Operations Manager

• Are you a trail blazer up for change? Do you have a passion for people?
• Leadership role to help us deliver on our vision: Papatūānuku Thrives
• Be part of leading and shaping a diverse progressive culture
• Combine your passion for people leadership, operations delivery and conservation.
• Draw on your collaboration experience with iwi, hapū and whānau to affect deep, positive change.

Toitū te marae a Tāne, toitū te marae a Tangaroa, toitū te tangata

If the land is well and the sea is well, the people will thrive

Te Papa Atawhai is looking for an experienced Operations Manager to manage and shape a diverse progressive culture in our Te Tairawhiti team based out of Gisborne. The right person will have proven experience in managing and leading large teams with the ability to work at pace, balancing complexities, relationships and more importantly people leadership.

This is a rare opportunity to advance extraordinary conservation efforts throughout a unique part of Aotearoa. Our Tairawhiti district hosts a range of diverse and complex work programmes and needs a leader who can inspire the team and drive them towards our vision, anchored by te reo Māori and te ao Māori, recognising that Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our relationships with whānau, hapū and iwi are central to all our mahi. The East Coast District extends from Putorino in the south (Waikare River) to Potaka in the north, inland to the edge of Te Urewera, up through the Raukumara Range and east to the islands of Whangaokeno and Waikawa (Portland Island).

He angitūtanga | About the role

This role calls for a confident and inspiring people leader with a successful track record in leading large, distributed teams. Our work programmes are diverse, fast-paced, and ambitious, so your ability to foster and continuously enhance team wellbeing and culture through strong engagement, guidance and ongoing development is critical.

Strong critical-thinking skills will enable you to oversee strategic and operational demands across a vast geographic region whilst working in close partnership with delivery teams and leaders across the DOC eco-system to solve issues, adapt through challenges and identify solutions. Your confidence and commitment to establish, foster and continuously strengthen community and priority partnerships with mana whenua, iwi, hapū and whānau, understanding what it means to be an effective partner in the Crown-Māori relationship, will be central to achieving connected and united conservation outcomes.

You will have a strong knowledge of tikanga Māori, kaitiakitanga, wairuatanga, manaakitanga and iwi/ hapūtanga. Proven relationship management experience is needed to assist you to comfortably engage and work in partnership with iwi and tangata whenua. This role works across 10 Iwi landscapes with multiple Tiriti Partners.  The successful applicant must demonstrate not only a level of comfort but also the ahua that reflects a willingness to work and enable change from a crown – maori prespective in their behaviours as a leader.

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

This role is first and foremost a people leadership role and requires someone who can inspire and motivate a diverse, distributed, regional team.

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

• Strong people leadership capability – can inspire and motivate others while fostering a culture which values teamwork and continuous improvement.
• Experience in stakeholder and community partnership with the ability to effectively engage and partner with mana whenua, iwi, hapū and whānau to achieve conservation outcomes.
• Strong planning and delivery management skills.
• The ability to manage but also proven experience in managing multiple complexities on the go
• Resilience to navigate through times of pressure, challenge, or ambiguity.
• A strong understanding of and focus on health and safety to enable a positive safety culture.  

Tono ināianei | Apply now

Submit a tailored CV and cover letter highlighting your relevant skills, experience, and alignment to our Kaupapa. 
We expect to appoint at a salary range between $120,000 to $150,000 depending on the successful applicant's experience.

Rā katinga | Applications close at 5pm Friday 27 January 2023.

Me he pātai anō | For further enquiries, contact Annie Colebrook at acolebrook@doc.govt.nz

Taupānga | Job Reference: DOC/ 1683585 

Eligibility to work in New Zealand is mandatory – this includes holding a valid work visa that covers the whole period of employment.

Visit www.doc.govt.nz to find out more about a career with us.