Commissioning Principal Advisor

Ministry of Social Development; Wellington; On-site; NZD 153,000 - 217,000; Full time

Job summary

Ministry of Social Development in Wellington is seeking a Commissioning Principal Advisor for the Investment & Commissioning team on a fixed-term basis through June 2027. The role focuses on the Community-Led Commissioning programme, devolving decision-making closer to communities and informing scope with social sector agencies.

You’ll lead national/regional relationships, negotiate service scope, interpret complex information for decision-makers, and support risk management within a

Qualifications

• Experience in the health or social sector in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
• Ability to engage diverse stakeholders and build trusted relationships quickly.
• Strong facilitation and policy advisory capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead relationships with national and regional teams across other social sector agencies.
• Drive negotiations on the scope and nature of services for Community-Led Commissioning.
• Interpret complex information to provide well-reasoned advice to decision-makers.
• Support risk identification, mitigation, and programme leadership in a dynamic environment.
• Collaborate across a cross-functional programme team and share information early.
• Provide coaching to team members and inform policy advice.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Policy advice

Facilitation

Programme leadership

Te Tiriti integration

Synthesis of information

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

It’s an exciting time to join the Social Investment Agency as we lead change across the public service to implement social investment and support Government to achieve better outcomes from social sector spending.

We are currently seeking a Commissioning Principal Advisor to join our Investment & Commissioning team in Wellington. This is a fixed term opportunity through to June 2027.

The role will be working on the Community-Led Commissioning programme; a significant and transformational piece of work to devolve decision-making closer to communities.

As a Commissioning Principal Advisor, you’ll play an important role in leading engagement with other social sector agencies to inform the scope and approach to Community-Led Commissioning.

In this role you’ll:

• Lead relationships with national and regional teams across other social sector agencies, building trust and fostering collaboration.
• Drive negotiations on the scope and nature of services to be included in Community-Led Commissioning.
• Interpret complex information about services including specifications, reporting, referral pathways, and intended outcomes to provide well-reasoned advice to decision-makers.
• Support risk identification, mitigation, and programme leadership in a dynamic operating environment.
• Work closely with a cross-functional programme team, ensuring information is shared early and connections are made across a complex and fast-moving piece of work.
• Provide coaching to members of the broader programme team and share your experience to inform policy advice.

We're looking for someone with experience working in the health and / or social sector in Aotearoa in operational, commissioning, or delivery roles.

You’ll bring:

• A deep understanding of the social sector commissioning and contracting landscape in New Zealand.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and collaboration skills with a proven ability to build trusted relationships quickly.
• Strong facilitation skills with experience designing
• Competence in leading and driving a fast-paced varied programme of work across the agency.
• Confidence in navigating ambiguous and complex environments with political and cultural sensitivity.
• Proven ability to interpret and synthesize information to make evidence-based recommendations.
• Strong values alignment with a genuine interest in transforming commissioning practice to move decisions closer to communities.
• Deep understanding of te Tiriti o Waitangi, and an ability to integrate Te Ao Māori and mātauranga Māori concepts into commissioning practice.

Salary | Utu-ā-tau

Band 19: $153,344 - $180,405 - $216,919
(Salaries are based on skills and experience. Offers are usually made between $153,344 and $180,405)

Our purpose is to shift the system using data and evidence, so that the system invests earlier and more effectively to improve the lives of New Zealanders. We focus our efforts on where we can make the greatest impact to lead, and we collaborate with agencies and stakeholders to shine a light on policy issues that fall between the gaps. As a central government agency, our people are our centre. They’re curious, agile and hardworking, and instinctively care about the wellbeing of others. We are committed to a safe and inclusive workplace and we value the diversity everyone brings. We embrace our diverse workforce and culture, and we support flexible working arrangements.

We welcome applications from everyone, regardless of gender identity, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or religion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so we can assist you through the recruitment process.

Applications close at 11.59pm on Sunday 02 October 2026; however, we will review applications as they come in and may invite people to interview before the close date. We are looking to move quickly with these roles and will begin interviewing from the week of 03 October 2026.