Senior Research Advisor

New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science Ltd; Kenepuru Head; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Four weeks annual leave + extra days +

Annual volunteer day

Free annual flu vaccinations

Life insurance

Insurance discounts

EAP access

Job summary

New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science Ltd is seeking a Senior Research Advisor to lead funding opportunity scanning, design competitive proposals, and coordinate budgets and governance for timely submissions. This role supports post-award delivery with milestone tracking and reporting, working across health security and forensic science teams.

The role can be based in multiple NZ locations, offering flexible work options and strong collaboration with the Chief Scientist

Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification in research, science, health or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Experience providing end-to-end research advisory support from identifying opportunities to post-award delivery.
• Strong knowledge of national and international research funding landscapes and ability to align proposals with funder objectives.
• Experience developing funder-compliant budgets and coordinating governance for sign-off before submission.
• Experience with post-award management and large multi-partner programmes, familiar with EPMO and project management in research/public sector.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with researchers, leaders, finance and PM teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic scanning of national and international funding opportunities.
• Develop competitive proposals and strengthen narratives for funders.
• Coordinate budgets with Finance and ensure funder compliance.
• Support post-award delivery with milestone tracking and reporting.
• Provide leadership across the research portfolio and ensure timely submissions.
• Collaborate with EPMO on large, multi-partner programmes.

Skills

Funding opportunities

Proposal development

Budgeting

Governance coordination

Post-award management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Postgraduate qualification in related field

Job description

Senior Research Advisor

Senior Research Advisor Te tūnga | The role PHF Science is seeking a proactive and experienced Senior Research Advisor to join our Office of the Chief Scientist, reporting to the Head of Research. Working closely with scientists and science leaders across our Health Security and Forensic research teams, you will provide trusted advice across the full research lifecycle, with a key focus on identifying funding opportunities and developing competitive proposals. This is an opportunity to help researchers focus on their research and deliver science that makes a difference for New Zealand. We are looking for a Senior Research Advisor to provide leadership, advice and coordination across the following areas: Lead strategic scanning of national and international funding opportunities, connecting researchers with relevant funders and working with them early to develop competitive proposals, strengthen narratives and coordinate review processes. Work with Finance and managers to develop accurate, funder-compliant budgets that account for staff time and overhead recovery, ensuring General Managers are consulted and research commitments are deliverable within operational constraints. Coordinate internal governance and approval processes so proposals have appropriate leadership sign-off before submission, reducing the risk of late withdrawals and wasted effort. Support post-award delivery through milestone tracking, funder reporting and clear escalation of delivery issues, working closely with the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) on larger, multi-partner programmes. Provide leadership and coordination across the research portfolio, supporting the Head of Research to maintain visibility of PHF Science’s full research activity and ensuring consistent support across research teams. We are open to receiving applications from across Aotearoa New Zealand, and the role can be based in either Tāmaki Makaurau, Pōneke or Ōtautahi.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will have the following:

• A relevant postgraduate tertiary qualification in research, science, health, public policy or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated experience providing end-to-end research advisory support, from identifying opportunities and developing proposals through to internal approvals and post-award delivery.
• Strong knowledge of national and international research funding landscapes, with proven ability to match opportunities to researcher and organisational priorities and help develop high-quality proposals aligned with funder objectives.
• Significant experience developing accurate, funder-compliant budgets with Finance teams, including staff time, overhead recovery and multi-year commitments, and coordinating governance processes to secure leadership sign-off before submission.
• Experience supporting post-award management, including milestone tracking, funder reporting and issue escalation, and large, complex or multi-partner research programmes, with familiarity with EPMO and formal project management frameworks in a research or public sector environment.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management and organisational skills, with the ability to work confidently and credibly with researchers, science leaders, General Managers, Finance and project management teams, prioritise effectively and meet deadlines.

Ngā painga

• Flexible working options to support balancing work and non-work commitments.
• Four weeks annual leave, plus two additional annual leave days and three additional PHF Science days (usually the three days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve) 15 days sick leave and service leave provisions after five years
• Annual volunteer day to support an organisation or issue you care about in the community.
• Free annual flu vaccinations
• Life insurance and physical loss benefit
• Subsidised Southern Cross insurance & access to special retail discounts.
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a confidential and free counselling service.

Mō mātou

Established in 2025, formerly ESR, PHF Science is a New Zealand Government‑owned research organisation dedicated to the health, wellbeing and safety of our communities. Specialising in public health and forensic sciences, we monitor disease, help ensure safe food and water, reduce harm from drugs, support the justice system and more. Our science powers innovations and solutions to help New Zealand prosper and grow. With 4 locations across Aotearoa NewZealand from Auckland to Christchurch and Wellington (Kenepuru and Wallaceville), we use world‑leading science to monitor disease, test food and products, safeguard our water, and support the justice sector. By joining forces with experts and iwi, we’re tackling critical issues to ensure a better Aotearoa NewZealand for all. We are an accredited Living Wage employer and value our people, providing excellent environment for fostering and developing our people in a values‑driven, flexible, and ever evolving landscape. We are committed to sustainability and are proud to have received our Toitū Carbonreduce Certification.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

At PHF Science, the health, safety and wellbeing of our people is our highest priority. Depending on the role and exposure risks, mandatory vaccinations may include Tetanus, Typhoid, Meningococcal, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, and Polio. In some roles you may need to confirm your vaccination status in accordance with health and safety advice before you commence employment. Participation in PHF Science’s vaccination programme is a condition of employment for new staff. We choose to share this information early in our hiring process so candidates can make an informed choice and are happy to discuss further at interview stage if you have any questions.

PHF Science is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. Your unique talents and experience will help us deliver exceptional services to New Zealand. We look forward to your application. If you don't meet every requirement in this position description, please don't exclude yourself. Studies indicate that women and other individuals from under‑represented groups often only apply when they satisfy all the criteria. We focus on recruiting individuals who share our core values of Mahi Rangatira (Our quality counts), Mahi tahi (our team spirit), Mahi Auaha (we push boundaries), Mahi Pono (we do the right thing). If these values resonate with you, we encourage you to submit your application. PHF Science is committed to developing a diverse, inclusive, equitable workplace where people feel they belong. We believe this is the right thing to do, but we also believe it is a worthwhile commitment that makes our organisation stronger and more capable through building on our diversity of thinking, enabling us to better understand the needs of our stakeholders and people and respond effectively to them. An inclusive environment means the diverse perspectives we have are more likely to be expressed, heard, and acted on. Please note the successful applicant will be required to complete a pre‑employment drug‑screen and police records check as conditions of employment.

Applications Close:

We are New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute specialising in science for communities. We use world‑leading science to safeguard our health, keep our communities safer, protect our food‑based economy, and improve the health of our water and natural environment. Keeping people safe and healthy through science is our focus and our staff bring a wealth of different experience and backgrounds to deliver this expertise. If you have the skills, initiative and commitment for protecting people through science, we’d like to hear from you.

Find out more: PHF Science - Careers PHF Science - Website PHF Science - LinkedIn