Business Enablement Specialist

Waikato Regional Council; Hamilton; On-site; NZD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Waikato Regional Council is seeking an organised executive support professional to join the Group Emergency Management Office (GEMO). You will coordinate meetings, manage complex calendars and support senior leaders across the Waikato CDEM Group.

In this role you will build relationships with executives, elected members and partner agencies, prepare governance papers and ensure actions are tracked and completed with high attention to detail.

Qualifications

• Proven experience providing support to senior leaders, including managing competing priorities and complex schedules.
• Experience handling sensitive information with sound judgement and discretion.
• Strong relationship management skills with executives, elected members, emergency services and partner agencies.
• Experience in local government contexts is advantageous.
• Understanding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and te ao Māori in a local government setting.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate meetings, workshops and collaborative activities across multiple organisations.
• Provide high-quality business support to the Group Manager/Controller and leadership team.
• Ensure decisions, communications and follow-up actions are tracked and completed.
• Build effective working relationships with senior leaders, elected members and partner agencies.
• Prepare and quality assure reports, governance papers and other business documents.
• Support emergency management activities through on-call roster and regional alerts.
• Assist with coordinating response activities when required.
• Maintain accurate records and documentation with strong attention to detail.

Skills

Meetings coordination

Executive support

Stakeholder management

Project coordination

Attention to detail

Job description

• You're someone who enjoys keeping people, priorities and information connected so work runs smoothly.
• You're confident working with executive leaders, elected members, emergency services and community stakeholders.
• You have experience coordinating complex schedules, meetings, projects and competing priorities.
• You bring exceptional attention to detail, sound judgement and professionalism when handling sensitive information.
• You enjoy providing the support, coordination and organisation that enables others to do their best work.

Mō te tūłanga | About the role

• Coordinate meetings, workshops and collaborative activities across multiple organisations.
• Provide high-quality business support to the Group Manager/Controller and leadership team, helping manage competing priorities and key deliverables.
• Ensure decisions, communications and follow-up actions are accurately tracked and completed.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with senior leaders, elected members and key partner agencies.
• Prepare and quality assure reports, correspondence, governance papers and other business documents.
• Support emergency management activities through participation in an on-call roster, assisting with regional and local alerts, and helping coordinate response activities when required.
• Proven experience providing support to senior leaders, including managing competing priorities, complex schedules, sensitive information and high-level stakeholder interactions.
• Strong organisational skills and a high level of attention to detail, with the ability to produce accurate, professional reports, correspondence, meeting papers and governance documentation.
• Well-developed relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including executives, elected members, emergency services, government agencies, iwi and community partners.
• Sound judgement, initiative and problem-solving skills, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities and work effectively under pressure.
• Experience in local government, governance support, emergency management or project coordination would be advantageous.
• An understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, partnership with tangata whenua, and the application of te ao Māori in a local government context.

Mō te tīma | About the team

• The Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group comprises a consortium of 11 local authorities, emergency services, lifelines utilities, welfare organisations, government departments, and non-government organisations operating in the central area of New Zealand’s North Island, referred to as the Waikato region.
• The organisation responsible for coordinating the efforts of the Waikato CDEM Group is the Group Emergency Management Office (GEMO). This office operates under a work programme developed by a representative group of local authority executives. The GEMO is administered by the Waikato Regional Council.
• Applications will be reviewed as they come in, and this role will close on Sunday 6th September 2026.
• For a copy of the role description, please click here.
• If you have any questions about the role, please contact [e-mail]