Senior Advisor Planning and Performance

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Career development and learning

Collaborative and supportive work环境

5 weeks annual leave

Income Protection

Critical Illness Insurance

Employee benefits and wellbeing

Job summary

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is seeking a Senior Advisor Planning and Performance to join the Planning, Performance & Improvement function in the Driving Regulation system. You will help leaders translate priorities into coordinated work plans, provide practical advice, and monitor delivery across the land transport regulator to support better regulatory outcomes for New Zealanders.

This role emphasises advisory and planning excellence, with a focus on decision-ready briefs, governance

Qualifications

• Experience providing high-quality advice in regulatory, government or complex operational environments.
• Strong planning and prioritisation skills, including turning broad priorities into practical work plans.
• Experience coordinating work across multiple teams, functions or programmes.
• Ability to assess competing priorities, risks and trade-offs and provide clear recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Translate strategic and regulatory priorities into clear, coordinated work plans.
• Provide practical advice on priorities, sequencing, dependencies, risks and trade-offs to support decision-making.
• Coordinate planning and workflow across teams to maintain focus on the most important work.
• Prepare clear advice, briefings and recommendations for leaders, governance groups and teams.
• Bring people and information together across teams to resolve issues and support joined-up delivery.
• Monitor progress against plans and identify where decisions or reprioritisation may be needed.
• Facilitate planning and prioritisation discussions that lead to decisions and accountable actions.
• Improve planning tools, frameworks and processes to support effective delivery.

Skills

Planning & prioritisation

Stakeholder facilitation

Regulatory advisory

Risk management

Job description

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

• Newly created Senior Advisor role in the Driving Regulation system
• Make a meaningful impact on regulatory performance and delivery across New Zealand’s land transport system
• Use your advisory, planning and coordination skills to help leaders prioritise and deliver the right work at the right time.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Advisor Planning and Performance to join our Planning, Performance & Improvement function in the Driving Regulation system. This role is focused on supporting leaders and teams to plan, prioritise and coordinate work, make well-informed decisions, and maintain a clear view of delivery, risks and emerging issues.If you enjoy working through complexity, providing practical advice and helping teams turn priorities into coordinated plans and action, this role offers the chance to do work with real purpose. You will work closely with operational teams, leaders and stakeholders to clarify priorities, support decision-making, strengthen delivery disciplines and help shape better regulatory outcomes for New Zealanders.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Support leaders and teams to translate strategic and regulatory priorities into clear, coordinated work plans.
• Provide practical advice on priorities, sequencing, dependencies, risks and trade-offs to support decision-making.
• Coordinate planning and workflow across teams, helping maintain focus on the most important work.
• Prepare clear advice, briefings and recommendations for leaders, governance groups and operational teams.
• Bring people and information together across teams to resolve issues and support joined-up delivery.
• Monitor progress against plans and identify where decisions, intervention or reprioritisation may be needed.
• Facilitate planning and prioritisation discussions that lead to clear decisions, actions and accountabilities.
• Improve planning tools, frameworks and processes so they support effective delivery and are easy to apply.
• Support governance, committee, forum, Ministerial, OIA and reporting requirements.

Ko koe tēnei | About you

We are looking for someone who brings curiosity, sound judgement, and strong advisory skills. You'll be comfortable working with a wide range of data, people, and complex or ambiguous situations bringing structure to competing priorities.While this is not a Data Analyst role, you will have the ability to interpret information, identify insights, and translate these into clear, practical advice that supports decision-making, planning the work and helping teams deliver effectively.

You Will Bring

• Experience providing high-quality advice in a regulatory, government or complex operational environment.
• Strong planning and prioritisation skills, including the ability to turn broad priorities into practical work plans.
• Experience coordinating work across multiple teams, functions or work programmes.
• The ability to assess competing priorities, risks, dependencies and trade-offs and provide clear recommendations.
• Experience supporting leaders and teams to make decisions, resolve issues and maintain delivery momentum.
• Strong relationship and facilitation skills, with the confidence to bring people together and work constructively across organisational boundaries.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing advice, briefings, decision papers and governance material.
• The ability to interpret performance information and use it to inform advice, planning and action.
• Good judgement, initiative and a practical approach to navigating ambiguity and solving problems.
• Working knowledge of project, programme or portfolio planning approaches would be useful.
• A good understanding of regulatory systems, government processes or complex operational environments.

This role would suit an experienced advisor who enjoys helping leaders and teams make good decisions, establish clear priorities and turn complex work into practical, coordinated plans.

You will demonstrate knowledge of, or a willingness to gain an understanding of Te Ao Māori and promote tikanga and Te Reo Māori. You will also have knowledge of, or a willingness to gain an appreciation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its application in the public sector.

Mō mātou | About UsTe Rōpū Waeture | Regulatory

As the lead regulator for land transport, our purpose is to ensure the system is safe, effective, efficient and operates in the public interest. Safety is our top priority, and we are committed to reducing harm by being a firm and fair regulator, grounded in good regulatory practice and Te Ao Māori principles. We take a system view, focusing on outcomes, encouraging and educating where appropriate, and enforcing compliance when necessary.

Regulatory Planning, Performance & Improvement

Our Regulatory Planning, Performance & Improvement function plays an important role in helping the regulatory system operate well. We provide sub-system oversight, planning, performance monitoring and improvement support so regulatory teams can focus on core delivery while having the insight, tools and support they need to make good decisions and improve outcomes.

Ka whiwhi koe i te aha | What you will get in return

At NZTA, you will be part of work that matters to people, communities and the transport system across Aotearoa New Zealand. This role offers variety, purpose and the opportunity to build strong relationships while contributing to better planning, performance and improvement across a complex national regulatory system.

Along With a Competitive Salary Package, We Offer

• Flexible working arrangements (role dependent).
• Career development and learning opportunities.
• A collaborative and supportive work environment.
• 5 weeks annual leave.
• Income Protection and Critical Illness Insurance for permanent employees.
• Access to a range of employee benefits and wellbeing initiatives.

Waka Kotahi is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion and are committed to providing a working environment that embraces these values. Please let us know if you need any support or have any access requirements that will help you through the recruitment process.

To be considered for this position you must have a legal right to live and work in New Zealand.