Senior Development Adviser - Health

Mfat; Wellington; On-site; NZD 130,000 - 153,000; Full time

Job summary

MFAT is seeking a Senior Development Adviser Health to lead complex health investments and influence New Zealand's international development impact across the Pacific. The role focuses on strategic advice, stakeholder engagement and investment management to improve health outcomes and progress universal health coverage in Pacific Island countries.

You will provide specialist technical guidance, shape development efforts, and manage partnerships with regional and multilateral partners to deliver

Qualifications

• Experience in global public health including the Pacific region.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of health investments and contracts.
• Provide strategic and technical advice on health-related development issues and investments.
• Lead sector insights to improve impact and effectiveness of health investments.
• Develop health goals, priorities and funding allocations aligned with policy objectives.
• Contribute to design, review and assessment of new investment concepts and programmes.
• Maintain relationships with regional, multilateral and development partners.

Skills

Global public health

International development policy

Policy investment planning

Development policy frameworks

Five Case Model

Te Tiriti knowledge

Job description

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• Make a meaningful difference to health outcomes for Pacific communities.
• Lead complex health investments and influence international development priorities.
• Join a collaborative team delivering impactful health programmes across the region.

An exciting opportunity to lead complex health investments and influence New Zealand's international development impact across the Pacific.

The Health and Education Unit is responsible for managing the delivery of bilateral, regional, and multilateral health and education activities, including sector support initiatives across developing countries. The Senior Development Adviser Health plays a critical role in leading and managing complex health investments, providing specialist technical advice, and helping shape New Zealand's international development efforts in the health sector.

This role contributes directly to improving health outcomes across the Pacific region by supporting Pacific Island countries to address priority population health needs and progress towards universal health coverage. Through strategic advice, stakeholder engagement, and investment management, you'll help ensure New Zealand's development investments deliver meaningful and sustainable impact.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing a portfolio of health investments, thematic health issues, and associated partner contracts.
• Providing strategic and technical advice on health-related development issues and investments.
• Leading and contributing to sector insights, identifying opportunities to improve the impact and effectiveness of health investments.
• Supporting the development of health goals, priorities, and funding allocations aligned with broader development policy objectives.
• Contributing to the design, review, and assessment of new investment concepts, programmes, and business cases.
• Building and maintaining relationships with key regional, multilateral, and development partners, representing New Zealand interests in relevant forums.
• Identifying opportunities to leverage New Zealand expertise and capability to support improved health outcomes across the region.

The salary range for this role is $129,965 and $152,900 total remuneration, inclusive of our KiwiSaver employer contribution.

We'd like to hear from you if you have the following skills and experience:

• Experience working in global public health including in the Pacific Region.
• Experience in international development policy and programme design.
• Experience contributing to complex policy initiatives or investment planning.
• Good understanding of international development policy frameworks and sector strategies.
• Skilled in applying the Five Case Model and intervention logic.
• Understanding of The Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti, Te Reo Māori and Māori customs and protocols would be beneficial.

We are committed to a focus on leadership, talent, training and development, and flexible work options consistent with guidance from the Public Service Commission. Check out our benefits page to find out more about why we love working here.

MFAT is Rainbow Tick accredited. We value diversity and are committed to providing an inclusive culture where everyone feels supported, valued, and a sense of belonging. We welcome applications from people from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Our people represent New Zealand on and offshore, and in doing so make New Zealanders safer and more prosperous. By building connections with and influencing other countries and international institutions, we advance NewZealand’s interests and pursue NewZealand's values. We provide advice to the Government on the implications for NewZealand of what is happening in the world.

To be considered for this position at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade you must be a NZ citizen, or Permanent Resident.

You must be able to obtain and maintain a Confidential security clearance. Ordinarily, to obtain this level of clearance candidates must have sufficient checkable background in countries where meaningful and reliable checks can be undertaken. Where requisite checks are unable to be made, the candidate application may not be able to be progressed.

Please let us know if you need any support or have any access requirements that will help you through the recruitment process.

Applications close at 9pm on Monday 19th October 2026.

Please note: This is not a Foreign Policy/diplomatic role. This is a ‘Corporate’ role (known here as a Specialist role) based in central Wellington, NZ.

While it is not usual for specialist staff to be ‘posted’ outside of NZ, from time to time a specialist role overseas becomes available at one of our embassies, high commissions, missions or consulates. To be considered for one of these positions you would need to apply and be considered via a competitive recruitment process.

If you do have an interest in an MFAT foreign policy/diplomatic career, you would be welcome to apply for this either via our graduate recruitment or mid-level foreign policy recruitment campaigns.