Senior Communications Advisor

Wise Group; Wellington; On-site; NZD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

KiwiSaver contribution

5th week of annual leave

Two wellbeing days a year

Annual health benefit payment card

Income continuance plan

Perk app discounts

Job summary

Pathways and Real, part of the Wise Group, seeks a Senior Communications Advisor to lead internal communications across Aotearoa. You will work with executives, kaimahi and the Wise Management Services team to shape strategy, gather stories and strengthen the organisation’s voice.

You will develop plans, calendars and publications while growing brand awareness and engagement across channels, including digital, print and social media. This role is based in Wellington with occasional travel.

Qualifications

• Senior communications experience with a focus on internal engagement.
• Ability to tell stories with care and consent across a national organisation.
• Strong knowledge of comms and marketing principles and channels.

Responsibilities

• Shaping and delivering internal comms strategy and campaigns.
• Finding and telling growth, aspiration and recovery stories with care.
• Building plans and calendars to keep the organisation informed.
• Developing and managing communications collateral, thought leadership and publications.
• Growing brand awareness and social media presence to protect reputation.

Skills

Storytelling

Strategic communications

Stakeholder engagement

Team collaboration

Education

Tertiary qualification in communications or related discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office

SharePoint

WordPress

Media monitoring tools

Print & digital media production

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Tell the stories that change what people believe is possible.

Pathways and Real walk alongside people through some of the most challenging times of their lives. We are looking for a senior communications advisor who can help our 1100 kaimahi see the difference they make every day, and who understands that a story told well can shift how someone sees their own future.

Mō mātou | About us

Pathways and Real are part of the Wise Group and we are the largest NGO provider of specialist community mental health and addiction services in Aotearoa. We were founded 36 years ago, as psychiatric hospitals closed and tāngata whai ora moved back into their communities. Real provides our youth services.

Our spirit is ahakoa te aha | whatever it takes. It guides us as we support people to live full lives, hopeful and connected to what matters to them. Achieving the best outcomes for Māori, equity, and celebrating diversity and inclusion are essential to our work.

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About the role

Engaging our kaimahi is one of the most powerful levers we have. When kaimahi feel connected to our purpose and to each other, the people we support feel the difference. That is the heart of this role.

You will lead our internal communications and engagement, working alongside other communications professionals at Pathways and Real, with executive leaders and kaimahi across the country, and with the design and digital team at Wise Management Services.

Day to day, that looks like:

• shaping and delivering our internal communications strategy and campaigns
• finding and telling stories of growth, aspiration and recovery, always with care and consent
• building the plans, calendars and detail that keep a national organisation genuinely informed
• developing and managing our communications collateral, thought leadership and publications
• growing brand awareness and developing our social media approach helping safeguard and strengthen the reputation of Pathways and Real

Design capability and flair is a real plus, as is confidence across a wide range of technical tools.

This role is Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5pm, based at Salmond House, Vivian Street, Wellington, with occasional nationwide travel.

Ko wai koe | About you

We care as much about how you work as what is on your CV. You will do well here if you:

• believe in the power of storytelling, and can hold someone's story with care
• see the growth and aspiration in people who have come through trauma, mental distress or addiction
• roll your sleeves up, have a go, and finish what you start
• bring a positive, can do attitude that lifts the people around you
• plan properly and enjoy getting on top of the detail
• work easily with people at every level, from support workers to the executive team
• at least three years in a senior communications role
• a tertiary qualification in communications or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience
• sound knowledge of communications and marketing principles and channels, including internal communication, brand management, digital and advertising confident with Microsoft Office, SharePoint, WordPress content management, media monitoring tools, and print, digital and social media production

Experience working with Māori, Pasifika, young people, disabled people, or people who have experienced mental health and addiction challenges matters to us, as does a good understanding of the health sector in Aotearoa.

• increased KiwiSaver contribution
• a fifth week of annual leave after 12 months
• two paid wellbeing days a year
• a $250 annual health benefit payment card for you and your whānau
• income continuance plan
• discounts on house, contents and car insurance, Southern Cross premiums, Specsavers and more through our Perk app

The full list of benefits, including holiday programme assistance and financial planning support, is on our website.

Questions: Anna James, Strategy and Communications Lead, **********@pathways.co.nz

Applications close: 18 September 2026. We may close the advert earlier if we find the right person.

For more about us, visit www.pathways.co.nz or www.real.org.nz