Principal Advisor, Engagement and Influence (fixed term)

Principal Advisor, Engagement and Influence (fixed term). The Controller and Auditor-General, an independent Officer of Parliament, aims to improve trust and confidence in public services by giving New Zealanders an independent view of government spending and performance. As the statutory auditor of all public organisations, from councils to schools, The Audit Office's work plays a major part in ensuring that our public sector remains one of the most trusted in the world.

We've recently launched a new strategy aimed at improving public sector performance and accountability and maximising the value of annual audits. To achieve this ambition, we need to think differently about how we influence improvement across the public sector and how we manage our strategic relationships to as part of that.

About the role. As the Principal Advisor, Engagement and Influence, you'll design and deliver our stakeholder engagement and influence approach, using behavioural science, engagement, social marketing, engagement, and change-management disciplines to increase the impact of our work.You'll identify who our stakeholders are, what drives their behaviour, and develop practical ways for the Office to most effectively influence performance and accountability.

You'll also identify gaps in capability, planning, and measurement, and recommend solutions to address them.This is a fixed-term role for six months (possibly longer) in our Strategic Communications and Impact team.To succeed in this role, you'll bring:10 or more years' experience designing and providing stakeholder engagement, influence, public participation, or behaviour-change programmes;proven experience applying behavioural insights, social research, social marketing, human-centred design, engagement, participation, influence, or related disciplines to understand stakeholders and design interventions; andexperience advising senior executives on influence, stakeholder management, and behaviour-change approaches.

What we offer

our staff. Read about staff networks, annual leave, flexible working, and family benefits on our website: ao.parliament.nz/about-us/careers/benefits-for-employees What we stand for. People matter | Our independence is critical | We act with integrity and courage | We're here to make a difference We have a diverse and inclusive team that helps us understand the issues faced by the public sector and how these impact the lives of New Zealanders.

We warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to inform us when applying so we can assist you throughout the recruitment process. For more information, please email [email protected] We value originality and effort. Although AI can be helpful in some circumstances, we require you to submit a cover letter and CV that reflects your own voice and experiences.

Applications close Wednesday 4 November 2026.You must apply online through jobs.govt.nz(you'll find the application form and position description there, too). If you have issues logging into jobs.govt.nz, please email [email protected]