Location:	Wellington
Category:	Communications/Media
Position type:	Permanent
Job reference:	DOC/600/50330-1
Attachments:	Role Description - Senior Communications Advisor .pdf (PDF, 188KB) Job Specification

• Calls for deep internal comms knowledge & experience working as a trusted advisor to senior leaders
• Permanent role based at Whare Kaupapa Atawhai, Wellington

Toitū te marae a Tāne-mahuta, Toitū te marae a Tangaroa, Toitū te tangata.

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

We are looking for an experienced senior internal communications professional to join the Department of Conservation, Te Papa Atawhai's Internal Communications team, based in Wellington. We want someone who really understands and values internal communications.

He angitūtanga | About the role

Reporting to the Organisational Communications Manager, this important role will be supporting senior leaders by providing credible advice and by planning, leading, and delivering communications and engagement on our key priority pieces of work. Importantly you will be taking a lead role in crisis communications and some of our large and complex programmes of work. As a result, you need to be someone who can remain calm, comfortable with ambiguity, able to provide sound advice under pressure and deliver high quality written work to tight deadlines. You will need to support senior leaders and project leads to communicate effectively and have a good understanding of our operating, context including our media, political and organisational environment in order to advise senior leaders how and when to best land their comms.

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

We are looking for an experienced senior internal communications expert who is:

• Knowledgeable when it comes to internal comms channels and leader-focussed comms with deep experience of best practice internal comms, what practically works well and what doesn't;
• Consistently delivers high-quality advice and comms to deadline;
• Identifying and managing risk will be second nature;
• A good understanding of tikanga Māori would be welcome;
• Technologically savvy and confident using various channels, i.e. updating our intranet, loading stories (if required), MS Teams, Campaign Monitor, MS Forms etc;
• Uses data and insights to enhance our communications and approaches;
• Able to develop clear, compelling communications and comms plans (both strategic and tactical) on time and to a high standard that also show an understanding of our operating context and an understanding of the project/piece of work (including risks and opportunities);
• A good writer and story-teller who can draw stories and information out of our people and repackage them in a clear and compelling way that engages the reader/viewer and makes the reader think or feel something;
• Able to work in partnership with internal stakeholders as a trusted advisor and tease out the information required in order to develop plain English, clear communications;
• Strives for excellence, measures outputs and looks for ways to exceed expectations;
• A resilient person who keeps going, even when there are bumps in the road, and shows composure under pressure;
• Able to relate well to others in the team and stakeholders at all levels of the organisation and build effective working relationships;
• Sound incident management or crisis comms experience and ability to think on their feet under pressure.

Tono ināianei | Apply now

Submit a tailored CV and cover letter highlighting your relevant skills, experience, and alignment to our Kaupapa.

Rā katinga | Applications close: 5pm Sunday 21 August 2022.

Me he pātai anō | For any queries, please contact Internal Communications Manager Fiona Robinson-Morey via fmorey@doc.govt.nz.

Taupānga| Job Reference: DOC/1645780

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

Please apply online via the DOC Careers Centre with a CV and cover letter demonstrating how you meet the requirements above. 

DOC is committed to a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve, and to creating an inclusive workplace culture. We offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role and its work context.

COVID-19 Vaccination requirement – From 4 May 2022 our Vaccination Policy, requiring all employees to be vaccinated, has been suspended but may be reinstated in the future if the COVID-19 situation changes. Positions that are identified as high risk will still have a requirement for appointees to be vaccinated. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination prior to commencing for these positions will be required and applicants will be notified during the recruitment process if this condition will apply.

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.