Principal Advisors | Transformation | Wellington

- 1 role with Business Service Design

- 1 role with Business Readiness and Implementation

- Provide enterprise-level leadership for MSD’s future business service design

- Translate operating model direction into coherent, integrated service designs

- Influence senior leaders, governance groups and cross-agency partners on complex strategic issues

- Based at National Office in Wellington

About our team | Mō te tīma

Business Service Design & Readiness sits at the heart of MSD’s transformation agenda, bringing together two complementary teams that help shape, prepare for and embed how services will be delivered in the future.

Business Service Design is responsible for the design and evolution of MSD’s Delivery Operating Model. The team translates strategic direction into practical business service designs, future-state operating models and business blueprints that guide organisational change.

Business Readiness and Implementation brings together specialist readiness and implementation disciplines to ensure transformational change is planned, sequenced and delivered in a connected way that the organisation can understand, adopt and sustain.

Together, the two teams connect the design of MSD’s future services with the practical work required to prepare the organisation for change and successfully embed it, helping deliver better outcomes for New Zealanders.

New Zealand is changing, and so are we. MSD is transforming to build a smarter, simpler, more responsive welfare system.

This is a rare opportunity to help shape a once-in-a-generation transformation to deliver better outcomes for New Zealanders. Join a multidisciplinary team driving people-led, technology-enabled change at scale.

About the role | Mō te tūnga

As a Principal Advisor you will be a trusted strategic advisor to the Director Business Service Design, or the Director Business Service Readiness, helping drive strategic priorities and providing leadership across a complex portfolio of work.

These roles operate at the centre of MSD’s transformation, ensuring alignment across programmes of work, initiatives, and stakeholders. You will support effective decision-making by identifying risks, opportunities, interdependencies and emerging issues, while maintaining oversight of multiple moving pieces of work.

You will act as a key representative for the Director, building strong relationships across MSD and with external partners, participating in governance forums, workshops and meetings, and influencing outcomes through trusted advice and collaboration.

While strategic service design or business readiness expertise is important, your success will come from your ability to navigate complexity, connect people and work programmes, provide strategic oversight, and ensure organisational priorities are delivered effectively.

You will also contribute to the development of MSD’s future operating environment by providing strategic advice, supporting service design initiatives, and ensuring business, operational and delivery considerate are integrated into decision-making.

What you bring | Ōu pūmanawatanga

We are looking for a highly credible and influential professionals who can operate confidently in complex environments and build trusted relationships at all levels.

- Significant experience operating as a Principal Advisor, Senior Advisor, Programme Lead, or similar role within large and complex organisations.

- Strong strategic thinking and the ability to understand enterprise-wide impacts, risks, opportunities and interdependencies.

- Proven experience identifying, managing and escalating risks, issues and dependencies across multiple programmes or workstreams.

- Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships and influence senior leaders, managers and partners.

- Demonstrated ability to represent senior leaders in meetings, workshops, governance forums and engagements, exercising sound judgement and decision-making authority.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including developing strategic advice, presentations and thought leadership.

- Knowledge of strategic service design, operating model development or business readiness and implementation approaches, with the ability to apply these pragmatically to organisational challenges.

- Experience coaching, mentoring or providing leadership to others to strengthen capability and performance.

- A commitment to embedding Te Ao Māori, Te Reo Māori, tikanga, kawa and Te Tiriti o Waitangi into the way we work.

What’s in it for you | Nōu te rourou

This is an opportunity to have enterprise-wide impact. Working across MSD’s transformation portfolio, you will support leaders, programmes and design teams to create aligned, integrated solutions that connect service, process, workforce and technology perspectives. These roles are ideal for applicants who enjoy working at the intersection of strategy, delivery and leadership. Your expertise will help strengthen successful design practice, enable successful implementation, and ensure the changes we make deliver lasting value for New Zealanders.

Position Description | He Whakaahuatanga Tūnga

A copy of the position description can be found here. Principal Advisor, position description

Salary | Utu-ā-tau: $142,874.00 - $177,798.00

Applications close | Ka kati ngā tono hei te: 11.59pm, Monday 26 October 2026

About us | Mō mātou

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is a people-centred organisation. We’re in communities across the motu, working with partners to help New Zealanders be safe, strong and independent.

We provide social policy advice to government, and assistance including income, employment and housing support to people of all ages, families, whānau and communities.

As a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partner, we are committed to supporting and enabling Māori, whānau, hapū, Iwi and communities to realise their own potential and aspirations.

Our people are as diverse as the communities we serve. We care about the wellbeing and success of our people and provide a supportive and inclusive working environment where people can thrive and be who they are.

How to apply | Me pēhea te tuku tono

Before you submit your application, please take a moment to review our guidance to understand how AI can best support your application. Candidate Guidance - Responsible AI use in recruitment

To apply, click the 'Apply Now' button to upload your CV, cover letter and complete the online application form.

Note: Your cover letter will be a key part of our assessment process. Please highlight how your skills and experience relate to the key responsibilities listed in the position description and job advertisement.

All applications must be made online. If this is not possible or if you have any queries, please contact us at [email protected]

Internal MSD Employees – please apply through your myHR portal at work. This will ensure that your myHR employee profile is visible as internal candidate.

Joining us | Ko te hono mai

Joining MSD means being part of a whānau that celebrates the diversity each individual represents.

We show manaaki, we care about the wellbeing and success of people and want everyone to thrive and be who they are in a supportive and inclusive working environment. We work together to make a difference for communities while doing the right thing with integrity. You can find out more about our values here.

If you have any support or accessibility requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so we can assist you through the recruitment process.