Senior Adviser Organisational Development

Job Description

Job Title: Senior Adviser, Organisational Development

Role Type: Fixed-term, Full Time (Until June 2027)

Location: Wellington City

General Salary Range D: $102,953 - $120,365 depending on skills and experience

About the Role - Kōrero mō te Tūranga

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Adviser to join our Organisational Development team. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the delivery of MPI's graduate development programme while contributing to broader leadership and organisational development initiatives.

You will play a critical role in designing and delivering programmes that support career growth, build capability, and strengthen our future pipelines. You will work collaboratively across the organisation, building strong stakeholder relationships and providing expert advice on organisational development best practice.

Your ability to build strong relationships, provide credible advice and tailor development approaches will be essential in ensuring our programmes are effective and continue to evolve.

In this role you will:

• Lead the delivery and ongoing improvement of MPI's graduate development programme, ensuring a high-quality participant experience.

• Design and deliver organisational development initiatives that strengthen leadership and workforce capability

• Partner with leaders and stakeholders to provide expert advice on talent, development and organisational capability matters

• Contribute to broader organisational development projects and workforce initiatives.

About You – Mōu

We're looking for an experienced Organisational Development practitioner who can bring a broad OD skillset and confidently deliver across a diverse portfolio of organisational priorities.

As a Senior Adviser, you'll work across a range of strategic and operational initiatives, partnering with leaders and stakeholders to identify organisational needs, design practical solutions and deliver sustainable outcomes. You'll be familiar with the early-in-career, talent management or succession planning space but also be comfortable with OD generalist duties.

You'll be equally comfortable shaping strategy, facilitating workshops, developing frameworks and tools, providing trusted advice to leaders, and rolling up your sleeves to deliver initiatives from concept through to implementation.

This role is ideally suited to someone who enjoys variety, thrives in an evolving environment, and brings the agility to move between different OD disciplines as organisational priorities shift.

We're looking for someone with:

• Experience designing, delivering and refining development programmes

• Ability to build trust and work confidently with senior leaders

• Experience across organisational culture, inclusion, team development and performance

• A recognised qualification in OD, HR, business management, project management or a related field

• Experience in a similar Senior OD position

No single area will define success in this role. Instead, you'll be valued for your ability to identify organisational challenges, connect people and ideas, and apply a wide range of organisational development approaches to achieve meaningful outcomes.

You do not need to meet all of the role requirements to apply.

About the Team - Mō tō mātou Rōpū

The OD team develops and delivers a range of initiatives, programmes and tools that support our people and the organisation to achieve outcomes aligned to MPI's direction and the wider Public Sector. In doing so, the team helps shape organisational culture and build capability by developing our leaders, providing development opportunities and frameworks, strengthening internal Māori capability, creating inclusive workplaces and supporting our early-in-career workforce.

Reporting to a Principal Adviser, you will work with a diverse group of subject matter experts who care deeply about the impact we have. The team includes Principal Advisers, Senior Advisers, Advisers and a Coordinator, providing strong support as you step into your role and begin making an immediate contribution.

About MPI - Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) partners with New Zealand's food and fibre sector to be the world's most trusted provider of high-value food and fibre products.

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

• Access to free professional confidential counselling

• Reduced premiums for Group Healthcare Schemes

• Career development and internal opportunities across the branch and organisation

Are you ready to make a difference? - Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi whaitake?

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, Tuesday 3rd November 2026

If you have any questions about the role, please email Luke.Farrell@mpi.govt.nz