Chief Advisor, Contracts - Wellington

Kumara Vine; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 141,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

KiwiSaver

Job summary

Kumara Vine in New Zealand seeks an experienced Chief Advisor, Contracts to lead a broad portfolio within the Education Workforce Contracts Team. You will design, negotiate, implement and manage strategic contracts that support growth, retention and development of NZ's education workforce.

You will mentor teams, strengthen contract management frameworks, engage senior leaders and suppliers, and drive value for money while upholding public service integrity and governance standards.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience managing or advising on complex, high-value and high-risk contracts.
• Strong knowledge of contract management, procurement, and government processes.
• Proven track record coaching and building high-performance teams.
• Ability to provide strategic advice to senior leaders and decision makers.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills.
• Experience leading continuous improvement and major programmes of work.
• Knowledge of governance, compliance and contract management frameworks.
• Experience strengthening Māori-Crown relationships.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across a significant portfolio of contracts.
• Lead design, negotiation, implementation and ongoing management of contracts.
• Strengthen commercial outcomes, manage risk and deliver value for money.
• Mentor others, improve frameworks and embed high-quality contract management practices.
• Collaborate with senior leaders, contract owners, suppliers and stakeholders.

Skills

Contract management

Procurement

Commercial risk

Contract negotiation

Stakeholder management

Leadership coaching

Strategic advisory

Governance & compliance

Māori-Crown relations

Public service standards

Ambiguity navigation

Education

Tertiary qualification

Contract management qualification

Job description

We work to shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes

Our organisation is made up of talented and committed people around Aotearoa, from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. While we work in different groups and on different things, we all strive every day to make the biggest difference we can for our students in our education system.

We are seeking an experienced and influential Chief Advisor, Contracts to provide strategic leadership across a significant portfolio of contracts within the Te Pou Ohumahi Mātauranga| Education Workforce Contracts Team.

As a trusted advisor, you will help lead the design, negotiation, implementation and ongoing management of strategically important contracts that support the growth, retention and development of New Zealand's Education Workforce. You will work closely with senior leaders, contract owners, suppliers and stakeholders to strengthen commercial outcomes, manage risk, and deliver value for money.

You will also play a key role in shaping the future of contract management capability by mentoring others, improving frameworks and processes, and embedding consistent, high-quality contract management practice across the team.

About you | Mōhou ake

We're looking for a highly credible and commercially astute leader with extensive experience managing complex contracts. You will be recognised for your ability to build trusted relationships, provide strategic advice, navigate ambiguity and influence outcomes at senior levels. You will bring a combination of commercial expertise, leadership capability, sound judgement and political awareness that enables you to deliver results in complex environments.

Key to success in this role is your:

• Extensive experience managing or advising on complex, high-value and high-risk contracts
• Strong knowledge of contract management, procurement, commercial risk and government processes
• Proven track record in coaching, mentoring and building high-performance teams
• Proven success in providing strategic and operational advice to senior leaders and decision makers
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement, influencing and relationship management skills
• Advanced negotiation skills and the ability to achieve positive outcomes in complex commercial settings
• Experience leading continuous improvement, change initiatives or major programmes of work
• Deep understanding of governance, compliance and contract management frameworks
• Experience in strengthen the Māori-Crown relationship - building capability as a good kāwanatanga partner
• Relevant tertiary qualification and either a contract management qualification or significant professional experience in contract management
• Ability and willingness to adhere to Public Service Standards of Integrity and Conduct.

Salary range: $141,146 - $171,196 per annumplus KiwiSaver. The successful candidate will be appointed at a salary which reflects individual skills and experience.

The Education Workforce group plays a critical role in supporting the education sector by delivering initiatives that help grow, retain and develop New Zealand's workforce. The Contracts Team provides strategic contract management expertise and leadership to ensure investment delivers the best outcomes for learners, educators and communities.

This recently formed team of Contract Managers have diverse backgrounds and levels of experience. We are now looking for someone who is passionate about delivering high performance and who has the capability to support the development of high performance in others. As Chief Advisor you will work alongside the Manager, Contracts to further develop the capability and support the team through this growth phase.

Applications close 11.59pm on Wednesday, 11 November 2026

We want our people to feel valued for their unique qualities and have a sense of belonging. If you require assistance or adjustments to fully participate in the recruitment process, please let us know.