Senior Technical Advisor - Monitoring

• Contribute to crucial and meaningful conservation mahi
• Supportive and collaborative working environment
• Permanent, full-time role based in Christchurch, or flexible in location for the right candidate

Our vision: Nature is thriving in Aotearoa | Te Oranga o te Ao Tūroa

The Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai (DOC) serves to protect and restore nature across Aotearoa. When nature thrives, we all thrive.

Ko tā Te Papa Atawhai he tiaki, he whakarauora anō hoki i te taiao puta noa i Aotearoa. He oranga taiao, he oranga tangata.

Mō te tūranga | About the role

Do you want an interesting and challenging role in conservation?  Are you looking at broadening your horizons and applying your knowledge and skills to support implementation of national monitoring programmes?

We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced Senior Technical Advisor to provide support and advice for the National Biodiversity Monitoring Programme.

The position will be focussed on:

• Preparing, delivering and coordinating field training
• Ensuring compliance with implementation of methods and required programme and data quality standards
• Planning for season readiness
• Improving and developing resources to support efficient programme delivery  

This permanent position is a unique opportunity to support implementation of national programmes underpinning evaluation and reporting on biodiversity. The role is based in Christchurch, but other locations will be considered for the right candidate.

Click here for the Role Description

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

The Senior Technical Advisor position requires an expert practitioner in biodiversity monitoring to provide leadership and technical advice for the implementation of large scale monitoring programmes. If you have some of the following skills, we are keen to hear from you:

• be a lateral thinker
• have excellent written and oral communication skills
• have excellent project management and coordination skills
• have experience leading and delivering training of monitoring methods to field staff and experience developing new training materials and courses
• have extensive data management experience including leading quality assurance and data cleaning processes
• process oriented to support end-to-end workflow for integration of new monitoring projects
• thrive on, and previous experience engaging and communicating effectively with staff as well as a range of other stakeholders, to achieve conservation objectives.
• have proven ability to deliver tasks effectively and efficiently to meet deadlines.
• a postgraduate qualification and a minimum of 5 years of experience in at least one of the following monitoring areas, including knowledge of associated standard monitoring techniques:
  • Vegetation monitoring in forest and non-forest ecosystems (e.g. 20x20 plot methods)
  • Bird monitoring (e.g. 5 minute bird counts, distance sampling)
  • Pest mammal monitoring (e.g. footprint tracking, chew cards, wax tags, fecal pellet counts)

He aha ngā pāinga mōu? | What’s in it for you?

DOC places importance on developing a culture where everyone can participate, thrive, and grow.  We’re working towards being an organisation that is diverse, equitable and inclusive by default.  You can learn more about what we offer here.

We support flexible work arrangements for our kaimahi who are working in a wide variety of roles and locations across Aotearoa. Flexible options will be considered based on your role and in discussion with your leader.

Tonoa inaiānei | Apply now

Apply online with a CV and cover letter that highlights your relevant skills, experience and motivation for joining Te Papa Atawhai. Please note, due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to accept direct or emailed applications and provide feedback to those not shortlisted.

If you require any accommodations or adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

The salary range for this position is $92,912 to $117,570 with the starting salary of the successful applicant being based on their relevant skills and experience.

Eligibility to work in New Zealand is mandatory – this includes holding a valid work visa that covers the whole period of employment.

Rā whakakapi | Applications close at 11:59 pm on Wednesday, 28 January 2026

Me he pātai anō, whakapā mai | For further enquiries, please contact Morgan McLean, Monitoring Programmes Manager, at [email protected]