Senior Policy Advisor - Protective Security Requirements (PSR)

New Zealand Intelligence Community; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 103,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) – Te Pā Whakamarumaru invites a Senior Policy Advisor to evolve the Protective Security Requirements (PSR) policy and ensure it remains agile for agencies across the public sector.

You will master data, lead annual assurance reporting with Power BI, mentor staff, and build alliances with NCSC and international partners to keep NZ aligned with global standards.

Qualifications

• Policy professional with strong analytical and writing skills.
• Comfortable working with data to inform policy decisions.
• Ability to influence stakeholders across levels and agencies.
• Organised and able to manage work programmes and timelines.

Responsibilities

• Drive policy excellence: lead PSR policy development and implementation for public-sector agencies.
• Master the data: own annual assurance reporting, extract trends and communicate risks.
• Support governance: mentor staff and manage the work programme, including the Pacific.
• Build alliances: collaborate with the National Cyber Security Centre and international partners.

Skills

Policy analysis

Data analysis

Written communication

Influence skills

Project coordination

Tools

Power BI

Job description

Senior Policy Advisor - Protective Security Requirements (PSR)

At the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) | Te Pā Whakamarumaru, we are dedicated to our mission of keeping Aotearoa New Zealand and our people safe and secure. We collect, analyse and assess intelligence to protect New Zealand from threats such as foreign interference, espionage and terrorism.

Help us to protect the information and assets that protect New Zealand.

The Protective Security Requirements (PSR) are the gold standard for safeguarding the New Zealand government’s most valuable and sensitive information and assets.

We’re looking for a Senior Policy Advisor – in fact, possibly two of them – to help us evolve the PSR in the face of rapidly evolving threats including espionage and foreign interference. We need a sharp analytical mind to help keep the PSR clear and fit for purpose, to bridge the gap between complex intelligence data and policy options, and to turn structured reporting into sound strategic insights.

The challenge

• Drive policy excellence: Lead the development and implementation of PSR policy, ensuring it remains agile and intuitive for agencies across the public sector.
• Master the data: Own the annual assurance reporting process, using tools like Power BI to extract trends and communicate system-level risks to senior leaders.
• Support us to govern, mentor, and lead: Support management of our overall work programme, including in the Pacific, help grow junior staff, and provide high-level governance support.
• Build alliances: Collaborate with the National Cyber Security Centre, international partners, and central agencies to keep New Zealand aligned with global security standards.

Who you are:
You are a policy professional who thrives in ambiguity and has an eye for fine detail. You have a natural ability to break down and communicate complex problems, a crisp writing style, comfort working with data, and the people skills to influence effectively both up and across. You are well-organised and able to support managers to ensure work is delivered to time and to quality. Whether you come from a security background or from somewhere else, you’re driven by a "team-first" mentality and motivated by our mission of keeping New Zealand and New Zealanders safe.

The expected appointing range for this role is $103,009 - $109,876.

Before you apply

Working within our unique environment means we have to ensure you're eligible for employment.

You must:

• Have been a New Zealand Citizen for at least 10 years

OR

Hold a current NZ Residency Class Visa and ideally have been a citizen of the UK, USA, Canada or Australia for at least 10 years

• Be eligible to obtain a Top Secret Special (TSS) security clearance
  • Ordinarily, this means you'll have a 15 year checkable background in countries NZSIS Vetting can make meaningful and reliable checks.

The NZIC treats all applications for employment in the strictest confidence and we expect that you maintain a similar level of confidentiality during the recruitment process and throughout your career.

Salary Band H $103,009 (90%) - $131,622 (115%)
Midpoint of the salary range (100%) reflects full competence in the role