Team Leader, Strategic Policy

• Locations 23 Kate Sheppard Place, Wellington, 6011, NZ

Type:Permanent

Location:Wellington only

Applications Close:5pm Tuesday 17 th March 2026

Come and be part of a Policy Unit that navigates and influences the government policy interface that enables all of NEMA’s roles.

The purpose of the Team Leader, Strategic Policy is to:

• Lead the development and delivery of NEMA’s strategic policy work programme.

Provide day-to-day people management for three policy staff, within a unit of fourteen, ensuring quality of policy research, analysis and advice, in line with organisational and business unit priorities.

Contribute to high quality policy advice to Ministers, NEMA, and wider government during emergency responses and recoveries

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/operational role will be in the Policy Function, during Response and Recovery phases.

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.

We are looking for a candidate with the following attributes:

• Resilience, agility and curiosity
• Proven experience delivering strategic policy projects and leading the development of high‑quality policy products
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing policy professionals
  , including coaching, mentoring, and guiding complex work programmes
• Ability to provide sound strategic and operational advice
  , identify risks and opportunities, and ensure alignment with organisational priorities
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective relationships across the emergency management and national security sectors
• Excellent written capability to present complex ideas in an easily understood format
• Ability to think strategically with strong initiative and problem‑solving abilities
• Ability to work autonomously and exercise sound judgement
• Ability to adapt in rapidly changing circumstances
• Ability to deliver high‑quality work output under pressure
• High standards of professionalism, integrity and accountability

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.

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 $146,253- $159,701. NEMA offers other benefits such as…