Senior Advisor, Communications at National Emergency Management Agency

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

21 Jul, 26

Salary

117951.0

Posted On

22 Apr, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Communications planning, Social media management, Website content management, Public education, Emergency management, Digital channels, Stakeholder engagement, Public information management, Strategic communication, Adaptability, Agility, Resilience, Accessible communications, Content creation

Industry

Government Administration

Description

Type: 12 months fixed term or secondment Location: Wellington We’re looking for a digital-savvy Senior Advisor to manage our social media channels and help deliver emergency preparedness public education campaigns. Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role In this role you will provide expert communications advice, deliver communications support for the Public Education and Digital Channels team, manage NEMA social media channels and support to enable the delivery of NEMA’s communications work programme and activities. The position sits within Communications Unit that manages NEMA’s public education programme and digital channels, leads public information management during a national response, champions and enables accessible emergency information, and provides communications support and advice to internal and external stakeholders As NEMA is an operational agency, there may be a requirement to respond to emergency activations in the event of a national emergency response. This may include potentially long hours and challenging working conditions, e.g. an emergency could occur at any time of the day or night and may require working shifts and/or working weekends. NEMA provides thorough training prior to you being required to assist in a response. NEMA will do all in its power to support staff in meeting their work and family responsibilities during an emergency. The welfare and wellbeing of our staff is of utmost importance. Your response role will be in the Public Information Management (PIM) function. Due to the nature of our role in Emergency Management, NEMA has a very dynamic work environment and as a small agency, staff are often required to pivot and change focus on their work at short notice. Attributes of adaptability, agility, resilience and curiosity are all required on a daily basis, in and out of times of emergency response. Ko wai koe | About you We are looking for a candidate with the following attributes: * Resilience, Agility and curiosity * Agile: the ability to quickly adjust and adapt to changing or ambiguous conditions and * still perform to the required work standards * Collaborative; works with stakeholders to deliver responsive outcomes in a respectful manner * Self starter; the ability to demonstrate initiative, to prioritise effectively, to take action to clear obstacles and to find solutions. Manages own workload and operates well under pressure. * A relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent body of knowledge * Extensive experience of communications planning and knowledge and use of relevant communications channels * Strong experience managing social media and website content management. * Excellent capability to present complex ideas in an easily understood format. * Ability to work autonomously. * Knowledge of accessible communications is desirable. Huanga Whaiaro | Key requirements * A relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent body of knowledge * Extensive experience of communications planning and knowledge and use of relevant communications channels * Strong experience managing social media and website content management. * Excellent capability to present complex ideas in an easily understood format. * Ability to work autonomously. * Knowledge of accessible communications is desirable. Ko wai mātou | About us The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) provides national leadership to New Zealand's distributed emergency management system. NEMA's primary focus is on the performance and capability of the emergency management system as a whole, across all hazards and all risks and the 4 Rs of risk reduction, readiness, response and recovery. NEMA values diversity and inclusion. We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of our communities. We value and respect the contributions of our people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, skills and perspectives. We are committed to doing our part to deliver on the Crown's commitments to Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We strive to actively build te Ao Māori perspectives and capability into our day to day work, values and practices. Ta matou e tuku | What we offer We pride ourselves on the quality of our staff and understand the importance of fostering a working environment where excellence is recognised and where staff are encouraged to develop their own talents and potential. We welcome diversity, in all its forms and we believe it is a strength. NEMA values staff health, safety and wellbeing, and a positive work life balance is encouraged. The indicative BASE salary range for this role is $108,018 - $117,951. NEMA offers other benefits such as Department leave, Wellbeing allowance, Vision allowances and more. Whakaritenga Haumaru | Security Requirements Due to the security requirements of this role, applicants must be a New Zealand citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident. Me pehea te tono | How to apply If you have any questions, contact us via email at NEMATalent@nema.govt.nz [NEMATalent@nema.govt.nz]. We do not accept unsolicited approaches from agencies or 3rd parties. Job description: To review the full job descri ption, please click here [https://www.dia.govt.nz/job-description/NEMA-Senior-Advisor-Communications/$file/NEMA-Senior-Advisor-Communications.pdf]. If you are unable to follow the link, please review the full job description on our careers website. Applications close 5pm 6th May 2026. National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is a departmental agency of the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). NEMA provides leadership in reducing risk, being ready for, responding to and recovering from emergencies. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is the Government lead for emergency management. We help build a safe and resilient Aotearoa New Zealand by empowering communities before, during and after emergencies. Emergencies can have consequences for people, communities, property, infrastructure, the economy and the environment. NEMA works with central and local government, communities, iwi, and business to make sure responses to and recoveries from emergencies are effective and integrated. Depending on the emergency, NEMA leads or supports the response and recovery. NEMA’s key functions are steward, operator and assurer of the emergency management system. As steward, we provide strategic leadership for risk reduction, readiness, response and recovery activities, and build emergency management capability and capacity. As operator, we lead or support the response to and recovery from emergencies while also supporting the operation of the emergency management system.

Responsibilities

The Senior Advisor will manage social media channels and deliver public education campaigns for emergency preparedness. They will also provide expert communications advice and support public information management during national emergency responses.