Private Secretary (Administration) - Hon Simon Watts (Start ASAP)

About The Department of Internal Affairs New Zealand

Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs, stands as a distinguished leader in public service, dedicated to serving and connecting people, communities, and government to foster a safe, prosperous, and respected nation. The department's impactful work contributes to making New Zealand a better place for both its native citizens and those who have chosen to make the country their home. With a clear purpose, they play a crucial role in shaping the well-being and prosperity of individuals and communities across New Zealand.

Your role

Following an internal promotion, Hon Simon Watts, Minister of Climate Change, and Minister of Revenue, is seeking a motivated and engaging administrator to join his office as a Private Secretary. Working in the heart of the government, you will join a tight-knit and trusted team that will support the Minister as part of the 54^th Parliament.

As a Private Secretary of Administration, your new role will see you provide a range of administrative support to Minister Watts and his team. In your new role you will help respond to a range of queries via email and over the phone, and in general will provide critical support in keeping things running smoothly. You could expect to draft and respond to Official Information Act Requests, support with written and oral Parliamentary questions, and support with Ministerial correspondence. Your role will include helping manage the Minister’s diary, planning and booking travel, and liaising with the Minister’s Electorate office. Your position will also involve process-driven administrative tasks such as logging invitations and meeting requests, hard-copy correspondence, ordering stationary, and responding to stakeholders’ requests and invitations. 

To review the full job description, click here.

Training & development

The Department of Internal Affairs adopts a holistic learning and development strategy, offering individual development plans and diverse opportunities for employees to enhance skills and advance their careers within the department and the broader public service. Study assistance is provided to facilitate external development activities. Furthermore, they operate an internal mentoring scheme designed to foster the growth and support of managers and team leaders.

Compensation & benefits

The likely appointment range for this role is NZD 63,561 to NZD 75,963 per annum, with starting salaries reflecting relevant skills and experience, as well as internal parity. Aside from your salary, all employees are provided a number of benefits to help them achieve their full potential in an encouraging and supportive environment. A few of the benefits available include:

• Work/life initiatives
• Health and wellbeing
• Staff development
• Social scene
• Sports teams

Career progression

The Department of Internal Affairs promotes career progression through its diverse range of functions, encouraging all employees to seize various opportunities for professional development, including secondments within the department. Additionally, the organization outlines career advancement paths for managers through a structured Management and Leadership Development Framework.

Work-life balance

DIA values their employees and offers a flexible working hours policy, as well as generous leave provisions to provide opportunities for employees to have a balance between work and home life.

Company culture

The Department of Internal Affairs operates with a clear purpose—serving and connecting people, communities, and government to build a safe, prosperous, and respected nation. Guided by principles such as making things easy, customer-centrality, and continuous improvement, the department emphasizes teamwork, value, and pride in making a positive difference. Overall, their collective passion drives them to contribute to making New Zealand better for its citizens.

To know more, watch this video:

About you

You might be an experienced administrator who is looking for a unique and meaningful role, or a recent university graduate looking to start their career in Parliament. If you can bring some of the below, they would love to hear from you! 

• Demonstrated experience providing administration, secretarial, and/or reception services 
• Proficiency in Microsoft programmes, you will bring your speedy typing skills and an eye for detail
• Motivation and a desire to build your career in the heart of government
• A good sense of humour with the ability to have a laugh and work both closely with your team and autonomously as needed
• An ability to work and problem-solve at pace, with maturity and a high level of resilience
• An understanding of the machinery of government, OIAs, and Written or Oral Parliamentary questions would be advantageous

Source

The following sources were used in researching this page:

• dia.govt.nz/About-Internal-Affairs---Careers-with-us---Benefits
• dia.govt.nz/About-Internal-Affairs---Our-People---Our-Purpose-and-Values
• linkedin.com