Senior Advisor Secondary Legislation

Australian Office of Parliamentary Counsel; Wellington; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Australian Office of Parliamentary Counsel – Wellington Central, North Island is seeking a Senior Advisor Secondary Legislation to provide end-to-end expertise on the secondary legislation system. You will draft, publish and improve empowering provisions while guiding agencies and decision-makers.

The role focuses on guidance, training, capability-building, and resolving system issues through collaboration across government.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of legislative design, drafting and publication.
• Ability to translate complex legal concepts into practical guidance.
• Experience developing guidance, training or capability-building.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management.
• Analytical and systems-thinking skills with a focus on improvement.

Responsibilities

• Develop guidance, tools and resources to support good secondary legislation practices.
• Deliver training and capability-building initiatives across government.
• Provide advice to agencies and decision-makers on secondary legislation processes.
• Build strong relationships with agencies and stakeholders as a key interface.
• Identify and resolve practice issues to improve the system.

Skills

Legislative design

Drafting & publishing

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical thinking

Cross-organisational collaboration

Education

Law degree + NZ Bar admission

Job description

Australian Office of Parliamentary Counsel – Wellington Central, North Island

Help improve the quality, consistency and accessibility of secondary legislation across government

Join the Parliamentary Counsel Office and play a key role in supporting New Zealand's secondary legislation system.

The Senior Advisor Secondary Legislation role provides subject-matter expertise on secondary legislation and how the system operates end to end – from drafting empowering provisions through to publication.

Working with agencies, and teams across PCO, you will help improve the quality, consistency and accessibility of secondary legislation through advice, guidance, training, capability-building, issue resolution and continuous improvement initiatives.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced advisor with strong legislative knowledge who enjoys working across organisational boundaries, acting as a key interface between agencies and the secondary legislation system, solving problems, building capability and improving system performance.

What you'll do

Develop guidance, tools and resources to support good secondary legislation practices.

Deliver training and capability-building initiatives across government.

Provide advice to agencies and decision-makers on secondary legislation processes, requirements and good practice.

Build strong relationships with agencies, suppliers and stakeholders, acting as a key interface between agencies and the secondary legislation system.

Identify and help resolve practice issues, patterns and opportunities to improve the operation of the secondary legislation system.

What you'll bring

Strong knowledge of legislative design, drafting, publication and legislative processes, including how the secondary legislation system operates end to end.

The ability to translate complex legislative concepts into practical guidance and advice.

Experience developing guidance, training or capability-building initiatives.

Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills.

Strong analytical and systems-thinking skills, with an ability to identify improvement opportunities.

A collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively across organisational boundaries.

A tertiary qualification in law, with admission or eligibility for admission to the New Zealand bar.

Applications close 5pm, Wednesday 23 September 2026