Team Lead Management Planning

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

Job summary

Department of Conservation (DOC) is seeking a Team Lead based in Christchurch (with other locations considered) to manage the national management planning programme and lead a geographically dispersed team.

You will balance people leadership, strategic delivery, and trusted advice in a dynamic conservation and regulatory environment, working closely with your counterpart and policy, regulatory, and operational teams to achieve planning outcomes that support conservation across Aotearoa.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong programme, planning or project leadership experience.
• Ability to understand broad organisational, regulatory and political contexts and provide sound judgement.
• Experience building trusted relationships and influencing across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex information into practical advice.
• Experience working within government, local government, natural resource management, planning, regulatory or policy environments.
• A continuous improvement mindset with experience improving systems, processes or ways of working.
• Understanding or willingness to learn Māori tikanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how it relates to your work.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of national management planning programmes and priorities.
• Enable your team to work effectively with Treaty partners to promote Māori engagement and involvement with our work.
• Support the team to build strong relationships with iwi, stakeholders, Conservation Boards, government agencies and internal partners.
• Provide strategic advice and navigate complex conservation, policy and regulatory issues.
• Drive continuous improvement through better systems, planning tools, AI-enabled approaches and efficient business processes.
• Managing risk, competing priorities and programme delivery across multiple workstreams.

Skills

People leadership

Programme leadership

Strategic delivery

Stakeholder engagement

Regulatory awareness

Job description

Our vision: Nature is thriving in Aotearoa | Te Oranga o te Ao Tūroa

• Lead a nationally significant work programme at the heart of conservation planning and decision-making
• Influence conservation outcomes and strategic priorities across Aotearoa
• Christchurch-based with other locations considered

• Lead a nationally significant work programme at the heart of conservation planning and decision-making
• Influence conservation outcomes and strategic priorities across Aotearoa
• Christchurch-based with other locations considered

He angitūtanga | About the role

We have a Team Lead opportunity, ideally based in Christchurch (with other work locations considered), leading one half of a geographically dispersed team responsible for delivering DOC's national management planning programme.

In this role you'll provide leadership to a team of eight, balancing people leadership, strategic delivery, and trusted advice in a rapidly evolving conservation and regulatory environment. You will work closely with your counterpart, the second Team Lead Management Planning.

This role is less about being the technical expert and more about enabling others to succeed and do what they do best. You'll lead workload prioritisation, develop team capability, navigate organisational change and reform, and work closely with policy, regulatory and operational teams to deliver planning outcomes that support conservation across Aotearoa.

The position will be focused on:

• Leading the delivery of national management planning programmes and priorities
• Enabling your team to work effectively with Treaty partners to promote Māori engagement and involvement with our work
• Supporting the team to building strong relationships with iwi, stakeholders, Conservation Boards, government agencies and internal partners
• Providing strategic advice and navigating complex conservation, policy and regulatory issues
• Driving continuous improvement through better systems, planning tools, AI-enabled approaches and efficient business processes
• Managing risk, competing priorities and programme delivery across multiple workstreams

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

We’re looking for a proven people leader with strong judgement, experience of managing complex work programmes, and the ability to support and coach their team to build trusted relationships across iwi, government and other stakeholders. Experience in planning, policy, regulatory or natural resource environments would be valuable, but your ability to lead teams, influence outcomes, and drive continuous improvement will be what sets you apart.

If you have some of the following, we are keen to hear from you:

• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams
• Strong programme, planning or project leadership experience
• Ability to understand broad organisational, regulatory and political contexts and provide sound judgement
• Experience building trusted relationships and influencing across diverse stakeholder groups
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex information into practical advice
• Experience working within government, local government, natural resource management, planning, regulatory or policy environments
• A continuous improvement mindset with experience improving systems, processes or ways of working
• Understanding or willingness to learn Māori tikanga and understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how it relates to your work

He aha ngā pāinga mōu? | What’s in it for you?

DOC is committed to a culture where everyone can participate, thrive, and grow. We’re driven by our values and behaviours, and are working towards being an organisation that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive by default.

We also support flexible working arrangements for our kaimahi across Aotearoa, with options considered based on the role and in discussion with your leader.

Want to know more?

Salary: $93,656.00 - $126,500.00 depending on skills and experience.

Eligibility: You must hold a valid NZ work visa that covers the duration of employment.

Rā whakakapi | Applications close at 11:59 pm on Friday 13 November. This advert may close early, so please apply promptly.

Me he pātai anō, whakapā mai | For further enquiries about this role, please contact Kath Blakemore at [e-mail]

Please note, we’re unable to accept applications via email or provide feedback to applicants not shortlisted.