Job Opportunities in New Zealand

Response Manager – Fruit Fly Preparedness
Role type: Fixed term full-time until June 2025
Location: Wellington or Hamilton
Salary band: Range C -$117,035 to $136,961 depending on skills and experience

Kōrero mō te tūranga - About the Role
We are recruiting for two Response Manager positions. These roles will work within the Compliance & Response Group, providing specialist advice on operational preparedness for fruit fly responses. You will have extensive experience in fruit fly responses and be expected to act as response leadership subject matter expert in preparedness activities across biosecurity and be prepared to support key response events should the need arise.

This includes:

• Leading allocated responses using MPI and New Zealand Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) frameworks that are in place.
• Providing strategic and technical leadership, mentoring, analysis, and recommendations for activities, products, and initiatives to improve MPI's response and readiness performance.
• Managing response activity through workstream prioritisation and timeline management, problem solving, and escalating issues in alignment with MPI response process.
• Maintaining strong relationships and networks across industry, and the response sector.

Mōu - About You
This role will be ideal for you if you have extensive prior biosecurity response experience, a background in operational delivery, and the ability to operate across MPI.
You will also have team leadership experience and will have the requisite skills and credibility to be the Controller or lead a function specific team during a response especially during a fruit fly incursion.
We are looking for people who are adaptable and can thrive in a complex and sometimes ambiguous environment. Our ideal candidates will be team players who are resourceful, have initiative and a proven ability to deliver results. You will be able to think creatively, work under pressure, and prioritise your work. You will bring a high degree of enthusiasm and energy to the role.

Additionally, you will have:

• Proven ability to effect change and deal with ambiguity.
• Track record of successful leadership and management of a team involved in emergency response management in a government agency, or an industry involved in biosecurity or animal welfare responses.
• Proven experience as natural collaborator, and in navigating relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Experience working in a Government agency (central, regional or local).

Mō tō mātou rōpū - About the Team
The Biosecurity, Intelligence, Systems and Response Directorate forms part of the Biosecurity New Zealand Branch and is responsible for bringing together critical capability to effectively prepare and manage responses, and to co-ordinate recovery and long-term management activities, as well as compensation resulting from actions taken to manage biosecurity incursions to those economically impacted. As a directorate we work across biosecurity, food, primary production and trade systems.

Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua - About MPI
The Ministry for Primary Industries is helping to seize export opportunities for our primary industries, improve sector productivity, ensure the food we produce is safe, increase sustainable resource use, and protect New Zealand from biological risk.

Ngā hua o te Mahi i te Manatū Ahu Matua - Benefits of working at MPI

• Up to three additional (MPI holidays) leave days
• Career development and internal opportunities across the branch and organisation
• Reduced premiums for Group Healthcare Schemes
• Flexible working - We support work life balance and flexible work arrangements whenever possible

Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi whaitake? - Are you ready to make a difference? We are committed to being a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi which includes working closely with iwi, hapū, whānau and hāpori.
We aspire to reflect the diverse communities we serve, so we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, and identities. As an organisation, we are committed to making Manatū Ahu Matua Ministry for Primary Industries a great place to work for all.
In your cover letter we'd like to know about you, your values; your interest and motivations for this role; the abilities, strengths, personal attributes and diverse perspectives you will bring to the role and this organisation, which may have also been gained outside of the workforce.
To view the position description and/or apply online, please click “APPLY FOR THIS JOB” or visit the MPI Careers Site. To apply, you must hold the right to work in New Zealand or be eligible to obtain it – click here to find out more about work visa eligibility and options.

Applications close at midnight on 26 September 2024
If you have any questions about the role, please email Melissa.Heaney@mpi.govt.nz

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