Senior Advisor, Innovation
Date: 17 Mar 2026
Location: Wellington, NZ
Company: Ministry of Social Development
- Lead projects that create meaningful, long‑lasting change.
- Bring people and ideas together to solve problems.
- Shape solutions that improve outcomes for disabled people.
Mō te tūnga | About the Role:
As Senior Advisor, Innovation, you will lead work across our Innovation work programme designing and delivering projects that shape opportunities for change.
You will bring strategic thinking, project delivery skills, and the ability to connect people, ideas and initiatives across the system. Through collaborative problem solving, you will help identify new solutions and turn ideas into tangible actions to improve outcomes for disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, and their whānau.
Key responsibilities:
- Identify opportunities for change and plan practical initiatives with stakeholders.
- Lead and deliver co-designed solutions to deliver meaningful change for disabled people.
- Provide high quality senior advice and contribute to strategic frameworks.
- Build strong relationships across sectors and with stakeholders.
Mōu | About You:
You bring:
- Great strategic thinking skills and experience delivering innovative projects.
- Knowledge co-design and community‑led development approaches.
- Well-developed understanding of the disability community and related system issues.
- Experience engaging and partnering across government, NGOs, the private sector, and community settings.
- Project management capability, with the ability to balance pace and quality.
- Committed to equity and accessibility in all you do.
If this role feels like a good fit but you don’t meet every point in the criteria, we still encourage you to apply. We value a wide range of experience and skills.
We encourage applications from Deaf and disabled people, Turi Māori, tāngata whaikaha Māori, and those with lived experience. If you’re passionate about inclusion and ready to learn, we’d love to hear from you.
He Whakaahuatanga Tūnga | Position Description:
The job description, application process and alternate formats of this advertisement can be found here: Work with us | Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People
Utu-ā-tau | Salary: $103,148 - $125,148
Mō mātou | About us:
At Whaikaha, we want an Aotearoa New Zealand where Deaf and disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori are thriving.
As a Ministry we are dedicated to this goal, working with government, businesses, and communities to drive real change.
We do this by investing in disability communities, providing strategic and policy advice across government, monitoring how well services are working, and identifying new, exciting opportunities to make a difference.
We care about the wellbeing and success of our people and provide a supportive and inclusive environment.
Ka Kati Ngā Tono hei te | Applications Close: Tuesday 31 March 2026
Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply:
Click the 'Apply' button to complete the online form, or let’s kōrero about what you need to feel supported in your application. For example, you may prefer to use video instead of a traditional CV and cover letter, or you might want whānau or a friend to tell us about you.
Contact us about the best way for you to apply by emailing: PeopleandCulture@whaikaha.govt.nz.
If you work for Whaikaha please apply through the myHR portal so that your employee profile is visible as an internal candidate.
