Senior Advisor, Strategic Policy at National Emergency Management Agency

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

30 Jul, 26

Salary

117951.0

Posted On

01 May, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Policy analysis, Emergency management, Strategic policy, Stakeholder engagement, Influencing, Written communication, Public sector processes, Relationship management, Adaptability, Resilience, Te Tiriti o Waitangi knowledge, Legislative analysis

Industry

Government Administration

Description

Type: Permanent Location: Wellington Applications close: 5pm Wednesday 13th May May 2026 The purpose of the Senior Policy Advisor is to: * Provide policy advice and analysis on emergency management policy matters, including changes to the CDEM Act, National CDEM Plan and other secondary legislation * Contribute to NEMA’s stewardship of the CDEM Act 2002, National CDEM Plan and Guide, and National Disaster Resilience Strategy. * Support NEMA in honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and progressing true partnership through policy advice. * Provide high quality advice during emergency responses and recoveries. * Engage on policy proposals across central government, and with iwi/Māori, the emergency management sector, and the wider public Essential skills/experience: * A relevant tertiary qualification or an equivalent body of knowledge and experience. * Experience in persuading, influencing, building and maintaining effective collaborative relationships. * Excellent written capability and ability to present complex ideas in an easily understood format. * Understanding of Cabinet and wider Machinery of Government processes 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 Policy 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 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 - $117,951 NEMA offers other benefits such as Department leave, Wellbeing allowance, Vision allowances and more. Whakaritenga Haumaru | Security Requirements Due to the security requirements of this role, applicants must be a New Zealand citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident. Contact us at NEMATalent@nema.govt.nz [NEMATalent@nema.govt.nz] for any questions. To review the full job descri ption, please click here [https://www.dia.govt.nz/job-description/NEMA-SE-Senior-Policy-Analyst,-Strategic-Policy/$file/NEMA-SE-Senior-Policy-Analyst,-Strategic-Policy.pdf]. If you are unable to follow the link, please review the full job description on our careers website. 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 Policy Advisor provides expert policy advice on emergency management legislation and contributes to the stewardship of national disaster resilience strategies. They also engage with central government, iwi, and the emergency management sector to ensure effective policy implementation and emergency response support.