Manager Engagement

Auckland Council; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 144,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EAP services

Oranga Day

Leisure Centre membership

Partnership discounts

Job summary

Auckland Council has an exciting fixed-term opportunity for an experienced engagement leader to join our Community Engagement team as Manager Engagement – Urban Development.

In this influential leadership role, you will lead a team of senior communications and engagement professionals supporting a major urban regeneration and infrastructure programme across Tāmaki Makaurau, connecting communities, mana whenua, stakeholders and decision-makers to inform local voices in development.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading experienced professionals or other people leaders.
• Strong track record in strategic communications and community engagement.
• Experience developing engagement strategies for complex projects or programmes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a highly experienced team delivering strategic communications and community engagement.
• Provide strategic advice to programme directors, senior leaders and project teams.
• Shape engagement approaches for complex urban development and infrastructure programmes.
• Build trusted relationships with communities, mana whenua, delivery partners and key stakeholders.
• Identify and manage communications, engagement and reputational risks.
• Embed best practices and strengthen engagement capability across programmes.
• Oversee programme resourcing, external suppliers, procurement and budgets.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic communications

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Job description

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• Shape how Auckland’s communities experience major urban development
• Lead an experienced team of communications and engagement professionals

Auckland Council has an exciting fixed-term opportunity for an experienced engagement leader to join our Community Engagement team as Manager Engagement – Urban Development.

In this influential leadership role, you will lead a team of senior communications and engagement professionals supporting a significant programme of urban regeneration and infrastructure delivery across Tāmaki Makaurau. You will connect city builders, communities, Mana Whenua, stakeholders and decisionmakers, helping ensure local voices inform the development of Auckland.

Your initial focus will be maintaining momentum across the existing programme while developing and embedding effective new ways of working across the Transport and Infrastructure directorate.

You could expect to:

• Lead and develop a highly experienced team delivering strategic communications and community engagement
• Provide strategic advice to programme directors, senior leaders and project teams
• Shape engagement approaches for complex, visible urban development and infrastructure programmes
• Build trusted relationships with communities, mana whenua, delivery partners and key stakeholders
• Identify and manage communications, engagement and reputational risks
• Embed consistent best practice and strengthen engagement capability across programmes
• Oversee programme resourcing, external suppliers, procurement and budgets
• Champion innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement across the function

You will be a confident and credible people leader with significant communications and engagement expertise. You understand how to navigate complex programmes, competing stakeholder priorities, and highly visible issues while keeping communities at the centre of decision-making.

You will be a creative, organised self-starter who can provide clear strategic direction while remaining close enough to the work to support your team and maintain programme momentum. Experience leading within local or central government, urban regeneration, infrastructure, transport, or a similarly complex environment would be particularly valuable.

We will be looking for:

• Demonstrated experience leading experienced professionals or other people leaders
• A strong track record in strategic communications and community engagement
• Experience developing engagement strategies for complex projects, policies or programmes
• The ability to build trust and strong partnerships with communities, senior leaders and delivery partners
• Strong political awareness, judgement and influencing capability
• The ability to work through ambiguity and manage complex or sensitive issues
• Sound commercial, financial and programme-management capability
• A collaborative, inclusive and pragmatic leadership style

This is a rare opportunity to influence how Auckland grows and develops while helping connect communities with the projects transforming their neighborhoods.

You will work alongside a team of senior communications and engagement experts and have the opportunity to be immersed in Auckland’s communities and closely connected to the places and infrastructure we build.

This is a fixed-term position for just under 12 months, based at our Albert Street office. The team currently works on a hybrid basis, with three days in the office and up to two days working from home.

You’ll also have access to a range of Auckland Council benefits, including EAP services, an Oranga Day, discounted Leisure Centre membership and other partnership discounts.

We value diversity in our thinking and recognise that we can only achieve that through a diverse and inclusive team.

Help shape the future of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Applications close: 18/11/2026 aat 11:59pm

This role has a remuneration range of $144,288 - $169,750.

Our employer KiwiSaver contribution is additional to the base salary offered.

If you have any support or access requirements, please let us know when submitting your application so we can support you through the recruitment process.

Auckland Council is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion.