Position Description

Workstream lead –Leadership ACROSS the sector

office of the Chief Executive, (Integration)

Position: / Workstream Lead – Leadership in the sector
Business area: / Office of the Chief Executive
Location: / Wellington
Reports to: / Director, Office of the Chief Executive (Director, Integration Project)
Version date: / 29 August 2017

Organisationcontext

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) is a Crown Entity established on 1 July 2017 under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2017. Our new, unified organisation will provide a fire and emergency service that delivers for communities and the firefighters who serve them, now and in the future.

Our principal role is to reduce unwanted fires and respond to structural and vegetation fires and other emergencies. This includes responding to motor vehicle crashes, medical emergencies, hazardous substance related incidents and natural disasters as well as supporting increased community resilience.

Position context

FENZ bought together 39 individual organisations with different cultures, capabilities and capacity. To be effective and deliver on FENZ’s objectives we must transition to one fully unified entity. This will involvesignificant change and capability building.

The FENZ Board have agreed a three-year integration plan, ‘the Integration Blueprint’. The Blue print outlines six strategic priority workstreams and three underpinning enabler workstreams for the integration phase.

Leadership in the sector

The strategic priorities for sector leadership comprise:

  • integrated organisation and operating model

health, safety and wellbeing

  • resilient communities
  • volunteerism
  • risk reduction
  • leadership across the sector

Enablers

  • People capability, leadership, culture
  • Infrastructure
  • Project and change management (including communications and stakeholder engagement).

The Leadership across the sector will define and implement FENZ’s role in the sector, operationalise key delivery partnerships and engage key stakeholders and New Zealanders in the levy process and oversee the disputes processes. Leadership, in this context, we will lead by example, demonstrate operational excellence,influence, be evidence based, support our communities and partner and assist our key stakeholders. Leadership when it is appropriate through whatever means, this is not limited to positional leadership. Through this work we will build a high performing sustainable and resilient sector.

Role purpose

The Workstream Lead –Leadership across the sectoris responsible for leading the workstream that will promote FENZ as an effective sector leader and influencerof others who will achieve its organisational objectives and partner to deliver essential services.

The Workstream Leader is responsible for delivering results in the following areas, including how FENZ can:

  • influence the sector to achieve the outcomes in its SOI and deliver on the strategic direction to be developed over the coming year
  • ensure that all new roles in the legislation are assigned and have supporting structures in place
  • ensure that FENZ has the techniques to identify and build collaborative key partnerships for delivering emergency and other FENZ and sector services, and
  • engage key stakeholders and New Zealanders in the upcoming levy decision and think strategically about future levies
  • build ongoing capability of the Leadership in the sector space and work with both People and Capability, Training and the People capability, leadership and culture workstream to implement any capability building initiatives.

This is a senior role with responsibility for leading the ‘Leadership in the sector workstream’, and for managing the internal and external relationships to ensure that the Leadership in the sector work meets the needs of FENZ.

The role reports directly to the Director of the Chief Executive’s office and is a key part of the Integration Leadership team reporting “with a dotted line” to the Integration Director.

The Leadership in the sector workstream will be designed and developed in Year 1 (FY17/18).

SCope of job

Financial delegations: / tbc
Staff responsibility: / tbc

Key accountabilities & deliverables

The Leadership in the sector Workstream Lead will be responsible for:

Leadership

  • leading the development and implementation of a workstream plan for Leadership across the sectorworkstream
  • establishing, leading and managing a team to deliver the work plan. This team will comprise a mix of contractor, seconded and in-house resources, some of whom will work full time on the work plan and others who will contribute as part of their core role elsewhere in the organisation

Building frameworks

  • ensuring that the outcomes and outputs of the Leadership across the sectorworkstream plan enable FENZ to comply with its statutory obligations
  • ensuring that the insights and views of leaders in other organisations within the sector are taken account of and embedded FENZ thinking on Leadership across the sector
  • ensuring that the outcomes and outputs of the workstream plan are aligned and integrated with the work programme of the FENZ business as usual activities

Building collaborative networks

  • co-ordination and involvement of subject matter experts and other FENZ personnel in the Leadership across the sector design as required
  • working closely with the FENZ business owners’ and key stakeholders to ensure that the design of the Leadership in the sector deliverables are jointly owned, canmeet business needs and be implemented

High level planning

  • leading the scoping of the Leadership across the sector workstream
  • agreeing the approach to the Leadership across the sectordesign and socialisation with senior Fire and Emergency governance and management (for example the Organisational Leadership Team, Strategic Leadership Team and the Integration Committee)
  • Ensure the operational arms of the organisation have the formal partnership arrangements in place with the agreed framework
  • Ensure the development of the long-term levy approach and work with the existing project team to achieve the 2019 Levy decision
  • Working with the newly appointed team to ensure the ongoing interim disputes resolution scheme is completed on time.

Project methodology and planning

  • management of scope of work to ensure delivery on time and to the agreed methodology
  • working with the workstream’s Project Managers to ensure that the work plan is underpinned by robust project management methodologies, i.e. planning, monitoring, reporting, risk management
  • involving and where appropriate consulting with unions and associations and other key partners and stakeholders
  • ensuring that the work of the Leadership across the sector workstream is evidence based
  • identifying risks and issues and rectifying any issues
  • undertaking workstream reporting through the agreed programme management processes, including progress reports, risk and issue reporting, interdependencies, milestones etc.

Safety, Health & Wellbeing– responsibilities

The Leadership across the sector Workstream Lead will be responsible for:

  • taking responsibility for their own safety, health and wellbeing and for their colleagues and others they work alongside, as far as they are able
  • following policies, training and guidelines related to safety, health and wellbeing, including reporting of injury and near miss events.

Key relationships

Internal / External
  • Director of the CEs office
  • Integration Director
  • CE and SLT
  • All Workstream and Enabling Function Leads within the Integration programme
  • SLT – and in particularDirector People & Capability and Director Training
  • Org LT members
  • Office of the Chief Executive
  • National Communications Manager
/
  • Government departments (e.g. DOC)
  • Local government organisations
  • Unions and Associations and in particular the UFBA, PFU and FRFANZ
  • Vendors, contractors and service providers

essential Qualifications, attributes and experience

Suitable candidates will possess the following skills/attributes:

Experience:

  • as a senior leader and manager
  • experience leading a complex programme, or significant workstream as part of a complex project
  • an understanding of the FENZ context, and an ability to use and leverage from this understanding of the context
  • deep understanding of leadership and partnership models
  • successful design and delivery of significant programmes across a sector or with multiple agencies
  • ability to work across a complex set of stakeholders and take people with you in a change environment
  • leading and influencing change both internally and externally
  • detailed understanding of government including machinery of government. A strong network across senior leaders across the emergency sector and government would also be useful
  • demonstrated ability to work at pace and to deadlines and manage multiple priorities
  • demonstrates a high level of credibility, and able to instill confidence in their capability
  • a team player, who is able to work with multiple workstreams and business units
  • managing and work with multiple internal and external stakeholders
  • worked within complex and ambiguous environments
  • understanding of machinery of government and proven ability to think through and lead non-structural change.

Knowledge and skills:

  • excellent judgement and decision-making skills
  • political nous and strategicthimnking
  • well-developed and adaptable leadership skills
  • skills in managing work, people and resources
  • influencing and negotiating skills
  • excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • credible and well respected by the volunteer and operational management communities
  • facilitation skills
  • practical understanding of change management principles and processes.

Desirable:

  • experience of working with Boards and senior governance forums
  • experience in working effectively as part of a wider strategic portfolio team.