Senior or Principal Advisor - secondment or fixed term Skip to content
Join us, and deliver Great Law for New Zealand
Stretch your legal skills into policy or focus your policy skills in legislation
Lead work to significantly improve the accuracy and usability of New Zealand's legislation
Work in the heart of central government close to the Botanic Gardens and Lambton Quay
Approximately 7-month fixed term or secondment opportunity
Senior Advisor salary range 113,616 – 138,195, or by secondment agreement
Principal Advisor salary range 133,396 – 162,251, or by secondment agreement
We are looking for a motivated and experienced team player to join our Legislative Stewardship Team. We are about to embark on a piece of work to improve the accuracy and usability of New Zealand's legislation by revoking or updating spent, or mostly spent, legislation, which we expect to have finished by 30 June 2025. In this fixed term or secondment you will engage with a range of stakeholders to develop and provide advice to senior executives, Ministers and Cabinet.
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 the 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.
About the team
The Legislative Stewardship team is responsible for the PCO's Legislative Stewardship Strategy and delivering key Government priorities. The team leads, manages and implements associated work programmes directly and through others inside and outside the PCO. We work across teams, groups and organisational boundaries to achieve our objectives.
The team also leads the PCO's strategy and policy function for legislation. It is the secretariat for the Legislative Design and Advisory Committee (LDAC) and provides the 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.
About the role
This is a great opportunity for an experienced Senior Advisor who is ready to stretch themselves, or for a Principal Advisor ready for a gig in the world of legislation.
As a Senior/Principal Advisor you will lead the analysis, policy work, and engagement required to revoke or otherwise update approximately 400 Acts that have been identified as likely spent, as well as other Acts identified as part of the process. Identifying potentially spent Acts is a challenge, as is confirming whether they are in fact spent. You will need to use your detective skills, attention to detail and strong sense of curiosity to hunt down the legal status of older legislation.
You will need excellent judgement as well as careful and systematic processes. Your experience working collaboratively with varied stakeholders and achieving consensus will be beneficial. Many of these Acts have a long history and key stakeholders, such as responsible entities, the public, Ministers and members of Parliament, may take different approaches and have different preferences for taking action or leaving well enough alone.
We are looking for someone with a keen interest in the work of our office, including legislative design and the parliamentary process. You will have spent significant time in a legal or policy environment. A tertiary qualification is required, preferably in law, however we will consider candidates with qualifications in related fields if accompanied by significant legislative experience.
Our culture
Our whakatauaki is a guiding principle that helps to ensure our actions and decisions align with our values.
Through valuing people and collaborating, we can achieve great outcomes
Located across the road from Parliament the PCO offers you a fascinating insight into Aotearoa's legislation. This is an excellent opportunity to join a professional and highly respected organisation.
How to apply
We will appoint at either the Senior or Principal level dependent on experience.
For more information about working at the PCO, as well as the job description, please visit our careers page www.pco.govt.nz/careers-at-the-pco.
All applications must be completed through this listing on Seek, and include a cover letter telling us why you are suitable for the role, and a CV.
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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