Principal People Lead (Investigating Lawyer/Forensic Accountant/Investigator)

Principal People Lead (Investigating Lawyer/Forensic Accountant/ Investigator)

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is a highly specialised government department whose mission is to disrupt and deter serious complex fraud through prevention, investigation, and prosecution. We take pride in the work we do to keep New Zealand safe from fraud and corruption.

We employ a talented team of lawyers, forensic accountants, investigators, and electronic forensic, counter fraud and policy experts to do just that and, importantly, we have a small corporate services team that supports our operational teams. Numbering eighty, we are a cohesive team with a strong sense of justice and a vibrant culture.

About the Role

SFO is seeking an experienced Principal People Lead to join our Auckland CBD team. You will bring your skills as an Investigator, Lawyer or Forensic Accountant to support successful case outcomes.

In this role, you will provide leadership, management, coaching, mentoring, and pastoral care to a team of Lawyers, Investigators, and Forensic Accountants. You will apply your investigative expertise, technical knowledge, and professional judgment to matters involving suspected serious or complex financial crime.

As a Principal People Lead, you will lead an investigation team through all stages of the process, including the investigation, and any prosecution. You will also contribute as an active case team member, bringing your skills as an Investigator, Lawyer, or Forensic Accountant to support successful case outcomes.

Additionally, you will play a key role in resourcing and prioritisation decisions across the wider case portfolio, ensuring effective allocation of capability to meet organisational objectives.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will bring a strong background in financial crime investigations and/or prosecutions, with several years of experience as a Lawyer, Investigator, or Forensic Accountant. You will have a solid understanding of business, commercial, and financial systems, along with demonstrated knowledge of the SFO Act 1990.

You will demonstrate proven leadership capability and ideally possess sound knowledge of criminal legislation, including the Crimes Act and the Criminal Procedure Act. In this role, you will provide leadership on prosecutions in collaboration with the Investigating Lawyer, Principal Legal Advisor, and external counsel. You will model and promote SFO’s organisational values, support strategic priorities, and contribute to fostering a positive and inclusive organisational culture.

Strong relationship building skills are essential, as you will work closely with key internal and external stakeholders to support successful case outcomes.

About SFO

At the SFO we value a ‘growth mindset’ and explore this attribute during our recruitment process and in our development discussions. We believe possessing a growth mindset is a key contributor to success in the SFO environment. We are a close and motivated team with a strong workplace culture. We recognise that diversity and inclusion is important to our work. We value the unique abilities and perspectives of our employees which allows us to continue to create a supportive environment that meets the needs of our people, our business, and the communities where we work. We encourage applications from individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive and respectful workplace.

The position description for this role is here:

SFO-Principal-People-Lead-Position-Description

If you would like further information about this role, you are welcome to email the recruitment team at [email protected].

If you wish to apply for this role, please submit your CV and cover letter (attachments titled ‘First Name Last Name – CV or Cover Letter’) 

You can learn more about working for the SFO in this video:  https://youtu.be/rn0d419HJ0g

Applications close 4:00PM Friday, 20 February 2026 

During recruitment, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) collects personal information provided by you as a recruitment candidate, for the purpose of assessing your candidacy for employment with the SFO. Your personal information will be treated in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act 2020. 

In providing your personal information to the SFO, you authorise the SFO to disseminate information about you to persons and third parties involved in the SFO’s recruitment process. These persons and third parties may include SFO employees, SFO contractors, and agencies and individuals providing assessments, probity, background, and identity check services. We do not use, share, or disclose personal information collected or received through the recruitment process except as set out in this statement, with your consent, or in accordance with the disclosure exceptions set out in the Privacy Act 2020.

The SFO undertakes to collect and store your personal information securely, as defined in the Privacy Act 2020. You retain the right to request a review, amendment, return or destruction of your personal information, subject to relevant grounds of refusal under the Privacy Act 2020. Should employment with the SFO eventuate, your personal information will be securely retained in the SFO employment records.