Legal Advisor

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi; Auckland; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five weeks leave

Life Insurance

Income protection

Critical illness insurance

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi seeks a governance professional to support effective governance across the organisation. You will coordinate Board and Committee activity, prepare papers and maintain governance records, working closely with the General Counsel and senior leaders.

You will help ensure compliance, timeliness and high-quality governance documentation while finding smarter, more efficient ways to operate within a complex public sector environment.

Qualifications

• Experience leading or coordinating a governance work programme and supporting a Board within a complex organisation.
• Strong understanding of governance processes, Board requirements and compliance obligations.
• Experience preparing, reviewing and coordinating high-quality Board and Committee documentation.
• Strong information, records and document management skills, with excellent attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate Board calendars and agendas and help produce accurate Board papers and meeting packs.
• Maintain governance systems, frameworks and records.
• Work with the organisation to meet governance standards and deadlines.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes and deliver governance support efficiently.

Skills

Governance coordination

Board support

Attention to detail

Relationship building

Judgement & discretion

Change management

Diplomacy

MS Word

PowerPoint

Te Reo awareness

Education

Legal Executive qualification

Executive admin exp

Tools

Diligent

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

• Play a central role in enabling effective governance and high-quality decision-making at NZTA
• Lead the planning and delivery of Board and Committee processes in a complex, high-profile organisation
• Bring your governance expertise, sound judgement and continuous improvement mindset to a role with organisation wide impact
• Permanent opportunity based in Wellington or Auckland

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

This is an opportunity to play a critical role in supporting effective governance at NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). Working closely with the General Counsel, Governance and Funding, you will provide trusted governance support and lead the end-to-end planning and coordination of Board and Committee activity.

You will maintain governance systems, frameworks and records, coordinate Board calendars and agendas, and help produce accurate, timely and high-quality Board papers and meeting packs. You will work closely with people across the organisation to ensure governance requirements, standards and deadlines are understood and met.

As a key point of connection between the Board, the Executive Leadership Team and the wider organisation, you will build trusted relationships, manage competing priorities and contribute to effective, compliant and continuously improving governance practices. You will also identify opportunities to simplify processes and deliver governance support in smarter and more efficient ways.

You will find out more about the role here: Position Description

Ō Pūmanawa | What we’re looking for

Our ideal candidate will have some or all of the following, but don’t worry if you don’t tick every box:

• Experience leading or coordinating a governance work programme and supporting a Board within a complex organisation.
• A strong understanding of governance processes, Board requirements and compliance obligations.
• Experience preparing, reviewing and coordinating high-quality Board and Committee documentation.
• Strong information, records and document management skills, with excellent attention to detail.
• Confidence working with senior leaders and building trusted relationships across an organisation.
• The ability to work effectively through ambiguity, changing priorities and tight timeframes.
• Excellent judgement, professionalism and diplomacy when managing sensitive or confidential information.
• A proactive and improvement-focused approach, with experience developing simpler, smarter and more efficient ways of working.
• Strong capability with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, together with experience using Diligent or a similar governance management system.
• A recognised Legal Executive qualification or experience in executive-level administration, business or a related discipline would be preferred.
• Knowledge of, or a willingness to develop an understanding of, Te Ao Māori, tikanga, Te Reo Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi as it applies in the public sector.

Mō mātou | About Us

The General Counsel Office enables NZTA to operate with commercial strength, integrity and resilience by providing expert leadership across governance, legal, procurement, risk and assurance.

He aha te take e uru ai koe ki a mātou? | So, why join us?

From five weeks’ annual leave through to Life, Income Protection and Critical Illness Insurance for our permanent employees, you will be well looked after here. Our benefits are designed to support our people and provide a happy, healthy and high-performing environment. We take a principle-based approach to flexibility that enables our people and People Leaders to agree arrangements that work for the individual, the team and the organisation. Whether through on-the-job experience, formal learning, coaching or secondments, you can build a varied and successful career with us.

Rā Katinga | Applications close:

30 September 2026

For further information, email: [e-mail]

To be considered for this position you must have a legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Waka Kotahi is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion and are committed to providing a working environment that embraces these values. Please let us know if you need any support or have any access requirements that will help you through the recruitment process.

Please note that we may begin shortlisting as we receive applications. We encourage early applications as we may withdraw the advertising at any time.