position
description /
Position: / Senior Contracts Advisor
Children’s Worker: / No
Location: / National Office
Business Unit: / Contracts
Group: / Service Delivery
Reporting to: / General Manager Service and Contracts Management
Issue Date: / September 2017
Delegated Authority: / Nil
Staff Responsibility: / Nil

Our Role

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is the lead agency for the social sector. We help the Government to set priorities across the sector, co-ordinate the actions of other social sector agencies and track changes in the social wellbeing of New Zealanders.

The Ministry provides policy advice, and delivers social services and assistance to children and young people, working age people, older people, and families, whānau and communities. We work directly with New Zealanders of all ages to improve their social wellbeing.

We serve over a million people, working out of more than 250 centres around the country. It is likely that every New Zealander will come into contact with the Ministry at some point in their life.

Our work, together with our social sector partners, is essential to achieving a sustainable and prosperous future, where all New Zealanders are able to take responsibility for themselves, be successful in their lives and participate in their communities.

Our Purpose

We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent.

Ko ta mātou he whakamana tangata kia tū haumaru, kia tū kaha, kia tū motuhake.

Our Principles

MSD people: All own what we all do | Take responsibility for what we do | Understand our role in the big picture, who can help us and who we can help | Navigate through ambiguity and the opportunity it brings to create better ways of doing things | Act with integrity, courage and transparency | Celebrate our achievements and those of our clients.

PositionDescriptionapprovedby:

______
Deputy Chief Executive, Service Delivery

Date:……/……/……

Service Delivery

We work together to make a difference for New Zealanders. Whether that’s helping someone get sorted financially so they can study, supporting someone into work, ensuring support is there for someone who can’t work, helping one of our seniors by granting their entitlement to New Zealand Superannuation, or giving New Zealanders confidence that the system they fund is being used by people in genuine need.

We do this through five key groups: Client Experience and Service Design, Client Service Delivery, Client Service Support, Community Partnerships & Programmes, and Strategy & Change. Whatever part of Service Delivery we work in, we have a role in delivering services and making a difference for more than a million clients.

Business Unit

Community, Partnerships and Programmes is responsible for strategic partnerships; community, employment and population based programmes and the service management of contracted services including family and sexual violence. This group is about connecting and collaborating to build effective partnerships that achieve better outcomes for those individuals, whānau and communities who most need our support.

Purpose of the Position

The Senior Contracts Advisor will provide high level strategic and operational advice and support to the General Manager Services and Contracts Management. The role will lead the development and implementation of initiatives focussed on the organisational priorities of the Community Partnerships and Programmes group and wider Service Delivery.

Working Relationships

Internal:

  • General Manager Service and Contracts Management
  • Community Partnerships and Programmes Leadership Team
  • Service Delivery Managers
  • Service Delivery management and staff across all levels
  • MSD Policy Group
  • Other Ministry staff as appropriate.
  • Service Development Project Teams

External:

  • Central agencies
  • Key government departments
  • Ministry of Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki (MVCOT)
  • Non government organisations and groups

Key Accountabilities:

Key Result Area / Accountabilities
Strategic Management Support /
  • Contribute fully to and where applicable lead the development and implementation of long range strategies and plans
  • Lead the development and implementation of initiatives and strategies in relation to organisational priorities for contracts
  • Monitor and evaluate the progress of initiatives and report regularly on any identifiable opportunities/threats as well as risk mitigation strategies
  • Identify and prioritise events, risks and issues on new initiatives on behalf of the General Manager Service and Contracts Management (GM)
  • Manage the development, administration and co-ordination of special projects and other ad-hoc matters as required
  • As appropriate, represent the GM at forums, as requested, by way of gathering information and viewpoints, and/or presenting the GM’s viewpoint and/or priorities on relevant issues and intentions.

Advice and Risk Management /
  • Provide high quality evidence based advice to the GM on issues within specialised timeframes
  • Provide risk and issues management assistance to the GM on new initiatives including identifying, managing, monitoring and mitigating risk and issues in relation to Ministers and their offices
  • Maintain appropriate levels of understanding among key government stakeholders regarding new contracting initiatives
  • Support, coordinate and preparekey internal and external messages and client information for new initiatives for the GM.

Relationship Management /
  • Build and maintain excellent working relationships with the General Manager and National Manager Service and Contracts Management and the wider leadership team and exercise sound judgement in identifying issues of relevance, importance and necessity
  • Establish, build and maintain effective, constructive and collaborative relationships with all key stakeholders
  • Develop and maintain appropriate levels of understanding of government protocols and requirements

Project Leadership /
  • Assess the impact of other National Office proposals or projects (e.g. relating to policy, information technology) on contracting and purchasing operating practice and provide advice to other areas and management on impacts.
  • Participate in or lead significant projects or initiatives including senior officials groups, stakeholders and project advisory groups, especially those that cross Unit and Group boundaries
  • Identify and recommend improvements to the team’s procedures and systems for best practice management and delivery development
  • Encourage and motivate project teams to work together towards common goals and achieve outcomes

Research and Reporting /
  • Undertake research and develop reports with recommendations for future strategies/initiatives for the GM
  • Produces high standard of reports and other written work (for both internal and external audiences) as required by the GM, in accordance with Ministry style standards
  • Provide feedback, support and advice to refine, enhance, and clarify the work of others.

Technical/Professional Knowledge and Experience
  • Extensive experience in providing advice and support to Senior Executives within the Public Sector
  • Well developed Contracting and Purchasing experience
  • Proven experience of managing complex relationships, both internally and externally
  • Proven project management experience, particularly in the management of multi-faceted, complex and multi-stakeholder projects
  • Demonstrated ability to stand apart from the immediacy of situations and take a broad or long-term view, foreseeing opportunities and developing workable solutions to problems
  • An understanding of the strategic issues facing the Government and the Ministry
  • Proven ability to work collaboratively and responsively in both government and non-government settings
  • Experience of prioritising in an often busy and complex environment and applying sound judgement when dealing with competing deadlines
  • A high level of computer literacy to include Microsoft package
  • A degree level qualification relevant to the role or similar qualification desirable

Attributes/Success Factors

  • Excellent communication (oral and written) skills – able to write clear and concise reports at both a strategic and operational level
  • Excellent relationship management skills – able to establish, build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders
  • Excellent interpersonal skills – adapts to the needs of the audience, able to influence others to accept ideas
  • Highly effective organisational and planning skills – able to prioritise in an often busy and complex environment and apply sound judgement when dealing with competing deadlines
  • Good leadership skills – has a credible and respected reputation as a leader and achiever, able to lead others through influence versus direct management
  • Strong problem solving and decision making skills - able to clearly identify problems, seek alternative solutions, identify risks and benefits, seek input from others and make sound decisions based these considerations
  • Strong client focus – displays passion, drive and responsiveness to making a difference to clients lives and needs, adapts thinking/leadership style to meet the needs of clients/stakeholders
  • High level of environmental and organisation awareness, able to align activities to vision/purpose of the organisation
  • Role models integrity and accountability

Other Requirements

  • Willing to travel to fulfil job requirements

Senior Contracts Advisor / 1