Senior Regulatory Policy Advisor — Conservation Reform

Department of Conservation (DOC); Wellington; On-site; NZD 94,000 - 127,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Department of Conservation (DOC) in New Zealand seeks a Senior Regulatory Operational Policy Advisor to join the policy and regulatory delivery team. The role sits at the intersection of legislation, policy and operational delivery, translating regulatory change into practical solutions across DOC’s system.

You will lead complex policy work, provide trusted advice to senior leaders, and collaborate with policy, legal and operational specialists to shape a modern regulatory framework for

Qualifications

• Experience in regulatory policy, operational policy, public policy, or a similar regulatory environment.
• Experience leading complex work programmes and delivering results with a high degree of autonomy.
• Experience interpreting legislation and translating policy into implementation.
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity.
• Excellent relationship management, influencing and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience providing trusted advice to senior decision-makers.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Understanding of, or willingness to learn, Māori tikanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how it applies to your work.

Responsibilities

• Leading complex operational policy work to support conservation law reform and regulatory modernisation.
• Translating legislative and policy changes into effective operational regulatory settings.
• Providing clear, evidence-based advice on complex regulatory issues.
• Building strong relationships across policy, legal, operational and regulatory stakeholders.
• Identifying emerging risks, opportunities and implementation challenges.
• Supporting the successful implementation of regulatory change across DOC.
• Providing guidance and mentoring to team members.
• Working with Treaty partners to support Māori engagement and involvement with our work.

Skills

Regulatory policy

Operational policy

Public policy

Policy translation

Stakeholder engagement

Senior advisory

Analytical thinking

Strategic thinking

Job description

Department of Conservation (DOC) in New Zealand seeks a Senior Regulatory Operational Policy Advisor to join the policy and regulatory delivery team. The role sits at the intersection of legislation, policy and operational delivery, translating regulatory change into practical solutions across DOC’s system.

You will lead complex policy work, provide trusted advice to senior leaders, and collaborate with policy, legal and operational specialists to shape a modern regulatory framework for