Heritage Advice Manager Kaiwhakahaere Tohutohu Taonga at Department of Conservation | Te Papa Atawhai

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

24 Jun, 26

Salary

162500.0

Posted On

26 Mar, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Leadership, Heritage Management, Strategic Planning, Operational Delivery, Stakeholder Engagement, Māori Partnership, Cultural Heritage Preservation, Team Guidance, Policy Influence, Work Programme Management

Industry

Government Administration

Description

Lead DOC’s Heritage Advice Team and help lift heritage outcomes across Aotearoa Shape decisions that protect places, stories and taonga Permanent full‑time position. Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch or flexible locations considered. Our vision: Nature is thriving in Aotearoa | Te Oranga o te Ao Tūroa The Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai protects and restores nature across Aotearoa. When nature thrives, people thrive. Ko tā Te Papa Atawhai he tiaki, he whakarauora anō hoki i te taiao puta noa i Aotearoa. He oranga taiao, he oranga tangata. The Heritage and Visitor Directorate sits at the heart of how DOC plans for, invests in, and manages Aotearoa’s recreation, tourism and cultural heritage. Our role is to look ahead, understand what visitors need, understand how to protect our unique cultural heritage, and guide the organisation toward decisions that protect taonga while ensuring people have meaningful experiences in the outdoors. The Heritage Advice Team plays a key role in this work. DOC is responsible for the largest network of heritage places in the country. Our efforts focus on arresting the irreversible loss of heritage values, increasing work with hapū and iwi, strengthening connections to place, and enabling community action. The team ensures heritage expertise shapes planning, investment and operational decisions. We work alongside Operations teams throughout the country, providing best practice heritage management, supporting regional planning, work programmes, key heritage projects, ranger capability and heritage considerations in insights, investment and strategy. He angitūtanga | About the role As Heritage Advice Manager, you will lead a distributed team responsible for delivering heritage expertise at place, ensuring heritage values are understood, prioritised and managed across DOC. You will set direction, guide the work programme and make sure heritage advice is available across each of DOC’s operational regions. As a member of the Heritage and Visitor Leadership Team, you’ll work closely with other leaders to connect heritage thinking into wider visitor and system work, help shape future‑focused priorities and support improvements across DOC. Strong relationships are essential, especially with tangata whenua, as we seek to strengthen partnerships and transition to hapū and iwi delivering greater heritage outcomes. Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience As Heritage Advice Manager, you will guide the team to deliver clear, practical heritage advice and make insights easy to access and understand. You bring people together around shared goals, create clarity on what matters most and remove barriers so your team can do their best work. You’ll be an experienced leader who can confidently operate at both strategic and practical levels — thinking long term while supporting quality day‑to‑day delivery. You will bring the ability to influence senior leaders and effectively promote the work of the team. We’re keen to hear from people who have: Experience preserving and promoting tangible and intangible cultural heritage Experience leading strategically and operationally Understanding of, or willingness to learn, Māori tikanga Understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and what it means in practice Commitment to working in genuine partnership with Māori Above all, you’ll be committed to protecting the places, objects and stories that matter to communities and to supporting DOC to care for them into the future. Click here for the position description. Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou | What’s in it for you? DOC’s culture is grounded in strong values — integrity, connection, empowerment and achieving more for nature together. We are committed to being an honourable Treaty Partner and building a diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation where everyone can participate and thrive. Learn more about what we offer here. Tono ināianei | Apply now Apply online with a CV and cover letter that shows your relevant skills, experience and motivation for joining Te Papa Atawhai. Your experience may come from iwi, hapū, marae, community, volunteering or professional roles — we value all forms of knowledge and contribution. Due to high application volumes, we cannot accept emailed applications or provide feedback to those not shortlisted. If you need adjustments or accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know. Salary range: $123,000–$162,500 based on skills and experience Eligibility: You must be able to work in New Zealand for the full period of employment Applications close: 11:59 pm, Thursday 9 April 2026. Enquiries: Annie Colebrook (Senior Recruitment Advisor) at acolebrook@doc.govt.nz Please note that we have replaced our previous recruitment system with Workday, you will need to create a new Candidate Home account when applying for new roles. The Department of Conservation is a great place to work for anyone who is passionate about nature and the environment. Our people are responsible for caring for our land, water and native species. Spread throughout the country, they ensure that nature can thrive. They perform a huge range of tasks in roles from technical specialists to support staff and frontline rangers. Read more about Our role: About us

Responsibilities

The role involves leading the Heritage Advice Team to deliver heritage expertise across all operational regions, ensuring heritage values are understood, prioritized, and managed within the Department of Conservation (DOC). The manager will set direction, guide the work program, and collaborate with leadership to integrate heritage thinking into broader organizational strategies.