Principal Adviser - People Services

Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Department of Corrections); Wellington; On-site; NZD 125,000 - 176,000; Full time

Job summary

Ara Poutama Aotearoa – Department of Corrections in Wellington is seeking a senior HR professional to shape the future of People Services. You will drive system-wide improvements, influence change, and support organisational priorities.

Reporting to the Director People Services, you will provide expert HR advice, lead strategic initiatives, and partner with senior leaders, governance groups, and external agencies to deliver meaningful outcomes at the system level.

Qualifications

• Significant senior-level HR advisory experience in complex organisations.
• Strong written communication skills for briefs, papers and recommendations.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in fast-paced environments.
• Exceptional influencing and stakeholder management across levels.
• Sound analytical and decision-making capability using data and judgement.
• Confidence operating in governance and leadership settings.

Responsibilities

• Shape system-wide improvements in People Services by driving change.
• Provide expert HR support and lead strategic initiatives for organisational priorities.
• Partner with People & Capability leaders, governance groups, Ministerial Services, unions and external agencies.
• Use data and insights to identify opportunities and improve how we work.
• Operate at a system level to translate ideas into meaningful, lasting change.

Skills

HR advisory

Written comms

Stakeholder mgmt

Influence

Analytics

Governance

Job description

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Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Department of Corrections) – Wellington, North Island

• Influence senior leaders and shape future ways of working
• Wellington or Christchurch based

Mō te tūnga | About the role

In this strategic role, you will help shape the future of People Services by driving system-wide improvements, influencing change, and ensuring our people practices support organisational priorities and long-term success.

Working closely with the Director People Services and senior leaders, you will provide expert HR support, lead strategic initiatives, while using data and insights to improve how we work. You will partner with a wide range of stakeholders, including People & Capability leaders, operational leaders, Ministerial Services, Union partners, governance groups, and external agencies, to align priorities, navigate complex challenges, and deliver meaningful outcomes. This is a role where you will be working on the system not in the system.

For someone motivated by impact, this role offers a unique opportunity to work at a system level on some of the organisation's most complex people and business challenges. You will have the autonomy to shape solutions, influence senior leaders, and drive improvements that increase organisational effectiveness. This is a role where your ideas can translate into meaningful change, and where you can clearly see the outcomes and value of your contribution.

You thrive on solving complex challenges and are energised by opportunities to create meaningful change. Comfortable working with ambiguity, you use sound judgement, curiosity, and initiative to navigate issues and identify opportunities for improvement. You are not afraid to challenge existing approaches when a better outcome is possible, and you bring others with you through strong relationships and credible influence.

You enjoy a fast-paced environment, maintain a positive outlook and sense of humour, and remain focused on delivering results. Most importantly, you are motivated by impact and take pride in seeing your work translate into real and lasting organisational improvement.

To be successful in this role you will bring:

• Significant senior-level HR advisory experience, providing strategic and pragmatic people advice in complex organisational environments.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to translate complex information into clear, concise briefings, papers, and recommendations for decision-makers.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage competing priorities, navigate ambiguity, and deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced and complex organisational environment.
• Exceptional influencing and stakeholder management skills, with a proven ability to build trusted relationships and work effectively across all levels of an organisation.
• Sound analytical and decision-making capability, using data, insights, and judgement to identify solutions and drive organisational improvement.
• Confidence operating in governance and leadership settings, presenting advice, navigating complexity, and contributing to strategic outcomes.

While we recognise that AI tools can support the application process, we encourage you to ensure your CV and cover letter reflect your own experience, skills, and authentic voice. We're interested in getting to know the real you.

The midpoint of the salary range is $146,562 per annum and the full range (85%-120%) is $124,578 - $175,875 per annum. Appointment and remuneration will reflect skills and experience relevant to the role.

Join Ara Poutama Aotearoa - Department of Corrections, where your work will contribute to improving public safety, reducing re-offending, and address the overrepresentation of Māori in correctional facilities. As a values-led organisation, we use the principles of rangatira (leadership), manaaki (respect), wairua (spirituality), kaitiaki (guardianship), and whānau (relationships) to guide our work and achieve the goals of our Hōkai Rangi strategy.

We value inclusion and diversity in our workforce, and as a Public Service organisation we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the public we serve. We strive to make our recruitment process fair, and we encourage you to discuss reasonable accommodations with us if required.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about a career with us, contact **********@corrections.govt.nz, or visit careers.corrections.govt.nz.