Principal Advisor

Ministry of Justice - New Zealand; Wellington; On-site; NZD 130,000 - 168,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

flexible work hours where possible

online professional development portal

access to inclusive networks

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice in Wellington is offering a fixed-term Principal Policy Adviser role to cover a secondment until 30 June 2027. You will shape policy across the justice sector and drive legislative change, leading programs of work on complex issues with senior advisers.

The ideal candidate will have deep policy experience, strong leadership, and the ability to engage diverse stakeholders while applying Tiriti o Waitangi analysis where relevant.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in significant policy projects and coaching to enhance advisor capability.
• Extensive knowledge of machinery of government and public policy, with ability to think critically and test analyses.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to present complex issues clearly and influence decisions.
• Strong stakeholder engagement across internal and external groups with ability to incorporate diverse perspectives.

Responsibilities

• Lead programmes of work on complex and sensitive policy issues.
• Provide authoritative policy advice and support capability within the team.
• Shape thinking and drive legislative change across the justice sector and government.
• Coach and develop advisors and senior advisors within the policy group.

Skills

Leadership

Advisory skills

Communication skills

Relationship skills

Education

Tertiary qualification

Job description

Job Description

Principal Policy Adviser - Wellington

Fixed term to 30 June 2027

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini. Success is not the work of one, but the work of many.

Te Haeata/The Opportunity

We have a fixed-term opportunity in the District Court and Criminal Procedure team in the Policy Group at the Ministry of Justice, to cover a secondment until 30 June 2027.

Work in the Justice Policy Group includes opportunities to shape thinking and drive legislative change across the justice sector and all of government. We work at the interface of the executive, parliamentary and judicial branches of government. Our work is interesting and challenging, with a chance to apply your critical thinking and relationship management skills.

Principal Advisors in the Policy Group bring deep policy experience to fill key leadership roles within our teams. They support capability, provide authoritative advice, and lead programmes of work on complex and sensitive issues.

Ō Pūkenga/Skills And Experience

If you have policy experience and are a thoughtful problem solver and you work well as part of a team, then we want to hear from you.

We Are Looking For

• Leadership skills – Experience in leading others in significant policy projects, and applying a coaching approach to enhance the capability of advisors and senior advisors
• Advisory skills – Extensive knowledge of machinery of government and public policy, and the ability to think critically and anticipate risks and test analyses
• Communication skills – Excellent written and oral communication skills – in particular, the ability to present complex issues in an accessible way, ask questions to improve understanding, and influence decision-makers
• Relationship skills – Strong skills in engaging diverse internal and external stakeholders, and incorporating their perspectives

We will support your well-being and professional development, empower you to coach others, and be coached by experienced policy professionals, and provide opportunities to work on a broad range of important and challenging policy problems.

The successful candidate will have a relevant tertiary qualification, knowledge, skills, and experience. Experience with the legislative process is an advantage but is not essential. Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi analysis skills are highly desirable.

Applicants must have the right to work in New Zealand. This role is based at National Office in Wellington, so we are not able to consider applications for full-time remote work. We are, however, open to discussing flexible working options that work for both you and the business.

Mō Mātou/About Us

At Te Tāhū o te Ture - the Ministry of Justice, we're committed to strengthening people's trust in the law of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Joining Te Tāhū o te Ture means you will become part of an organisation that welcomes and supports people of all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, disabilities and religions.

Ngā painga o tēnei wāhi mahi/What's great about working here

Benefits

We offer you a range of benefits to support your wellbeing and help make the Ministry a great place to be. These include:

• flexible work hours where possible
• an online professional development portal
• access to a variety of inclusive and proactive networks

See our full range of benefits here.

With a wide range of jobs, you also get the chance to gain a variety of skills and experience while developing your career

Utu ā-tau/Salary

The appointing salary for this role will be between $130,129 to $168,062 pro rata based on skills and experience.

Applications close on 18 September 2026. We may review CVs as they come in and invite successful candidates to interview before the close date.