Priority Location Director

Auckland Council; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Employee benefits program

Oranga Day

Discounted Leisure Centre membership

Partnership discounts

Job summary

Auckland Council seeks a seasoned programme leader to drive the Maungawhau to Morningside growth programme. You will steer urban regeneration, align stakeholders across mana whenua, governance and partners, and shape investment strategies to deliver ambitious outcomes.

With strong commercial acumen and governance experience, you’ll oversee business cases, market engagement and delivery of complex city-scale initiatives in a highly visible role.

Qualifications

• 15+ years leading growth or place-based development programmes.
• Experience scoping, initiating and building business cases for complex programmes.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen including budgets and benefits realisation.
• Exceptional stakeholder and relationship management with influence at senior levels.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams without direct line authority.
• Knowledge of te Tiriti o Waitangi and mana whenua; full NZ driver’s licence.

Responsibilities

• Lead multi-disciplinary teams and manage high-level stakeholder relationships.
• Prepare and present reports, business cases, investment proposals, and strategic advice.
• Navigate political environments, resolve barriers and progress priority workstreams.
• Oversee programme planning, investment, financial management, risk and benefits realisation.
• Build consensus across diverse groups and drive momentum in a complex environment.

Skills

15+ years experience leading growth or

Integrated programme leadership

Financial & commercial acumen

Stakeholder management

Matrix leadership

Te Tiriti / mana whenua awareness

Education

Tertiary qualification in programme management or related

Job description

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• Lead a major growth programme across Maungawhau to Morningside
• Shape integrated urban change across a strategically important location
• Influence outcomes at senior Council, government and community levels

This is a high-profile senior leadership role where you will lead the Maungawhau to Morningside (M2M) programme, an identified growth priority area in the Auckland Deal and a key priority for Auckland Council. You will help maximise the opportunities presented by the City Rail Link (CRL), supporting quality growth and regeneration around station precincts.

As Priority Location Director, you will lead the establishment and development of the programme, providing strategic direction while driving the work needed to turn ambition into action. This includes preparing business cases and investment propositions, progressing priority initiatives, engaging with stakeholders and partners, and providing high-quality advice to governance groups and senior decision-makers.

Working across Council teams, government agencies, mana whenua, elected members, local boards, communities and development partners, you will bring diverse interests together to build alignment, create a shared vision and drive progress. You'll combine a strong understanding of urban development, infrastructure and place-making with an appreciation of the development market and commercial realities that influence investment and growth outcomes.

Comfortable operating at both a strategic and practical level, you'll shape programme direction while navigating complex issues, maintaining momentum across multiple stakeholders and ensuring strong governance, accountability and coordination. You'll lead the programme through its establishment, scoping and business case phases, maintaining oversight of scope, investment, benefits and risk while helping position it for successful delivery.

This opportunity is ideally suited to an experienced programme leader with strong commercial acumen and a track record of delivering complex urban regeneration or growth initiatives. You'll bring the credibility, influence and drive needed to build partnerships, navigate competing interests and achieve outcomes in a challenging and highly visible environment.

Day-to-day you could expect to work on:

• Leading and coordinating multi-disciplinary teams and managing high-level stakeholder relationships, including with mana whenua, elected members, government agencies, development partners and community stakeholders.
• Preparing and presenting reports, business cases, investment proposals and strategic advice to governance groups and senior decision-makers.
• Navigating complex political and organisational environments, influencing outcomes, resolving barriers and progressing priority workstreams.
• Leading programme planning, investment, financial management, risk, resourcing and benefits realisation, ensuring alignment with Council priorities and growth objectives.
• Building consensus across diverse stakeholder groups while driving momentum and delivery in a complex and evolving environment.

Please note:

This is a fixed-term, full-time opportunity (2 years).

This is a senior programme leadership role requiring someone with the experience, judgement and personal drive to lead complex urban change in a highly visible environment. You will be someone who can see the bigger picture while remaining comfortable getting into the detail when required. Whether presenting to governance groups, developing business cases, negotiating with stakeholders or navigating complex issues, you'll combine strategic thinking with a practical, delivery-focused approach. You’ll bring credibility with senior stakeholders, the confidence to challenge and influence, and a strong delivery mindset that keeps people focused on outcomes.

We are looking for someone with:

• 15+ years’ experience leading growth or place-based development programmes or large, complex programmes across property, development, urban regeneration or related sectors.
• Strong integrated programme leadership and proven experience leading early-stage complex programme scoping, initiation and business case development.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including budgets, capex/opex and benefits realisation.
• Exceptional stakeholder, political and relationship management, with the ability to influence senior leaders and diverse partners.
• Proven matrix leadership experience, with the ability to influence and coordinate multidisciplinary teams without direct line management authority.
• Cultural competency and resilience, including strong understanding of te Tiriti o Waitangi and relationships with Māori and mana whenua, plus a full clean NZ driver’s licence (or alternative travel arrangements).

Nice-to-haves - that would strengthen your application:

• Experience working within local government or a large public-sector organisation
• An established network across the Auckland property, development, infrastructure or government sectors
• Experience delivering programmes involving multiple landowners, development partners or significant infrastructure investment
• A tertiary qualification in programme management, urban regeneration, property development, engineering or a related discipline

If you're an experienced programme leader who thrives on complexity, can build confidence across diverse stakeholder groups and enjoys balancing strategic leadership with hands-on delivery, we'd love to hear from you.

Auckland Council is the largest local government council across Oceania, serving over 1.7 million people and contributing towards making Tāmaki Makaurau a world-class city.
We offer a range of employee benefits and proudly support flexible working options where possible.

You’ll have access to a range of fantastic Auckland Council benefits, EAP services, an Oranga Day and discounted Leisure Centre membership and a range of other partnership discounts! View a snapshot of some of our employee benefits here :

We are a diverse organisation – we value diversity in our thinking, and we can only achieve that with a diverse team!

Ehara taku toa, he takitahi, he toa takitini - My success is not mine alone, but the success of many.

You can find the position description

here

Applications close

Tuesday 13th October

Please note:

Qualification Checks will be conducted along with other relevant pre-employment checks required for employment with Auckland Council.

Our employer Kiwisaver contribution is additional to base salary offered.

Auckland Council is committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020. We collect personal information directly from you and, where relevant for the purpose of assessing you for employment, and employing you as part of the transport reform process, from third parties such as referees, previous employers (including Auckland Transport) recruitment agencies, and background checking providers.

By applying for this role, you consent to Council obtaining a reference from your current employer, including information about any active conduct investigations and current performance management processes, if you are the preferred candidate. Reference checks will only be undertaken at the preferred candidate stage. Any non-active performance or conduct matters may also be discussed with referees as part of the reference checking process.

If you do not consent to this information being provided, Council may be unable to properly assess your application and your application will not progress further. If you wish to withhold your consent, or to access or correct your personal information, please contact the Privacy Officer at [e-mail] .

Auckland Council is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and we are committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application to assist you through the recruitment process.