Safety & Tactical Training Instructor at New Zealand Customs Service, Auckland

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Help shape the capability and confidence of frontline officers in a role where expert training directly supports their safety and operational readiness.

The Safety & Tactical Training Instructor position provides specialist advice, coordination, and quality assurance across Customs’ safety‑critical instructional programmes, including Officer Safety & Defensive Tactics (OST), Firearms Safe Handling, Personal Search, Rub-Down and Health & Safety training. The role additionally supports design, governance, assurance, and continual improvement of these programmes to ensure they remain nationally consistent, legally compliant, operationally relevant, and fit for purpose.

Key responsibilities…

• Provide specialist advice on all tactical training subject areas, including OST, Firearms Safe Handling, Personal Search, and Rub‑Down procedures.
• Develop and maintain relevant curriculum, frameworks, and associated lesson plans, assessment tools, and training documentation to ensure training remains accurate, lawful, and operationally relevant.
• Ensure national consistency in delivery standards, safety protocols, and instructional practice across instructors and regions.
• Conduct quality assurance reviews of training delivery, moderation, assessment outcomes, and documentation to maintain consistency and compliance, and identify risk and improvement opportunities.
• Support operational readiness by ensuring officers are trained to apply lawful, safe, and proportionate tactical options.
• Represent OST training function at organisational forums, operational reviews, policy development discussions, and cross‑agency working groups, providing expert input on training, safety, and operational readiness.

About you…

• Proven relationship management and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate and negotiate with a diverse range of stakeholders, including operational staff and training colleagues.
• Experience with Safety, Defensive Tactics, Firearms Safe Handling or comparable safety‑critical training systems gained in a similar operational environment.
• Ability to interpret legislation, policy, and operational content and translate into training requirements.
• Skilled in developing structured training documentation, lesson plans, and evaluation summaries, including the use of digital tools.
• Committed to continuous learning and maintaining relevant qualifications.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and adaptable, with the initiative and reliability required to deliver OST training with minimal supervision across varying operational contexts.

To be considered for this position, you must:

• Be able to pass a fitness test, drug test, and medical,
• Have a full and unrestricted NZ driver's licence
• Have successfully passed the Customs Defensive Tactics Instructors Course

• Be able to work 'unpredictable hours'.
  • This includes working outside of usual working hours, working extended hours and national travel, including stays away from home.

• Be able to obtain and maintain an organisational security clearance.

Working at Customs | Mahi ki te Mana Ārai o Aotearoa...

We aim to create a great place to work, where our people feel they belong and have the capability and desire to meet future challenges. We are clear about our mission, which is underpinned by Te Pou Tokomanawa (the Foundations) and our Whanonga Pono (Values). Our work matters to the safety and success of New Zealand. 

Working for New Zealand Customs…

To join Customs in any role you must be a New Zealand citizen or New Zealand permanent resident* and be able to obtain and maintain an Organisational Security clearance.

(*) A New Zealand Citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident who has resided continuously in New Zealand for the last five years, (including five years ago from the date of this application) and resides in New Zealand at time of application.

If shortlisted, you will be asked to complete online psychometric testing as part of the process.

To apply, please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your skills and experience, via our online process. If you have any queries about the role, please contact Hamish McLean (Team Leader Training Operations) at Hamish.mclean@customs.govt.nz

Applications close at 11pm, Wednesday 21 October 2026.

Please note Customs will be managing this recruitment independently in-house and will not be engaging with recruitment agencies at this stage.

Please apply directly online as we do not accept applications sent to email addresses.

New Zealand Customs Service | Te Mana Ārai o Aotearoa is a member of Diversity Works New Zealand and is committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities and welcome applications from everyone who can meet the requirements of the role. We also offer flexible working arrangements.