Senior Advisor

Role overview

This is a fixed-term Senior Advisor position running until 30 June 2027. The role supports work to review and strengthen the Ministry’s supervised contact service for the Family Court. It sits within Provider and Community Services, a team that partners with community organisations delivering services such as Victim Support, Restorative Justice, Family Dispute Resolution, and family violence support.

The opportunity is well suited to someone with practical practice experience, such as social work, who wants to contribute to a programme aimed at better outcomes for tamariki and families involved in the Family Court.

What the role involves

• Partnering with providers, court personnel, and Policy and Legal teams to understand how the service currently works
• Assessing providers against the relevant legal and practice standards
• Advising on ways to ensure services align with strong practice expectations, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and New Zealand law
• Contributing to the review of the Supervised Contact Quality Practice Framework
• Assisting with preparation for a future procurement process
• Supporting other practice or contract-management tasks as required across related services

Experience and skills needed

• Experience working with children, with the ability to explain what safe and effective practice looks like
• Confidence in giving practical guidance that is grounded in evidence and current standards
• Ability to work alongside contract managers, providers, and court staff when reviewing services
• Solid understanding of relevant legislation and how it applies in real-world practice
• Strong communication skills for advising both internal teams and external stakeholders clearly and practically
• Experience or working knowledge of contract management

Additional requirements

• A relevant qualification such as clinical psychology, social work, youth work, or human services
• Current registration with the appropriate professional body
• At least two years of experience working with children or in a similar service environment
• A full, clean driver’s licence
• Ability to meet Children's Act safety check requirements

Relevant legislation and knowledge

• Care of Children Act 2004
• Family Dispute Resolution Act 2013
• Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
• Children's Act 2014
• Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

About the organisation and location

The Ministry of Justice is focused on building trust in the law of Aotearoa New Zealand. It welcomes people from all genders, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, disabilities, and religions.

The workplace is collaborative and diverse, and the role is based at the Ministry’s national office in Wellington. This position offers the chance to contribute meaningfully to the delivery of justice services while building experience across a broad range of work.

Benefits

• Flexible working hours where practical
• Access to an online professional development portal
• Connection to a range of inclusive and proactive networks
• Opportunities to gain varied skills and broaden career experience

Salary

The salary range for this position is NZ$99,208 to NZ$125,492, depending on skills and experience.

Application details

Applicants are asked to submit a CV and cover letter with the online application. The closing date is 27 June, though applications may be reviewed as they arrive and interviews could be arranged before the deadline. For questions, contact recruitment@justice.govt.nz.

Additional information

This role is fixed term through to 30 June 2027. The organisation’s national office in Wellington is the work location. The source also notes a LinkedIn follow prompt, which has been excluded from this version.