Assistant Advisor – Mental Health and Addictions – Health New Zealand – Wellington Central, Wellington

Ko wai mātou | Our Organisation

It’s not very often something happens that’s big. Big to the point that it will touch the lives of every single person in the country. That’s what we’re talking about here. The provision of Health in New Zealand, and how it’s run is about to change in a big way.

Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority will together shape the delivery of Health services in NZ for generations to come and will form the core of a modern and integrated service looking after the needs of all our Whanau.

Te whiwhinga mahi | The Opportunity

The key focus of the Mental Health and Addiction Commissioning group in Health New Zealand is on delivering actions set out the interim New Zealand Health Plan and Kia Manawanui: Long-term pathway to mental wellbeing. Kia Manawanui takes forward the Government’s response to He Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction and sets the direction for the long-term transformation of New Zealand’s approach to mental wellbeing.

The role of the Assistant Advisor is to support the development and delivery of quality advice and support for the Mental Health and Addiction group. This involves providing administration, coordination, analysis, and supporting high quality outputs and championing the consistent application of frameworks, processes and methodologies across the group.

This will include:

• Provide administration and coordination support for the development and delivery of papers, reports, and machinery of government tasks across the business group
• Manage a centralised mailbox and using tracking tools to track all papers, reports and correspondence across the business group
• Allocate papers, reports and correspondence to the relevant teams across the business group, and where appropriate, provide guidance and advice in terms of content, tone and consultation with other teams
• Where appropriate, take the lead on drafting responses and liaising with relevant teams and subject matter experts across the directorate.
• Provide general administration support to the team and wider business group as required
• Secretariat support: organise meetings, book rooms, prepare agendas and papers, take high quality minutes and actions
• Lead the development and continuous improvement of processes, tools and frameworks within the wider team.

Mōu | About you

You will have a can-do attitude, excellent organisation skills, and you will be a good problem solver. You will be experienced and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment whilst also demonstrating critical thinking and sound judgement. You will be a good writer and have excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex issues in a clear and concise manner. In addition to this you will have:

• A tertiary qualification in a relevant field and/or equivalent experience
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to develop effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
• A high level of initiative and proactive approach to managing work and competing priorities
• Previous relevant experience working in an administration, coordination, or advisory role across complex programmes of work
• Experience working in a government agency or crown entity
• Understanding of the machinery of government

Te painga o te mahi tahi me matou – Benefits

Health New Zealand is committed to being a good employer and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. We want our team to reflect the diversity of the communities we’re working to improve care for, including those which have been historically underserved by the health system. We particularly welcome applications from Māori, Pacific people, disabled people, people with lived experience of mental health and addiction, and the LGBTQI+ communities. We endeavour to provide flexible employee practices and conditions to support a healthy work-life balance, including part-time and flexible working arrangements.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

To view the position description and/or apply for the role (submitting a cover letter and current Curriculum Vitae), please click “APPLY NOW.” For tracking and reporting purposes, all applications must be submitted through our online career portal.

The applications closing date is midnight Sunday, 17th July 2022. If you have any questions about the role, please feel free to contact Heena.Ravji@health.govt.nz.