Commissioning Principal Advisor

Kōrero mō te tūranga | About the role

We are currently seeking a Commissioning Principal Advisor to join our Investment & Commissioning team in Wellington. This is a high-impact, strategic leadership role at the heart of the public service, influencing outcomes that improve lives.

As the Commissioning Principal Advisor, you’ll:

• Lead cross-agency initiatives and support complex investment planning, fund modelling and performance monitoring.
• Drive the use of evidence, data, population insights, and policy understanding to inform strategic investment planning and portfolio performance reporting.
• Oversee a complex commissioning work programme driving delivery, prioritisation and continuous improvement processes.
• Provide technical leadership and coaching across strategic commissioning and operational best practice.
• Support risk identification, mitigation, and programme leadership within a dynamic operating environment.
• Build strong relationships with iwi, Māori organisations, community partners, and government agencies.

He kōrero mōu | About you

• Proven experience in leading and developing commissioning practice, and public sector programme leadership.
• Strong background in strategic financial investment planning, and fund modelling.
• Understanding and experience in performance-based contracting and portfolio performance reporting including return on investment.
• Competence in leading and driving a fast-paced varied programme of work across the agency with cross-agency engagement.
• Confidence in navigating ambiguous and complex environments with political and cultural sensitivity.
• Deep understanding of te Tiriti o Waitangi, and an ability to integrate Te Ao Māori and mātauranga Māori concepts into commissioning practice.
• Proficient in M365, project management, and collaboration tools (e.g. JIRA, Confluence, SharePoint).

Utu ā-tau | Salary

Band 19: $148,878 - $210,180 (mid-point $175,150) – Salaries are based on skills and experiences.

Ko wai mātou | About us

The Social Investment Agency is a central agency, set up to lead the social investment approach to improve people’s lives and to support the Government to achieve better outcomes from social service expenditure. Social investment involves using data to understand people’s needs and the best prevention points, implementing evidence-based approaches to improving outcomes, and testing that they’ve been successful. The Agency has a particular focus on cross-sector work to address the most pervasive social sector challenges.

We are committed to have a safe and inclusive workplace and we value the diversity everyone brings.  We are proud to have achieved the Rainbow Tick and the Domestic Violence Free Tick.

We welcome applications from everyone, regardless of gender identity, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or religion.  If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so we can assist you through the recruitment process.

Tono mai | How to Apply

To apply for this role please click the ‘Apply Now’ button and follow the online process. To view a copy of the position description please click here.

Applications close at 11.59pm on Sunday 28th June 2026; however, we will review applications as they come in and may invite people to interview before the close date.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if an ideal person is found before the close date.

If you have any questions, please email peopleandculture@sia.govt.nz. We look forward to receiving your application.