Personal Assistant | Kaiāwhina Whaiaro

Department of Conservation; Wellington; On-site; NZD 69,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Diversity and inclusion

Supportive leadership

Job summary

The Department of Conservation in Wellington invites applications for a Personal Assistant to the Director of Heritage and Visitors. You will provide day-to-day support, manage calendars and travel, and act with discretion in a fast-paced government environment.

Ideal candidates have executive support experience, strong organisation, and the ability to liaise with senior leaders and external stakeholders. Permanent, full-time role based in Conservation House, Wellington.

Qualifications

• Understanding or willingness to learn the workings of central Government.
• Exceptional relationship management skills and ability to build networks.
• Advanced office administration skills including document and diary management, meeting minutes, and meeting coordination.
• Co-ordinate and maintain quality assurance of Parliamentary briefs, Ministers reports, Ministerials and OIAs.
• Comfortable managing sensitive and confidential data and information on behalf of the Director ensuring privacy requirements are maintained.
• Intermediate-advanced knowledge of MS Office with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Comfortable engaging and working in partnership with iwi and tangata whenua.

Responsibilities

• Building strong cohesive relationships with the broader Leadership Team and their support staff.
• Coordination and administration support including email/diary management, meeting facilitation and travel coordination.
• Assistance, coordination and quality assurance of complex and urgent correspondence such as Parliamentary briefs, Ministers reports, Ministerial and OIAs.
• Utilising your excellent customer service and communication skills to build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Relationship management

Executive support

Diary management

Meeting coordination

Parliamentary briefs

Confidential data handling

MS Office proficiency

Iwi engagement

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

Our vision:

Nature is thriving in Aotearoa | Te Oranga o te Ao Tūroa Mō te tūranga

About the role

As Personal Assistant, you will be the Director's right-hand person, providing day-to-day support, working to a high level of professionalism and discretion. The role requires exceptional organisational skills with the ability to triage the flow of information, to ensure executive level priorities are managed accordingly. Reporting to the Director of Heritage and Visitors, you will play a key role in supporting the broader Heritage and Visitor senior management cohort and manage time and outputs with confidence.

On a day-to-day basis you'll provide support, planning and coordination and act with a high level of professionalism and discretion. Working in a fast-paced and sometimes pressured environment, you will be comfortable adjusting to different workflows and prioritising multiple tasks in a dynamic and changing environment.

The position will be focussed on:

• Building strong cohesive relationships with the broader Leadership Team and their support staff.
• Coordination and administration support including email/diary management, meeting facilitation and travel coordination.
• Assistance, coordination and quality assurance of complex and urgent correspondence such as Parliamentary briefs, Ministers reports, Ministerial and OIA requests.
• Utilising your excellent customer service and communication skills to build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

Salary: $69,429-$88,181, depending on skills and experience. Permanent, full-time role based in Wellington. This is a permanent, full-time role based in Conservation House in Wellington.

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

You will be seen as a credible and effective relationship builder and be comfortable working with a diverse stakeholder group. With experience gained in a similar executive support role, you will be comfortable working with senior leaders and take a proactive approach to managing effective and efficient day-to-day operations for the Director. To be considered for the role you will demonstrate the following capabilities:

• Understanding or willingness to learn the workings of central Government - the role of Parliament, Ministers, and public service agencies.
• Exceptional relationship management skills and ability to build and leverage great networks.
• Advanced office administration skills including document and diary management, meeting minutes, and meeting coordination.
• Co-ordinate and maintain quality assurance of Parliamentary briefs, Ministers reports, Ministerials and OIAs.
• Comfortable managing sensitive and confidential data and information on behalf of the Director ensuring privacy requirements are maintained.
• Intermediate-advanced knowledge of MS Office with specific focus on Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with an appetite to grow your skills and master new applications and processes.
• Comfortable engaging and working in partnership with iwi and tangata whenua.

He aha ngā pāinga mōu? | What's in it for you?

• DOC is committed to a culture where everyone can participate, thrive, and grow.
• We're driven by our values and behaviours, and are working towards being an organisation that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive by default.
• We also support flexible working arrangements for our kaimahi across Aotearoa, with options considered based on the role and in discussion with your leader.

Salary: $69,429-$88,181, depending on skills and experience.

Eligibility: You must hold a valid New Zealand work visa that covers the duration of employment. Please note, we are not engaging with recruitment agencies for this role.

Rā whakakapi | Applications close at 11:59 pm on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. This advert may close early, so please apply promptly.

Me he pātai an’, whakapā mai | For further enquiries about the role, please contact Anna Basova, Recruitment Advisor, at [e-mail]. We're unable to accept applications by email or provide feedback to applicants not shortlisted.