Executive Support Officer - Mayor & Deputy Mayor

Christchurch City Council; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 83,000 - 93,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training & development programmes

Flexible working arrangements

Option to purchase extra leave

Wide collaboration across the Council

Job summary

Christchurch City Council is seeking an experienced executive support professional to work with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. You will manage diaries and complex schedules, coordinate meetings and briefings, and ensure timely, accurate communications.

The role involves leading the Councillor Support Officer and driving process improvements within a dynamic political environment. This permanent, full-time position offers exposure to senior leaders, a broad remit across governance support, and

Qualifications

• Significant executive support experience, ideally for senior leadership.
• Excellent organisational ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Proven track record improving systems and processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication with attention to detail.
• Ability to build trusted relationships across levels of governance.

Responsibilities

• Managing complex diaries, workflows and information for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
• Triaging and coordinating requests for meetings and engagements.
• Coordinating correspondence and ensuring timely, high-quality responses.
• Preparing and coordinating briefings, reports, presentations and background information.
• Monitoring actions and commitments to ensure follow-through.
• Building relationships across Council and with external stakeholders.
• Leading and coordinating the Councillor Support Officer’s work.
• Identifying opportunities to improve systems, workflows and processes.

Skills

Executive support experience

Diary management

Stakeholder management

Written and verbal communication

Political astuteness

Discretion and confidentiality

Leadership coordination

Organisational skills

Job description

E ngā iwi, e ngā karangatanga huri noa i te motu, tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. He īnoi tēnei ki a koe. Tono mai ki tētahi tūnga ki te Kaunihera o Ōtautahi

This is a unique opportunity to work at the heart of local government, providing trusted support to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Christchurch City Council.

The role provides a front-row seat to civic leadership and the opportunity to contribute to outcomes that shape our city and community.

About the team | Ko te rōpū nei

The Office of the Mayor and Chief Executive sits at the heart of Christchurch City Council, supporting the leadership of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Chief Executive.

Timely, effective and well-coordinated support is essential to enabling the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and elected members to focus on the issues, relationships and decisions that have the greatest impact on Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.

As part of an evolving support model, this newly established role will provide dedicated executive support to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, helping them deliver their governance, civic leadership, community and representative responsibilities.

The role will also provide day-to-day leadership and coordination to the Councillor Support Officer, helping ensure elected members receive a seamless, responsive and professional service.

About the role | Ko te mahi nei

Reporting to the Director, Office of the Mayor and Chief Executive, you'll act as the primary operational support partner to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Managing complex diaries, workflows and information to help the Mayor and Deputy Mayor focus on their highest priorities.
• Triaging and coordinating requests for meetings, engagements and commitments.
• Coordinating correspondence and ensuring responses are timely, accurate and of a consistently high standard.
• Preparing and coordinating briefings, reports, presentations and background information.
• Monitoring actions, commitments and key decisions to ensure timely follow-through.
• Building trusted relationships across Council and with elected members and external stakeholders.
• Providing day-to-day leadership and coordination of elected member support services through the Councillor Support Officer.
• Identifying opportunities to improve systems, workflows and processes, ensuring information reaching the Mayor and Deputy Mayor is timely, concise and relevant.

This is a role that requires sound judgement, discretion and political awareness, together with the confidence to navigate competing priorities in a complex and highly visible environment.

About you | Ko Koe Tēnei

You'll be an experienced executive support professional who thrives on complexity, builds credibility quickly and enjoys creating order in a busy environment.

To Be Successful, You Will Bring

• Significant executive support experience, ideally supporting a Chief Executive, senior executive, Minister or similarly complex leadership environment.
• Exceptional organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple competing priorities.
• Demonstrated success improving systems, processes and ways of working.
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, with exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to build trusted relationships across all levels.
• Political astuteness and sound judgement when handling sensitive information and complex issues.
• The highest levels of professionalism, confidentiality and discretion.
• Experience leading or coordinating the work of others would be advantageous.

What's in it for you? He aha ngā hua ki a koe?

This is an opportunity to work at the centre of Christchurch City Council's civic leadership, supporting the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to deliver on priorities that make a real difference for our city and communities. You'll enjoy a varied and meaningful role, exposure to senior leaders and elected members, and the chance to help shape how support services are delivered across the Office of the Mayor and Chief Executive.

Want To Be Involved In Shaping Your City? Here At The Council We Know Our Strength Comes From Our People, Working Together As One Team To Create Results. When You Join Us, You're Getting Involved First Hand, And Contributing To Crafting The Christchurch Community.

Benefits

• Access to training programmes, workshops, and development opportunities
• Flexible working arrangements - including adjustable start and finish times. As this role works closely with the Mayor & Deputy Mayor, it is primarily office-based, with occasional work-from-home flexibility when appropriate. Option to purchase extra leave.
• Collaboration - exposure to wider areas of the organisation
• Benefits - a variety of benefits for Council staff from health schemes to retail discounts.

If you require any accessibility support to apply for this role, please reach out to us [e-mail].

Additional Information | Ko ētahi atu kōrero:

• Hours of work - Full-time
• Position - Permanent
• Location - This position is primarily based at Te Hononga, Christchurch City Council Civic Offices - 53 Hereford Street
• Salary - The salary band for this position goes from $83,453 to $92,726 per annum based on a 40 hour week. Starting salaries will be based on knowledge, skills and experience the successful candidate brings to the role, and relativities both, within the immediate team and in the broader organisation for the same or similar roles.
• Closing Date - Sunday 1st November 2026

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the close date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad before the advertised close date.