 19 April however, we will be reviewing CVs as they come in and inviting successful candidates to interview before the close date.   

If you have any questions, please contact recruitment@justice.govt.nz

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