Senior Applications Officer

Hamilton City Council; Hamilton; On-site; NZD 76,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working policy

Wellbeing days

Health insurance

Annual health checks

Additional annual leave

Local business discounts

Job summary

Hamilton City Council in Hamilton, New Zealand seeks an experienced Senior Applications Officer to lead the Applications team and ensure efficient processing of registrations, licences, permits, certificates, and other regulatory tasks. You will coach staff, uphold legislative requirements, and deliver excellent customer service.

Reporting to the Safety and Resilience Unit Director, you will oversee day-to-day operations, drive improvements, and build strong internal and external relationships

Qualifications

• Proven people leadership or line management experience.
• Experience working in local government or regulatory environment, ideally within administration and customer service.
• Sound knowledge of the Dog Control Act, Litter Act, and relevant bylaws.
• Strong ability to interpret and apply legislation, regulations, and policies.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to build effective relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• A commitment to delivering exceptional customer service and making sound, balanced decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead, support, and develop a team of Applications Support Officers.
• Oversee the timely processing of registrations, licences, permits, certificates, and related applications.
• Provide expert guidance on regulatory processes and legislative requirements.
• Respond to customer enquiries and resolve issues with a strong customer-focused approach.
• Manage team appointments for verifications, inspections, monitoring activities, interviews, and customer meetings.
• Ensure accurate data entry and maintenance of regulatory systems, registers, and databases.
• Support invoicing, fee transactions, overdue application follow-up, and general applications administration.
• Build positive relationships with customers, stakeholders, and regulatory teams across Council.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and service delivery.

Skills

People leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Dog/Litter Act knowledge

Legislation interpretation

Org & time management

Verbal & written communication

Stakeholder relationship building

Customer service orientation

Job description

Hamilton City Council – Hamilton, North Island

This role sits in the Council’s Community Group, which comprises of community focused services such as Hamilton Pool, Parks and Recreation, Hamilton City Librariesand the city’s three main visitor attractions.

Our work ensures Hamilton is beautiful, fun, connected, and meets our community wants and needs, making our city one we’re all proud of.

Job Description

We're looking for an experienced Senior Applications Officer to lead our Applications team and ensure the efficient delivery of registrations, licences, permits, certificates, and other regulatory processes. This is an opportunity to combine your leadership capability, regulatory knowledge, and customer service expertise to support compliance with legislation while delivering a positive experience for customers.

About the role

Reporting to the Safety and Resilience Unit Director, you'll oversee the day-to-day operations of the Applications team, ensuring applications are processed accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with legislative requirements. You'll coach and support a team of Applications Support Officers, build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and help drive continuous improvement in service delivery.

What you'll be doing

• Lead, support, and develop a team of Applications Support Officers.
• Oversee the timely processing of registrations, licences, permits, certificates, and related applications.
• Provide expert guidance on regulatory processes and legislative requirements.
• Respond to customer enquiries and resolve issues with a strong customer-focused approach.
• Manage team appointments for verifications, inspections, monitoring activities, interviews, and customer meetings.
• Ensure accurate data entry and maintenance of regulatory systems, registers, and databases.
• Support invoicing, fee transactions, overdue application follow-up, and general applications administration.
• Build positive relationships with customers, stakeholders, and regulatory teams across Council.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and service delivery.

This is a rewarding opportunity to play a key role in delivering regulatory services that help keep our community safe, compliant, and connected. You'll join a supportive team environment where leadership, collaboration, and customer focus are valued.

Qualifications

Oo puumanawa me oo wheako | Your skills and experience

• Proven people leadership or line management experience.
• Experience working in local government or a regulatory environment, ideally within administration and customer service.
• Sound knowledge of the Dog Control Act, Litter Act, and relevant bylaws.
• Strong ability to interpret and apply legislation, regulations, and policies.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• The ability to build effective relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• A commitment to delivering exceptional customer service and making sound, balanced decisions.

Additional Information

He aha te wariu o te utu kaimahi? | What’s the salary?

Circa$84,000 dependent on skills and experience.

• Flexible by choice; an award-winning flexible working policy.
• Opportunities for professional development.
• Two Wellbeing days per year.
• Free health insurance through Unimed including hospital/surgery grade cover and discounted membership rates for family members.
• Free annual health checks and flu vaccination.
• Ability to purchase additional annual leave.
• Discounted purchases from local businesses; gym memberships, cafes, dentists, hairdressers and many more.

Applications close on 9 September 2026

We will be shortlistingas we receive applications.

Council is committed to honouring the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi through its relationship with Kiingitanga, Waikato Tainui, mana whenua and maataa waka within Hamilton Kirikiriroa.

All candidates will be notified of the outcome on their application via email. Short-listed candidates will be required to complete an interview process, reference checks and a criminal check. Further background checking will be required when relevant to the role. View more information about these checks, our commitment to the Privacy act and details for international applicants.

It is important to us that we support you throughout our selection process (interview and assessments). If you have any access needs during this process, let us know in advance so we can make sure these are met.

As a council, we believe in creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and belongs. We value inclusiveness (Kotahitanga) – we respect and value the unique perspectives, experiences, and talents that everyone brings.

This role is being sourced directly. If/where Hamilton City Council requires the support of a recruitment agency, we will seek this support from our panel of selected agencies. Hamilton City Council will not be responsible for, and will not pay, any commissions, fees or other payments related to unsolicited contact.