Northland Regional Council’s role is to care for and protect Taitokerau Northland's environment and communities.

Toitū te whenua, toitū te moana, toitū te tangata. If the land is well, if the sea is well, the people will thrive.    

Te āheinga / The opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to join Northland Regional Council’s Executive Leadership Team as Pou Taumatau - General Manager Corporate Services, leading the strategic direction and performance of the organisation’s internal services functions.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you will play a pivotal role in shaping organisational capability, culture, and performance across Council. As a trusted strategic advisor, you will provide leadership across a broad portfolio including organisational development, people and culture, finance, information technology, audit and risk, governance, economic development and property.

This role sits at the heart of the organisation and is responsible for ensuring Council has the people, systems, processes, and culture needed to successfully deliver on its vision for Northland. You will lead transformative organisational initiatives, champion continuous improvement, and help drive a high-performing, customer-focused workplace where people are empowered to do their best work. As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, you will contribute to the overall leadership and success of the organisation, working collaboratively with fellow Group Managers to align priorities, support strategic decision-making, and strengthen organisational effectiveness.

Working across a diverse range of internal and external relationships, you will help strengthen Council’s reputation, influence, and organisational effectiveness. This role is well suited to a leader who combines strategic foresight with operational discipline and is passionate about creating a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, wellbeing, and service excellence.

He kōrero mōu / About you

To be successful in this role, you are likely to bring:

• Proven senior leadership experience leading corporate services functions within a complex organisation, ideally in local government, the public sector, or a similarly regulated environment.
• Significant experience driving organisational development, culture change, workforce capability, and transformational programmes that deliver measurable organisational outcomes.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications, supported by a strong professional background in a complex operating environment.
• Demonstrated success building and leading high-performing teams, developing leadership capability, and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and decision-making skills, with the ability to navigate complexity and provide trusted advice to executive leaders and elected members.
• Exceptional relationship management and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted partnerships across a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated cultural capability, including an understanding of Te Ao Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the importance of effective partnerships with tangata whenua.
• High levels of personal integrity, sound judgement, resilience, and emotional intelligence, with the confidence to lead through change and constructively challenge the status quo.
• A passion for public service and a commitment to delivering exceptional outcomes for the communities of Te Taitokerau.

Tono mai / Apply

To view the Job Description, click: JD: Pou Taumatua - GM Corporate Services (you will be able to access the link from the NRC careers site). For further information contact: Kayla Ludlow, Employee Relations Manager (kaylal@nrc.govt.nz) or Tannis Turnbull, Recruitment Advisor (tannist@nrc.govt.nz).

Applications close 8 November 2026 and must be submitted online via the NRC careers page. We review applications as they are received.

Applicants for this position should have NZ residency/citizenship, or a valid NZ work visa.

Agency Enquiries: While we are not engaging an exclusive recruitment agency for this role, we welcome approaches from agencies who feel they may have a suitable candidate. Please contact recruitment@nrc.govt.nz. Any submissions will only be considered where the agency agrees to engage under the applicable TAS rates and terms.