Senior Advisor - Ministerial Services

Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities; Wellington; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five weeks' annual leave

Flexible working arrangements

Insurance package

Job summary

Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities invites applications for a Senior Advisor - Ministerial Services based in Wellington. You will provide strategic oversight and expert advice to ensure timely, accurate and risk-aware Ministerial, Executive and OIA responses, supporting public accountability.

You will bring extensive Ministerial servicing experience, strong writing skills for briefing Ministers, and a track record of mentoring others while managing relationships across a complex public sector

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Ministerial servicing, OIA responses, and high quality briefing and correspondence writing.
• Strong analytical, organisational and workflow management skills, with the ability to work under pressure and prioritise effectively.
• Proven ability to mentor and support others, providing guidance that lifts capability and maintains high standards.

Responsibilities

• Respond to Ministerial, OIA and correspondence requests in a timely manner, including drafting, writing and assessing complexity and risk.
• Mentor, coach and support Advisors to lift capability, maintain standards, and ensure alignment with organisational goals and expectations.
• Manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure a no-surprises environment
• Provide proactive support to the Manager and Principal Advisor, identifying issues, risks and opportunities to improve Ministerial servicing and organisational accountability.

Skills

Ministerial servicing

OIA responses

Briefing writing

Stakeholder relations

Mentoring

Analytical skills

Job description

Key highlights

• Lead high profile Ministerial, Executive and OIA work
• Support government accountability and public transparency
• Help improve housing outcomes while making a real difference for New Zealanders

As Senior Advisor - Ministerial Services, you will provide strategic oversight and expert advice to ensure the organisation delivers timely, accurate and risk aware responses to Ministerial, Executive and Official Information Act (OIA) requests.

Based in Wellington, you'll provide Technical knowledge expertise on Ministerial servicing; writing for and to Minister's; briefing Minister's and the Official Information Act.

This is a highly influential role at the centre of government accountability and decision-making.

Key responsibilities include:

• Respond to Ministerial, OIA and correspondence requests in a timely manner, including drafting, writing and assessing complexity and risk.
• Mentor, coach and support Advisors to lift capability, maintain standards, and ensure alignment with organisational goals and expectations.
• Manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure a no‑surprises environment
• Provide proactive support to the Manager and Principal Advisor, identifying issues, risks and opportunities to improve Ministerial servicing and organisational accountability.

Here’s what you will bring to the role:

• Extensive experience in Ministerial servicing, OIA responses, and high quality briefing and correspondence writing.
• Strong analytical, organisational and workflow management skills, with the ability to work under pressure and prioritise effectively.
• Proven ability to mentor and support others, providing guidance that lifts capability and maintains high standards.
• Political awareness, sound judgement, and the ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders across a complex public sector environment.

Nōu te rourou - What's in it for you?

We offer competitive salaries, five weeks' annual leave and a benefits package including a range of insurances, flexible working arrangements and career development. These benefits are described in more detail here https://careers.kaingaora.govt.nz/a-great-place-to-work/benefits

As a Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities employee, we want to make sure that you have all the tools and support you need. We want to ensure you are healthy and have work‑life balance. We also want to support and grow your personal and career development through on‑the‑job learning, training courses, secondments and study opportunities.

At Kāinga Ora, ours is the important responsibility of transforming New Zealand's housing choices, outcomes and the entire housing sector by creating homes and communities that allow New Zealanders to thrive.

What is exciting about working for Kāinga Ora is getting the chance to make a real and positive impact on New Zealanders' lives. With skills, planning and purposeful action, our people are creating the homes and neighbourhoods that will build the future of Aotearoa.

We are passionate about transforming New Zealand for the better. That includes being a trusted partner for Māori and iwi, protecting and enabling their rights, interests and aspirations under the guidance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Our values are:

• Manaakitanga – People at the Heart
• Mahi Tahi – Better Together
• Whanake – Be Bold

Applications close on Friday 16th October 2026 at 11.55pm.

We value diversity and are committed to working with each other and our customers in an inclusive and respectful way. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and appreciate the richness of experience that your point of difference brings to the organisation.

If you don't tick all the boxes in this listing but think that you could be a great fit based on your unique background and skillset, we would welcome an application from you.