THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE OF RECRUITMENT

After a slow start in January, the market has really kicked off. We are seeing a sense of urgency across the recruitment of permanent roles.

Equally, with the election date set and some highly political projects announced, the appetite for contractors appears to be picking up and should continue to do so as we move through February and into March. For many key policy initiatives, there seems to be a big focus on maintaining momentum and keeping delivery on track as we approach the end of the financial year.

As with last year, good candidates are still thin on the ground, so there is still a real need for agencies to work closely with recruitment agencies to make sure their roles and organisations are represented effectively to potential candidates.

The uncertainty that an election year brings means that a key motivator for contractors, in particular, is securing work that will get them close to or past the election.

It’s therefore an important time to engage with your recruitment partners, contractors, and candidates as early as possible, to manage expectations around extensions and additional resource requirements. Those who can work collaboratively and move quickly will secure the skills sets that will allow their projects to stay on track over the coming months.

If you'd like to have a chat around your recruitment and team requirements, feel free to contact us at any time on (04) 473-6699.

Cheers,

Clive, Sally, James, Lisa, Leah, Marissa, and Georgie

MEET THE STAR CANDIDATES: CONTRACT

SENIOR / PRINCIPAL ADVISOR

Experience:

This professional, results orientated contractor who enjoys working with policy, process and people can rapidly add value to any environment and can translate strategy and policy into operational outcomes ensuring alignment with the goals of the organisation and administration of the day. This contractor has extensive Senior policy experience, as well as Principal level experience. They have worked across Maori investment and growth at TPK and MoE, as well as investment at SIA, MBIE, MFAT, and MoJ.

This collegial contractor earns the trust of teams and colleagues and quickly builds credibility by delivering what they commit to, cultural awareness, and the development and maintenance of positive, enduring relationships.

Skills:

Senior and Principal Policy analysis
Te Ao Māori perspective
Very strong written and verbal communication – briefings, cabinet papers, A3s
Undertaking pieces of discrete policy/design work
Stakeholder engagement and relationship management

Qualifications:

Diploma in Management Studies, 2004, College of North West London
Master in Public Management (part), 2011 Victoria University of Wellington

Salary expectations: $144.23 per hour including AoG plus GST

Reference ID: 25483

Contact: James Atkin, Lisa Johnston, or Leah Mor on (04) 473-6699

PRINCIPAL / LEAD ADVISOR

Experience:

This public sector management and advisory professional has extensive experience delivering on complex programmes across government. They demonstrate strong a skill set across strategic and operational management, planning and delivery. Further, they have an excellent understanding of the machinery of government having worked across a number of agencies covering a diverse range of projects covering Housing, Transport, Cross-agency, regional, provincial growth fund and most recently immigration work.

This contractor is ideally looking for roles that will allow them to focus on a specific project involving strategy development and the implementation / operationalisation of that strategy. They also enjoy working with operational agencies where they can see how the delivery of the project and strategy directly affects the relevant stakeholders involved.

Skills:

Design, leadership and delivery of programmes of work, having successfully led complex, multi-disciplined strategic programmes.
Skills at influencing and relationship management with both internal and external stakeholders and at all levels
Excellent writing skills, an ability to convey technical subject matter in plain English, and experience in presenting to a range of audiences including industry, academic and senior government audiences
Providing sound advice to Senior Leadership Teams, Chief Executives and Boards
Developing governance frameworks and using best practice programme management, identifying and managing risk, and effective reporting to inform strategic thinking and enable decision making.

Qualifications:

PhD, Communication and Information Sciences, University of Hawaii
Master of International Relations, Victoria University
M.A. (Hons), Canterbury University
BA, Canterbury University

Salary expectations: $168.27 per hour including AoG, plus GST
Reference ID: 9629

Contact: James Atkin, Lisa Johnston, or Leah Mor on (04) 473-6699

SUBMISSIONS ANALYSIS / PROJECT POLICY

Experience:

With at least at least 20 years’ experience in managing and undertaking submissions analysis of different scales and on a wide range of subjects, this contractor has established analytic frameworks, trained and supervised analytic staff as well as undertaking analysis. They particularly enjoy all aspects of this work, but also demonstrates experience in policy related research, evaluation, governance, monitoring and project management work.

They have delivered across a variety of projects with DPMC, MoJ, MoE, MoH and MfE, MBIE, to name a few. They have been involved directly managing the output of others, contract management or acting as a technical advisor, coordinator, or facilitator.

Skills:

Submissions analysis
Policy related research, evaluation and analytical work
Governance and monitoring
Team management and leadership
Relationship management and stakeholder engagement
Critical thinking and analysis
Political savvy
Machinery of government

Qualifications:

BSc (1982) and MA (1995) in industrial/organisational psychology, University of Canterbury
MA (Applied) in Social Work (1986), Stage 1&2 Law papers (2002/03/11), Victoria University.

Salary expectations: $144.23 per hour including AoG plus GST
Reference ID: 15719

Contact: James Atkin, Lisa Johnston, or Leah Mor on (04) 473-6699

SENIOR BUSINESS ANALYST

Experience:

With six years of experience as Business Analyst (IRD, MOE, DIA), this warm and engaging contractor has exceptional writing skills combined with an operations background. They are passionate about and love running workshops and developing work-programmes to achieve business strategies, establishing work teams, and leading work-streams through to delivery and operational change. Further, they are a people and change leader with experience in large, complex government agencies, specialising in delivering process and system change, and growing teams.

Skills:

Business systems and processes
Work-Programme leadership
Project and Initiative leadership
Governance and reporting
Stakeholder engagement
People leadership
Work-Programme leadership
Excellent relationship management and stakeholder engagement

Qualifications:

Business Writing Essentials (2019)
Managing Critical Risks: Bow Tie Fundamentals (2018)
Aspire: Women’s Leadership Development Programme (2018)
Prince 2 Project Management Foundation & Practitioner (2014)
University of Auckland (2012)
- Bachelor of Commerce (double major Operations Management & Marketing) and Bachelor of Music
- First in class award for Operations and Supply Chain Strategy.

Salary expectations: $132.21 per hour including AoG plus GST

Reference ID: 32472

Contact: James Atkin, Lisa Johnston, or Leah Mor on (04) 473-6699

MEET THE STAR CANDIDATES: PERMANENT

PRINCIPAL ADVISOR

Experience:

This candidate is a principal policy analyst with an in-depth experience in Māori development policy that includes health, child and whānau wellbeing, education and kaupapa Māori research. They have provided both strategic and operational policy advice in central, national and regional government agencies.

Skills:

Pragmatic and strategic thinker
Experience leading and delivering high profile pieces of work
Enjoys a good challenge
Analytical mind
Strong relationship management skills
Mentoring of junior staff

Qualifications:

Masters Degree in Public Health, University of Otago, 2004
Bachelor of Arts, Education, Canterbury University, 1997
Diploma of Teaching, Early Childhood Education, Christchurch College of Education, 1995

Salary expectations: $135,000.00
Reference ID: 17551

Contact: Georgie Carter, Clive Horne, or Sally Whyte on (04) 473-6699

SENIOR ADVISOR

Experience:

This candidate is currently a Senior Policy Advisor in Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. They have experience leading policy work and led engagement with external stakeholders, including iwi and industry groups. They have also worked at the Treasury where they were an Analyst

Skills:

Strong writer and can write to suit different audiences
Good policy skills
Enjoys mentoring people and wants to be in a role where he can grow these skills
Excellent relationship management skills and knows who to talk to and how to get information needed
Brings people of differing opinions together to come up with solutions.

Qualifications:

Masters of Bioethics and Health Law, awarded with Distinction Bachelor of Laws with Honours, University of Otago
- Bachelor of Arts: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (ongoing)
  - Masters dissertation awarded A grade. Entitled: Confronting our Reprogenetic Future: Legal & Bioethical Reflections on Human Germline Genetic Editing.
  - Awarded University of Otago Scholarship in Law (for high academic achievement)

Salary expectations: $100,000.00
Reference ID: 33305

Contact: Georgie Carter, Clive Horne, or Sally Whyte on (04) 473-6699

SENIOR ADVISOR

Experience:

This candidate is currently a Senior Advisor at Ministry of Health. They have participated in the transformation programmes in response to He Ara Oranga and authored the national psychosocial plan after the Christchurch terror attacks.

They developed and wrote the national psychosocial plan, published on the Ministry of Health website, to support people affected by the Christchurch mosque attacks of 15 March 2019; and have have engaged with external stakeholders at an executive level.

Skills:

Strong Senior Advisor
Currently leading work in their team
Experienced in working with communities, cross agency, and is culturally responsive
In-depth knowledge of machinery of government
Asks questions to get answers, seeks advice from experts, and changes things to fit people’s needs.

Qualifications:

University of Cincinnati – Graduation date April 2018 Cincinnati, OH, USA
Master’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development
University of Cincinnati – Graduation date April 2014 Cincinnati, OH, USA
Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences, GPA: 3.9

Salary expectations: $100,000.00
Reference ID: 33217

Contact: Georgie Carter, Clive Horne, or Sally Whyte on (04) 473-6699

ADVISOR

Experience:

This candidate has most recently been a Graduate Policy Adviser at Ministry of Transport. They’ve been involved in several pieces of work including, leading a proposed amendment to the Vehicle Emissions Rule, leading the transport response to the Productivity Commission’s Low Emissions report, processing multiple OIAs of varying complexity, and providing briefings on media events and other miscellaneous work.

Skills:

Experienced Policy Advisor
Sound knowledge and understanding of the Machinery of Government
Strategic yet creative thinker
Excellent writer
Strong relationship management skills

Qualifications:

MA – Public Policy, Victoria University, Started February 2017
BA (Hons, 2.1) - Politics
Nottingham Trent University, 2010-2013

Salary expectations: $70,000.00
Reference ID: 29176

Contact: Georgie Carter, Clive Horne, or Sally Whyte on (04) 473-6699

CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

Feel free to contact the team directly to see more contractor and permanent candidates.