Principal Implementation Advisor - Rural

Environment Canterbury; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Professional development

Job summary

Environment Canterbury is seeking a senior leader to guide the water and land place-based implementation programmes across rural Canterbury. You will influence environmental outcomes and partner with mana whenua, industry groups, and communities.

You will build strong relationships, mentor teams, and navigate complex issues to achieve practical, sustainable results for Canterbury’s resources and people. This role requires strategic thinking and cross‑sector collaboration.

Qualifications

• Strong collaboration and relationship management skills across diverse groups.
• Experience in project management within rural/environmental sectors.
• Understanding of regulatory and non-regulatory drivers relevant to rural environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of complex water and land implementation programmes.
• Provide expert technical advice to internal teams, industry partners, and external stakeholders.
• Build trusted relationships with the rural community and other stakeholders.
• Drive inclusive approaches for engagement and uptake across diverse rural groups.
• Support design and delivery of collaborative initiatives across the organisation.

Skills

Collaboration

Relationship management

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Influencing

Education

Tertiary qualification in environment/agriculture/resource management

Job description

Job Type: Permanent | Full Time

Location: Christchurch, New Zealand

Job Category: Agriculture, Nature & Animal

• Lead Water and Land place-based collaborative implementation programmes
• Influence environmental outcomes across rural Mid Canterbury
• Flexible working and ongoing professional development

Kaunihera Taiao ki Waitaha | About Environment Canterbury

As a regional council, we are responsible for managing natural resources including air, soil, water and land. We work in partnership with mana whenua Ngāi Tahu to protect the health of our environment to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for our region.

The region’s evolving environmental and political context means we will continue to be agile and adaptive, as we respond to regulatory and environmental changes.

Our mahi is organised around the delivery of our three core services:

• Environmental Regulation and Protection
• Community Preparedness and Response to Hazards
• Public Transport

Council plays an important role in responding to national legislation and policy changes – this mahi (work) is part of our operating environment and is embedded in our everyday mahi. The current proposals from central government are significant, and Council is working through the opportunities and implications. However, our mahi must continue to deliver our three core services for our partners, communities and te taiao (environment).

Kōrero mō te Tūranga | About the Role

This is a senior technical leadership opportunity for an experienced rural professional who can bring together stakeholders, influence change, and deliver practical environmental outcomes. Working across Environment Canterbury and the wider rural sector, you'll lead t he development and delivery of Water and Land’s long-term place-based implementation plans that achieve sustainable environmental outcomes.

You’ll build strong partnerships across the rural community, support strategic decision-making, and help shape how environmental outcomes are delivered across Canterbury. This role combines programme leadership, stakeholder engagement, technical expertise, and mentoring to achieve lasting change.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Lead the development and delivery of complex implementation programmes and projects
• Provide expert technical advice and guidance to internal teams, industry partners, and external stakeholders
• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships between Environment Canterbury and the rural community
• Drive innovative and inclusive approaches that enable effective engagement and uptake across diverse rural stakeholders
• Support the design and delivery of collaborative initiatives that improve environmental outcomes across the organisation, working with compliance, consents, science, planning and others
• Influence and support change within the rural sector by navigating complex and sometimes contentious issues and removing barriers to effective delivery
• Contribute to organisational capability through mentoring, knowledge sharing, and cross-team collaboration, while capturing and feeding local rural intelligence into regional prioritisation, programme design, and organisational decision-making.

Mōu | About You

You’ll be a respected rural professional with strong credibility across the agricultural sector and a passion for achieving better environmental outcomes. You’ll be comfortable working with complexity, influencing diverse stakeholders, and leading initiatives that require collaboration across organisations and communities.

Your ability to build trusted relationships, navigate sensitive issues and bring people together around shared outcomes will set you apart. You’ll also enjoy supporting others' growth and helping develop capability across teams.

Mātau Ā-Wheako | Experience

You’ll have a relevant tertiary qualification with demonstrated success delivering environmental, agricultural, resource management or rural development programmes. Experience working with tangata whenua, industry groups, government agencies and rural communities will be highly regarded.

• Strong collaboration and relationship management skills, with the ability to build trust and connect effectively
• Experience in project management
• A sound understanding of current regulatory and non-regulatory drivers and opportunities relevant to the rural sector, including policies and best practice applicable at national and regional scales
• Experience influencing and facilitating the design and delivery of collaborative outcomes and a passion for working with the rural sector
• Experience in mentoring and building capacity
• Ability to work with and across multiple stakeholder groups, navigate contentious issues, and influence action to improve environmental outcomes
• A current full Class 1 driver's licence

Ngā hua o te Mahi i te Kaunihera Taiao ki Waitaha | Working at Environment Canterbury

Our Mahi Is Underpinned By Our Values

• Kaitiakitanga (stewardship)
• Pononga (integrity)
• Manaakitanga (people first)
• Whanaungatanga (collaboration)
• Māiatanga (can do)

We understand and embrace a diverse workforce; this diversity will enable us to better serve our people, our community, and our greatest taonga, the environment. We value everyone’s contribution, diverse thinking, and skills.

We're on a journey to become a Treaty partner of excellence, including incorporating te ao Māori into our work. We offer supportive opportunities to develop capability in this area and encourage our people to use kaupapa Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te reo Māori in our daily work. We welcome you with an open heart & mind, wherever you are on your personal te ao Māori journey.

We are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If you're excited about this role but don't meet every qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply.

Job Description

Me mahi tahi tātou - Together we can