Senior Aquaculture Policy Lead

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI); Wellington; On-site; NZD 103,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Additional MPI leave days

Annual Wellness payment

Reduced premiums for Group Healthcare

Job summary

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) seeks a Senior Policy Analyst (Aquaculture) to lead policy and regulatory work for sustainable aquaculture growth in New Zealand. You will deliver evidence-based advice to Ministers and Cabinet while navigating complex government processes and building strong stakeholder relationships.

You will mentor others, contribute to legislative reform, and work within a dynamic policy team facing major reform programmes and planning-system updates.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a policy-related role.
• Strong experience navigating government, Cabinet and parliamentary processes.
• Demonstrated experience developing high-quality policy and regulatory advice.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven experience building and maintaining effective relationships with stakeholders, Māori and government agencies.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or supporting the development of other policy professionals.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex aquaculture policy and regulatory projects from development through to implementation.
• Develop clear, evidence-based advice for Ministers, Cabinet and other decision-makers.
• Work through complex system, legislative and implementation challenges to support Government priorities.
• Build trusted relationships across MPI, government agencies, industry stakeholders, councils, iwi and Treaty partners.
• Contribute to major aquaculture reform programmes, including planning system and legislative reform initiatives.
• Support the development of policy capability through coaching, mentoring and sharing expertise with other analysts.

Skills

Policy capability

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Coaching/mentoring

Education

Experience in policy environment

Job description

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) seeks a Senior Policy Analyst (Aquaculture) to lead policy and regulatory work for sustainable aquaculture growth in New Zealand. You will deliver evidence-based advice to Ministers and Cabinet while navigating complex government processes and building strong stakeholder relationships.

You will mentor others, contribute to legislative reform, and work within a dynamic policy team facing major reform programmes and planning-system updates.