Political Advisor

Selwyn District Council; Rolleston; On-site; NZD 50,000 - 70,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Career coaching

Life insurance

Wellbeing and volunteer leave

Additional paid leave

Paid partners leave

Sick leave from day one

KiwiSaver contributions

Local business discounts

Job summary

Selwyn District Council is looking for a part-time Political Advisor to support the Mayor with strategic advice and stakeholder engagement. This role involves preparing briefings and correspondence, building relationships across community and government.

Ideal candidates will have a background in political advisory and strong understanding of governance processes. The role is based in Rolleston, offering great flexibility and a work-life balance.

Qualifications

• Experience in political advisory, public policy, communications, or stakeholder engagement.
• Strong understanding of local and central government processes.
• Ability to work effectively in a complex political environment.

Responsibilities

• Preparing correspondence, briefings, speeches, and reports for the Mayor.
• Providing strategic advice on emerging issues and advocacy matters.
• Building relationships with elected members and community stakeholders.
• Supporting the Mayor's regional and national advocacy activities.
• Monitoring legislative and policy developments relevant to Selwyn District.

Skills

Political advisory

Stakeholder engagement

Public policy

Communications

Job description

• Shape outcomes for one of New Zealand's fastest-growing districts
• Enjoy part-time flexibility, working 20hours per week
• Grow with coaching, development, extra leave and great discounts

• Shape outcomes for one of New Zealand's fastest-growing districts
• Enjoy part-time flexibility, working 20hours per week
• Grow with coaching, development, extra leave and great discounts

About the role

We are looking for a confident and politically astute Political Advisor to join the Office of the Mayor and Chief Executive. This is a high-trust advisory role supporting the Mayor to fulfil statutory, community, Council and leadership responsibilities through strategic advice, research, analysis, stakeholder engagement and high-quality communications.

You will act as a principal advisor on emerging issues, community concerns, intergovernmental relationships and advocacy priorities, ensuring the Mayor is well prepared for meetings, public engagements, media opportunities and regional leadership responsibilities.

This is a part-time position, working 20hours per week.

What you will be doing

• Preparing correspondence, briefings, speeches, talking points, reports, and responses on behalf of the Mayor
• Providing proactive strategic advice on emerging issues, advocacy matters, and community concerns
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with elected members, community stakeholders, ministerial offices, government agencies, local authorities, and regional organisations
• Supporting the Mayor's regional and national advocacy activities, including work with forums, committees and partner organisations
• Coordinating briefing material and governance information across Council to support mayoral decision-making
• Monitoring legislative, policy and political developments and assessing implications for the Selwyn District
• Supporting Mayoral events, visits, and projects in partnership with internal teams

About you

You will bring sound judgement, discretion, and the ability to work effectively in a complex political environment. You will be a strong writer and communicator who can quickly understand issues, distil key information, and provide practical, strategic advice. You will also be confident working with a wide range of stakeholders, including iwi, community groups, elected members, local government partners, and central government representatives.

To be successful in this role, you will ideally have experience in political advisory, public policy, communications, stakeholder engagement, or a related field, along with a strong understanding of local and central government processes. Experience working with tangata whenua and knowledge of tikanga Māori would be an advantage.

What we can offer

• Great work-life balance with flexibility
• Career coaching and professional development
• Life insurance
• Wellbeing and volunteer leave
• Three days additional paid leave
• Two weeks paid partners leave
• Sick leave from day one.
• Continued KiwiSaver contributions during savings suspension
• Discounts with local and national businesses

About us

Selwyn is one of the fastest-growing districts in New Zealand. We have a fantastic quality of life, great communities, and a thriving economy. Selwyn District Council works actively with residents to provide the services and facilities that help our communities to thrive and grow.

Our head office is based in Rolleston, only 25km from Christchurch, offering an enviable lifestyle, outstanding local facilities and easy access to Canterbury's rivers, hills and ski fields.

Our values are important to us and represent the way we work: Be a good human, Be brave - Think differently, and Better together - Make it happen for Selwyn.

We honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and are committed to working with our Treaty partner to deliver on our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.