Manager, Legislative Stewardship

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Join us, and deliver Great Law for New Zealand

We are looking for an exceptional leader who has deep technical knowledge of legislation and regulatory systems, along with significant public sector management experience to lead our Legislative Stewardship team. This is an external facing leadership role, and you will need to lead and guide the development and delivery of the PCO’s legislative stewardship work programme and contributing to achieving the PCO’s strategic priorities.

What we do

The Parliamentary Counsel Office is New Zealand’s law drafting and publication office, and the Government’s legislative adviser. Its statutory objective is to promote high-quality legislation that is easy to find, use, and understand and, to that end, to exercise stewardship of New Zealand’s legislation as a whole.

If you value people, thrive on collaboration and seek to achieve meaningful outcomes, then PCO is the place for you. The work we do is challenging, diverse, and integral to the lives of New Zealanders. There’s no place like it.

The team

The Legislative Stewardship team is responsible for PCO's Legislative Stewardship Strategy and delivering key Government priorities. The team leads, manages and implements its work programme directly and through others inside and outside PCO. We work across team, group and organisational boundaries to achieve our objectives.

The team also leads PCO's strategy and policy function for the legislative system, is the secretariat for the Legislative Design and Advisory Committee (LDAC) and provides PCO's corporate legal function. 

The team has an ambitious strategic work programme, a diverse set of responsibilities, and a complex and sometimes ambiguous operating context. Our work requires clear prioritisation, excellent project and task management, and highly skilled people to be successful. We also need to be nimble to take opportunities to achieve our objectives as they arise.

The role

In your role as Manager, Legislative Stewardship you will plan, organise and direct the team that is responsible for the legislative stewardship, as well as managing the programme to implement this strategy. You will be responsible for key PCO functions including:

Legislative stewardship

• Planning, managing and delivering the legislative stewardship work led by the team
• Delivering to PCO’s role as system lead for quality and access to legislation
• PCO advice to Government and Parliament on design, drafting and access to legislation 

Advice and legal services 

• Leading the PCO’s strategy and policy function for the legislative system.
• Providing the PCO’s support for the Legislation Design and Advisory Committee
• Setting and delivering the legislative revision programme
• Providing legal and procurement advice to the PCO

About you

You will be someone who has significant experience working in a management role in the public sector, as well as a deep understanding of, and experience with, policy, legislative processes, and machinery of government. You will be able to provide intellectual leadership, make connections across work programmes, communicate in clear and impactful ways, and lead the interface between PCO, Ministers, government agencies, stakeholders, and the public. 

To be successful in this role you will be someone who:

• works collaboratively with members of the System and Stewardship group, Executive Leadership Team and key internal and external partners
• has the ability to build and maintain a high-performing team that supports the PCO’s strategic direction
• successfully delivers high quality outputs while meeting objectives
• develops and maintains effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• creates a collaborative environment which engages and motivates others to succeed

You will also:

• have a strong interest in in legislative design, and understanding of what drives and impacts the delivery of high quality legislation
• work effectively under pressure and maintain composure when faced with stressful situations
• understand and navigate the relationship between tikanga, operational and strategic goals
• have strong influencing skills, intellect, integrity and ethics
• have the ability to communicate technical and complex issues in ‘plain language’ so that others across the business can relate
• have a tertiary qualification preferably in a policy-related field (including economics, law, arts, communications, management or similar)

Our culture

Located across the road from Parliament, PCO offers you a fascinating insight into Aotearoa’s legislation. We are a small office of around 120 people, with a passion for producing great legislation. 

We value our people and provide a flexible and supportive environment.

We offer a range of resources to support your wellbeing such as 5 weeks annual leave, access to fitness opportunities such as the Parliament gym, discounted health insurance, and annual vision and hearing test reimbursement.

How to apply

Please see  for the position description and how to apply.

Applications must include a completed PCO application form (please download this from our vacancies page), a CV, and a cover letter, sent to .

Applications close 9am Monday, 24 June 2024 , however please note that suitable candidates may be interviewed and confirmed prior to the close date.

Your application will include the following questions:

Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in New Zealand?

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