Principal Advisor Recreation

Greater Wellington; Wellington; On-site; NZD 126,000 - 189,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and trauma insurance

Employee assistance programme

Tangihanga leave

Generous annual leave

Job summary

Greater Wellington in Wellington, NZ is seeking a Principal Advisor Recreation to lead specialist advisory work for regional parks and recreational spaces. Based in our central Wellington office, you will support the Environment Group with evidence-based reports, briefs and recommendations for senior leaders and elected members.

As a senior leader in Delivery Advice and Improvement, you will navigate challenges, foster pragmatic solutions, coordinate across internal teams and ensure alignment

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience in developing and/or implementing recreation strategies.
• Deep understanding of national, regional, and district recreation policies and bylaws.
• Experience advising others on applying policies in operational delivery contexts.
• Proven ability to achieve strategic coherence through pragmatic, delivery-oriented solutions.

Skills

10+ years' experience in recreation

Stakeholder engagement

Policy knowledge

Strategic advisory/reporting

Job description

We're looking for a Principal Advisor Recreation to join our dedicated Delivery Advice and Improvement team. This permanent role is based in our central Wellington office.

About the role:

The Principal Advisor Recreation is a key new specialist position, established to navigate challenges and facilitate pragmatic solutions for Greater Wellington's work in regional parks and other recreational spaces. Working alongside other principal advisors in the Delivery Advice and Improvement team, and reporting to the Chief Advisor Delivery, you will support the Environment Group to realise opportunities, address risks, and work towards our goals.

In this role you will maintain a strategic overview of emerging issues, providing authoritative specialist advice on outdoor recreation, public access, trails, regional parks and visitor use of council-managed land and waterways. You will bring your deep knowledge and experience to preparing reports, briefings and recommendations for senior leaders and elected members that reflect evidence-based advice to support decision making. As one of the senior leaders for the Group, you will join our collective effort to improve and integrate the services we deliver for regional communities.

Skills and experience required:

• 10+ years' experience in developing and/or implementing recreation strategies, managing competing interests and building alignment through user-focussed internal and external engagement
• Deep understanding of national, regional, and district recreation policies and bylaws, alongside experience in advising others on how to apply them in an operational delivery context
• Seasoned experience in working across multiple internal teams and stakeholders to provide integrated recreation management advice and services to communities and stakeholders
• Proven ability to achieve strategic coherence through pragmatic and delivery-oriented solutions

What we offer:

• Work to suit your life and whānau with our flexible working policy.
• We'll encourage you to grow and prosper with a range of learning and development opportunities, internal secondments and career progression.
• Your wellbeing is our priority - we'll provide medical and trauma insurance, support through our employee assistance programme, including Rongoæ Māori partner providers, generous annual leave, along with Tangihanga leave and support.
• We want you to have a sense of belonging, where you can reflect your personal and cultural identity in the way that you work.
• Social clubs, staff networks and a friendly and inclusive culture.
• Great working environments across our beautiful region.

Come help treasure and grow our rohe together

Our rohe and its lands, waterways, animals, plants and people can only grow stronger if they are nurtured.

To join our team is to step up and commit to playing an active part in this important mahi. That means restoring nature, connecting people and places, reducing environmental impacts and helping this rohe and its people prosper.

We are part of a collective movement alongside mana whenua and community members whose hopes for the future of this region are just as high as your own.

Our efforts across environmental management, public transport, flood protection, regional parks and water supply are interconnected and integral to treasuring our rohe and growing our future.

Applications close:

5.00pm, Sunday, 18 October 2026. However, we will be shortlisting applications as they come in and will interview as soon as possible to secure the right person.

Greater Wellington is an accredited Living Wage Employer. We're committed to making sure our people, including people in our supply chain, earn enough to meet life's basic needs, support their whànau, and participate fully in their communities.

The total remuneration for this position, including all benefits, is $126,303 to $189,455 per annum, with a midpoint of $157,879. Starting remuneration will depend on the skills and experience of the successful applicant.