Policy Advisor

Discover a career with purpose at MBIE

• Are you interested in developing a career in policy advice and development?
• Do you enjoy researching a problem and engaging with others to understand the issues and formulate solutions?
• Are you a highly motivated person with initiative that wants to join a collaborative team?
• Salary $75,114 – $93,724, + KiwiSaver +Wellness Benefits, Wellington CBD, Perm, full-time.

Tēnei tūranga - About the Role:

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Investment Policy team has a vacancy for a Policy Advisor. This is your opportunity to develop your policy career at the heart of government policy-making on issues which affect New Zealand, contributing to the government’s economic development goals.

About our Policy Advisors

Our Policy Advisors support work on interesting, complex and high-profile government projects. Working alongside experienced and supportive policy professionals they develop and apply their public policy skills and wider experience to deliver results for New Zealand.

They use their strong communication skills to engage and work collaboratively with various groups. They bring a base knowledge of public policy as well as an understanding of the machinery of government and Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles, to better position New Zealand for the future.

As a Policy Advisor, you will have the opportunities to engage with and learn from experts and build your own knowledge. With the wide variety of work across the different policy areas, there are numerous opportunities to develop your policy craft and build a career within MBIE and beyond.

About the Economic Development Policy Team

The Economic Development Policy team is part of the Economic Growth branch. This branch sits at the heart of government and plays a key role in supporting the Government’s Economic Growth agenda, leading and contributing to high profile initiatives, including Going for Growth.

Being in the Economic Development Policy team means you will have an opportunity to contribute to exciting work such as the management of policy programs such as the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate, policy development such as advice on sectors, and supporting a senior Minister’s engagement with key stakeholders and industries.

The team works with other policy teams across the Government including the Treasury, Ministry for Pacific Peoples, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, NZTE, and the private sector.

Ngā pukenga me ngā wheako e hiahiatia ana -

Skills and Experience Required
 

We are looking for someone who is motivated to develop a career in policy. Perhaps you will be looking to broaden existing policy experience you have gained inside or outside of central government. Or perhaps you are looking to take your first steps into a policy role following your studies or previous work experience. Either way, you will:

• Be a logical thinker, problem solver and have a healthy level of curiosity.
• Enjoy working on complex problems, generating ideas and coming up with solutions.
• Have the ability to build relationships with others and work collaboratively.
• Build knowledge of a range of frameworks and methods and apply appropriate approaches to given policy issues.
• Use critical thinking, clear and logical reasoning and judgement to shape an ambiguous issue into a tractable problem; identify its root causes; draw interferences and use the available evidence in the development of policy options.
• Build requisite knowledge for different policy issues quickly, draw on knowledge of the policy area, use information and evidence from multiple and diverse sources.
• Be able to build relationships with stakeholders, delivery agencies and government agencies, understand their perspectives and reflect them in advice.
• Evaluate the potential risks and impacts of policy solutions.
• Use policy project management processes and has a working knowledge of policy and machinery of government processes.

We’d love to hear more about how your previous experiences from work, study or your personal history have developed transferable skills, and how they can contribute to the high performance of the Economic Development Policy team.

Applicants must be a NZ citizen or hold a residence class visa.

Ētahi kōrero mō MBIE - About MBIE:

MBIE's goal is to create a resilient and high-performing economy that delivers real and ongoing quality of life for all New Zealanders.

We do this by working with others to create an environment that supports businesses to be more productive and internationally competitive, enables all New Zealanders to participate in the economy through improved job opportunities and by working to ensure quality housing is more affordable.

People are at the heart of our mahi, our way of working is guided by our values which shape our behaviours.

• Mahi Tahi – Better Together
• Māia – Bold and brave
• Pae Kahurangi – Build our Future
• Pono Me Te Tika – Own It

Our aspirations are echoed in our Māori identity – Hīkina Whakatutuki – which broadly means ‘lifting to make successful'.

MBIE recognises the partnership founded under Te Tiriti o Waitangi between Māori and the Crown and is committed to giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We will do this through enduring, meaningful and effective partnerships with iwi, Māori, other Māori groups/organisations and the Crown, as this is critical to enable economic and social development, both for Māori and for wider Aotearoa New Zealand. We are committed to continuing to partner with iwi in order to find new sustainable solutions to address long standing systemic and cross-cutting issues facing Māori and wider Aotearoa New Zealand and we are also committed to identifying opportunities for iwi to lead and creating an enabling environment for iwi to leverage these opportunities.

E mōhio ana a Hīkina Whakatutuki i puea ake te kōtuinga I waenganui i a ngāi Māori me te Karauna i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, kei te whai ia ki te whakaū ake i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Mā te whai kiko o ngā kōtuinga ahungaroa o ngāi wi, o ngāi Māori, me ētahi atu rōpū Māori ki te Karauna, katutuki tēnei. He āhuatanga nui tēnei e āhei ai ngā mahi whanaketanga ā-ohanga, ā-pāpori hoki ki a ngāi Māori me Aotearoa whānui. E whai tonu ana mātou ki te kōtui atu ki ngā iwi mō te rapu huarahi hou ki te whakaara i ngā kaupapakua roa nei e tāmi ana i a ngāi Māori me Aotearoa whānui, ā, e whai ana hoki ki te tautohu i ngā āheinga kōkiritanga mā ngā iwi, me te tautoko i ngā iwi kia whai mana ake ai ēnei āheinga.

Me pēhea te tono - How to Apply:

Click here to view a position description. When you are ready to apply please send a CV and cover letter telling us why you're the perfect fit for this role.  All applications must be submitted via our online process.

Email Jackie Johnson at [email protected] quoting ref MBIE/18940 if you have any further questions.

Applications close on 9th February 2026 at 5pm.