Principal Advisor

- Build trusted relationships and drive strategic organisational outcomes
- Lead high impact communications
- Petone based

This is a full-time position of 40 hours per week.

The opportunity

As Principal Advisor, you will be a trusted advisor to the Head of Communications and Engagement, helping shape how Tiaki Wai connects with people, communities and stakeholders across the region. Working on complex and high-profile initiatives, you will provide strategic advice, build strong relationships, and lead communications and engagement approaches that support informed decision-making and meaningful outcomes for people across greater Wellington.

In this role you will:

- Lead best-practice frameworks and approaches that strengthen communications capability and consistency.
- Coach, mentor and support communications professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team culture.
- Help safeguard and enhance Tiaki Wai's reputation through expert advice, proactive communications and skilled change leadership.

About you

To be successful in this role you will bring:

- Extensive senior communications and engagement experience, with a track record of leading complex programmes and providing advice to senior leaders
- Sound knowledge of strategic communications and stakeholder engagement practices with experience in local government, infrastructure, utilities or regulated environment
- Exceptional communication skills, including strong writing expertise across areas such as media, digital, internal and executive communications
- A strong collaborative leadership style, with a proven ability to coach, mentor and develop high-performing teams
- Proven ability to build trusted relationships, influence stakeholders and work collaboratively across diverse and complex environments
- A tertiary qualification in communications, media or a related field, combined with high levels of integrity and credibility

Benefits

At Tiaki Wai, our purpose extends beyond delivering great water services for the region; we foster a thriving community, support a diverse workforce, and offer supportive development opportunities. We genuinely care about your safety and wellbeing.

Our benefits include:

- Flexible working arrangements including up to 2 days working from home
- Comprehensive wellbeing programme, including one paid wellbeing day annually
- Formal and informal professional development opportunities
- 5 weeks annual leave accrual will be available following 2 years of continual service

For a full list of our employee benefits click here.

About us

Tiaki Wai is a council-owned organisation responsible for managing the delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services across Hutt Valley, Porirua, and Wellington.

We manage public-owned extensive water infrastructure and oversee the delivery of safe and reliable services for our communities. We focus on long-term investment, asset management, maintenance, and delivering major infrastructure projects that support public health, environmental protection, and regional growth.

Water is a precious taonga. At Tiaki Wai, we put care into every drop and are guided by our values of Integrity, Care, and Leadership . We work directly with water consumers and in partnership with councils and mana whenua to deliver better water outcomes for current and future generations.

Applications close: Wednesday 14 October 2026.

How to apply

To view a copy of the position description: click here

To apply for the role, click on the ‘apply’ button or visit the Tiaki Wai Careers site, if you are a Tiaki Wai employee please apply using your work email.

For further information, email: [email protected]

Applicants for safety sensitive roles will be required to undergo drug and alcohol testing prior to commencing employment with Tiaki Wai. You must also be legally entitled to work long-term in New Zealand or eligible to obtain a working visa.