Advisor, Communications and Engagement

New Zealand Government; Wellington; On-site; NZD 78,000 - 89,000; Full time

Job summary

The Climate Change Commission in New Zealand is seeking an Advisor, Communications and Engagement to support end-to-end engagement and communications across the work programme under the Climate Change Response Act. This role will provide planning, content development and project delivery support.

You will build relationships, communicate complex information clearly, and contribute to inclusive engagement while embedding te ao Māori into the way we work.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships.
• Strong critical thinking.
• Attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in product design, publications, and/or digital communications.
• Highly effective planning and organisational skills.
• Knowledge of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi and government policies.
• At least one year of experience in communications, engagement or media; climate change or science communication would be an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Strengthen the Commission’s relationships, support evidence gathering, and share our work.
• Communicate complex information clearly, adapting content and formats to audience needs.
• Develop and deliver audience-focused engagement and communications plans.
• Prepare key messages, talking points, media releases, presentations, social content, and organise webinars for specific projects.
• Support a culture of collaboration, coordination, and inclusiveness across the team.
• Demonstrate te ao Māori values in how we do things within the Commission.

Skills

Relationship building

Critical thinking

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Product design

Publications

Digital communications

Planning

Organising

Te Tiriti knowledge

Integrity

Education

Relevant tertiary qualification

Job description

About us

The Commission was established by the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019 ('the Zero Carbon Act'), which amended the Climate Change Response Act 2002 (CCRA). The Commission plays a key role in developing and implementing clear and stable climate change policies in Aotearoa New Zealand. We do this by providing independent, expert advice to the Government on both mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change. We also monitor and review the Government's progress towards its emissions reduction and adaptation goals. In the past six years we’ve provided advice on emissions budgets, emissions reduction plans, agricultural emissions pricing, NZ Emissions Trading Scheme settings, the 2050 target and whether to include international shipping and aviation emissions. We have delivered the country’s second national climate change risk assessment. We’ve monitored progress reducing emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change. More details about our work programme can be found here: Our upcoming work.

The Role

The Advisor, Communications and Engagement will support end-to-end engagement and communications processes to support the Commission’s work programme under the CCRA. This includes engagement and communications advice, planning, content development and supporting delivery of our engagement programme. This role will be assigned to various project teams and will be required to provide organisation-wide support as required.

The likely appointment range for this role is between $78,000 to $89,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.

Key parts of the role include:

• Using your engagement skills to help strengthen the Commission’s key relationships, support evidence gathering, and share our work.


• Communicating complex information in ways that are compelling and easy to understand, adapting communication styles, content, and formats to audience needs.


• Taking an audience-focused approach to developing and delivering engagement and communications plans.


• Preparing key messages, talking points, media releases, presentations, social media content and other materials, and organising and running webinars in a clear and well-structured manner related to specific projects.


• Supporting a culture of collaboration, coordination, and inclusiveness in the team and across the organisation.


• Demonstrating that cultural responsiveness is valued, understood, and applied within the Commission by embedding te ao Māori (te reo Māori, tikanga, kawa, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) into the way we do things.

About you

This is a role for someone who can hit the ground running in a purpose-driven organisation that aims for its work to have impact.

You will have:

• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships


• Strong critical thinking


• Attention to detail


• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal


• Experience in product design, publications, and/or digital communications


• Highly effective planning and organisational skills, including time management and prioritising work in a complex work environment


• Knowledge of the machinery of government, the political environment and government policies, and the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi and Te Ao Māori


• Demonstrated high levels of integrity

Our ideal candidate has at least one year of experience in a communications, engagement or media role, and a relevant tertiary qualification. Experience working on climate change issues, experience in science communication, or a background in journalism would be an advantage.

We embrace diversity and inclusion and are committed to equality and equity.We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Application Information

Applications close: 11:00pm Monday 5 October 2026.

For further questions regarding this role, please email [e-mail].

To be considered for this role you must be currently able to live and work in NZ.