Team Leader Regional Incident Management Team

Greater Wellington; Wellington; On-site; NZD 114,000 - 172,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional council in New Zealand is seeking a Team Leader for their Regional Incident Management Team. The role involves operational leadership in emergency management, supporting a high-performing team, and providing expert guidance. A flexible working policy and development opportunities are offered to enhance your career. The salary range is competitive, with remuneration based on skills and experience.

Benefits

Flexible working policy

Learning and development opportunities

Medical and trauma insurance

Support for personal and cultural identity

Social clubs and inclusive culture

Qualifications

• Proven people leader able to motivate high performing teams.
• Experience in leading during crisis situations.
• Strong decision-making skills with risk assessment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the RIMT team in Wellington's emergency management.
• Support the team across all work programmes and projects.
• Provide guidance and expertise to the team.

Skills

People leadership

Operational leadership

Decision-making

Understanding local government

Crisis management experience

Relationship management

Calmness under pressure

Job description

We're looking for a Team Leader to lead a new Regional Incident Management Team (RIMT) which has been established to work closely with the nine councils of the Wellington region to strengthen operational capability and capacity to respond to complex, multi-agency, large scale emergencies. This role is based in our Thordon office.

The RIMT's purpose is to work with a range of partners and key stakeholders to deliver the outcomes set out in the Wellington CDEM Group Strategy 2025-35, Group Plan and WREMO's Annual Plan.

About the role:

As the Team Leader RIMT you will support the Head of Operational Readiness and Response by leading the RIMT. You'll need to be an exceptional people leader to take on this critical role in Wellington's emergency management leadership team. This is not just about managing processes-it's about leading people in high-pressure situations, ensuring the team is prepared, capable, and ready to respond when it matters most.

You'll be responsible for supporting the RIMT team on a day-to-day basis across the full range of work programmes, projects, plans and initiatives by providing advice, guidance, direction, expertise and support to the team in a timely, professional and effective manner.

Skills and experience required:

• A proven people leader able to motivate, develop, and support high performing teams.
• Operational leadership experience- you can demonstrate leading others in crisis situations.
• Strong decision-making skills- able to absorb information quickly, assess risks, and take decisive action.
• Understands the machinery of local government and understands the role council plays in the emergency management system.
• Previous experience in leading in emergency management, through either a previous or current role and/or experience e.g., experience as a controller or recovery manager, a function manager, or previous role/experience in emergency management (FENZ, Police, NZTA, Engineer, Military, MPI, MBIE, etc)
• Experience leading high performing teams, sometimes in stressful and ambiguous environments and capable to switch leadership style depending on the situation.
• Experience managing senior relationships to achieve a unified approach.
• Able to respond calmly and positively to challenging event.

What we offer:

• Work to suit your life and whānau with our flexible working policy.
• We'll encourage you to grow and prosper with a range of learning and development opportunities, internal secondments and career progression.
• Your wellbeing is our priority - we'll provide medical and trauma insurance support through our employee assistance programme, including Rongoā Māori partner providers, along with Tangihanga leave and support.
• We want you to have a sense of belonging, where you can reflect your personal and cultural identity in the way that you work.
• Social clubs, staff networks and a friendly and inclusive culture.
• Great working environments across our beautiful region.

Greater Wellington and WREMO is proud to be a member of Diversity Works. We value diversity and are committed to an inclusive, flexible, and supportive workplace. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds and welcome the unique talent and experience you will bring to our team.

We are passionate about ensuring our recruitment processes are fair and equitable. Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs or adjustments that need to be made so we can offer a recruitment process that is more accessible to you.

To apply for the role, please submit a cover letter and CV. All applicants will be required to provide proof of their eligibility to work in New Zealand.

The remuneration for this position, inclusive of all benefits, is $114,269 to $171,403, with a midpoint of $142,836. Starting remuneration will depend on the skills and experience of the successful applicant.

Applications close: 5.00pm, Thursday, 16 October 2025.