Senior Lawyer, Policy and Legislation - Wellington, Auckland or Christchurch
About this role
About our team | Mō te tīma:
The Policy and Legislation team works collaboratively across MSD to advise on operational, policy and legislative matters, in a way which achieves the Ministry’s regulatory stewardship obligations.
As part of the Policy and Legislation team you will get the opportunity to work with talented colleagues that will support you to develop your skills as a Senior Lawyer while contributing to work that has a meaningful impact on the lives of New Zealanders.
About the role | Mō te tūnga:
Permanent full time positions available - Preferred location is Wellington but will consider Auckland and Christchurch for the right candidate.
As a Senior Lawyer in the Policy and Legislation Legal Team, you will play a key role in delivering high quality legal advice across MSD’s policy, legislative, and operational work.
Key responsibilities include:
- Providing legal advice on a broad range of operational and public law matters
- Supporting policy development and regulatory reform
- Drafting secondary legislation, and working directly with the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office on the drafting of primary legislation
- Identifying and managing legal risk across complex and politically sensitive matters
- Ensuring MSD meets its legal and compliance obligations
- Mentoring and supporting colleagues in MSD Legal
This role will require you to work collaboratively with colleagues from across the Ministry as well as with Lawyers, Senior Lawyers and Principal Counsel within MSD Legal.
We are recruiting Senior Lawyers to contribute to MSD’s services for the future work programme, as well as a Senior Lawyer to contribute to the general work of the team.
MSD – services for the future is a multi-year programme to transform how MSD operates so we can deliver for New Zealanders and focus our resources and investment on the people who need it.
The programme will make significant changes to our underlying systems and introduce redesigned services that put people first. We’ll create better tools and processes for supporting people into employment, modernise our payment system and enable better ways of working with our social sector partners.
What you bring | Ōu pūmanawatanga:
Our ideal candidate will have:
- An understanding of legal, policy, and practice issues relevant to the Ministry’s business including the legislation MSD administers and works with.
- Experience supporting policy and legislation development in the public service.
- Proven ability to provide high-quality legal services within a complex political and regulatory environment.
- The ability to work collaboratively with excellent relationship building skills.
Salary will be determined based on experience and skills. We welcome salary discussions and are open to negotiation for the right candidate.
Please reach out to [email protected] if you would like to discuss the position before applying.
Position Description | He Whakaahuatanga Tūnga:
Salary | Utu-ā-tau: $122,381.00 - $152,296.00
Applications close | Ka kati ngā tono hei te: Wednesday 8th July 2026
How to apply | Me pēhea te tuku tono
Before you submit your application, please take a moment to review our guidance to understand how AI can best support your application. Candidate Guidance - Responsible AI use in recruitment
To apply, click the 'Apply Now' button to upload your CV, cover letter and complete the online application form.
Note: Your cover letter will be a key part of our assessment process. Please highlight how your skills and experience relate to the key responsibilities listed in the position description and job advertisement.
All applications must be made online. If this is not possible or if you have any queries, please contact us at [email protected]
Internal MSD Employees – please apply through your myHR portal at work. This will ensure that your myHR employee profile is visible as internal candidate.
Joining us | Ko te hono mai
Joining MSD means being part of a whānau that celebrates the diversity each individual represents.
We show manaaki, we care about the wellbeing and success of people and want everyone to thrive and be who they are in a supportive and inclusive working environment. We work together to make a difference for communities while doing the right thing with integrity. You can find out more about our values here.
If you have any support or accessibility requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so we can assist you through the recruitment process.
Company at a glance
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Come and join us at MSD. We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent.
Our work touches the lives of more than one million New Zealanders. This is not work we do alone. We work closely with other government agencies, non-government organisations, advisory and industry groups, and communities and iwi. Together we aim to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of New Zealanders.
You can have a long-term and progressive career at MSD across New Zealand. We have professionals operating in over 300 locations, so whether you’re a Policy Analyst based in Wellington or a Case Manager located in Timaru, we have opportunities for you.
Because of our size and diversity we offer varied careers in:
- Policy, including research and evaluation
- Corporate support, like IT, Finance, Human Resources and Legal Services
- Service delivery through Work and Income; and Students, Seniors and Integrity Services
To view our current vacancies please visit: https://msdcareers.msd.govt.nz
Vacancies are regularly updated, but to stay ahead of the game, register your interest in hearing about all advertised opportunities with the Ministry by setting up a job seeker profile with us and receiving job alerts.
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