Senior Contract Manager at Ministry for Primary Industries, Wellington City

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Job title: Senior Contract Manager

Role type: Permanent, full-time

Location: Wellington City

Salary band & range: General Salary Range C: $119,376 to $153,670 depending on skills and experience

 

About the Role - Kōrero mō te Tūranga

This senior level opportunity sits within our central Procurement & Commercial Management team and has opened up due to internal movement within the team, creating a chance to step into a strategically important role at the heart of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI's) commercial delivery. Leading the management of complex, high‑value ICT contracts, you'll play a critical role in enabling MPI to deliver on its objectives and make a genuine difference for Aotearoa New Zealand. The work you do here matters, adds tangible value, and supports outcomes that benefit communities, industries, and the environment.

 

You'll operate with a high degree of autonomy, taking on contract management responsibility of a diverse range of commercially and technically complex ICT contracts. This is not a set and forget role, you'll be supported to deliberately step back, assess, and shape a clear path forward through a structured discovery phase building a comprehensive understanding of existing agreements, engaging internal stakeholders and suppliers, identifying gaps, and shaping clear, forward‑looking plans. You will develop negotiation strategies, performance measures, and implement governance frameworks and risk mitigations that ensure contracts deliver what MPI needs now and into the future.

 

This is an exciting opportunity created by progression, perfect for someone ready to take the next step, tackle chunky ICT commercial challenges, and help shape how MPI achieves better outcomes from its most strategically important contracts.

 

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading complex ICT contract negotiations with structured, outcomes‑focused strategies
• Reviewing legacy agreements and completing gap analyses to identify risks and opportunities
• Developing, implementing, and maintaining Contract Management Plans, work programmes, and risk mitigations
• Engaging suppliers to align expectations and strengthen delivery and performance outcomes
• Establishing governance, performance measures, and monitoring expenditure and value
• Providing high‑quality commercial advice to contract owners across MPI
• Mentoring and supporting team members through peer review and commercial guidance without formal people‑management responsibility
• Navigating MPI processes and complex ICT environments to enable effective contract delivery

 

About You - Mōu

You bring a strong commercial mindset and genuine enthusiasm for driving contract performance, value, and better outcomes. Comfortable operating in complex environments, you're confident negotiating sophisticated agreements, managing supplier relationships, and providing high‑quality commercial advice that shapes decision‑making. The breadth and variety of MPI's work excites you with no two contracts the same. The organisation's critical role in protecting and growing New Zealand's primary industries gives real purpose to what you do.

 

You're a natural relationship‑builder with the resilience and communication skills to work effectively across all levels of the organisation and with external partners. You know how to ask the right questions, challenge constructively, and bring people with you, even in ambiguous or resistant situations. Whether your background is public or private sector, you can clearly demonstrate your impact through examples of providing trusted commercial advice and navigating complexity with both technical skill and emotional intelligence.

 

You will bring:

• A relevant tertiary qualification or professional certification (e.g. MCIPS, WorldCC)
• Proven experience managing complex, high‑risk, strategically significant contracts
• Advanced negotiation capability across complex agreements, pricing models, and performance frameworks
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with analytical depth
• Advanced communication and stakeholder engagement skills to navigate ambiguity and influence outcomes
• A strategic mindset with the ability to step up, step across, and challenge constructively
• Experience mentoring and coaching others to build capability and promote best practice

 

You do not need to meet all of the role requirements to apply. We offer a breadth of development and learning opportunities and will welcome an application if you think you could make a great fit.

 

About the Team - Mō tō mātou Rōpū

We're a small, close‑knit team of five plus a manager, all based in central Wellington, and proud of our strong reputation for commercial expertise and collaboration. The team has a shared purpose of helping MPI lift its capability across the organisation. We support one another, celebrate successes, and deliberately make time to connect whether that's morning teas, shared lunches or breakfasts, or our much‑loved daily quiz.

 

Our mahi centres on managing complex commercial contracts and uplifting MPI‑wide capability by providing practical guidance, tools, and training. We work closely with colleagues across MPI to help them manage contracts well, improving outcomes and building confidence across the organisation. The variety of work and breadth of impact makes this team both interesting and immensely rewarding, you'll see your contribution influencing how MPI delivers value for Aotearoa New Zealand.

 

As part of the wider Procurement group of around 25 people, we collaborate closely and come together fortnightly to share knowledge, ideas, and experience. The culture here is inclusive, dynamic, and supportive, with great leadership and strong relationships at its core. Ideas are welcomed and everyone is backed to grow, making this a genuinely positive, high‑trust environment where people enjoy coming to work and doing great things together.

 

About MPI - Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua

We are passionate about growing prosperity in New Zealand's primary sectors while ensuring respect for Kaitiaki – guardianship of our natural resources. 

 

Benefits of working at MPI - Ngā hua o te mahi i te Manatū Ahu Matua

• Additional MPI leave days
• Ability to purchase extra annual leave
• Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames 

 

Credit check - Tirotiro nama

Please note, given this position is identified as carrying financial risk, the preferred candidate(s) will be required to satisfactorily pass a credit check.

 

Are you ready to make a difference? - Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi whaitake?
We are committed to being a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi which includes working closely with iwi, hapū, whānau and hāpori.

 

We aspire to reflect the diverse communities we serve, so we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, and identities. As an organisation, we are committed to making Manatū Ahu Matua Ministry for Primary Industries a great place to work for all.

 

In your cover letter we'd like to know about you, your values; your interest and motivations for this role; the abilities, strengths, personal attributes, and diverse perspectives you will bring to the role and this organisation, which may have also been gained outside of the workforce.

 

To view the position description and/or apply online, please click “APPLY FOR THIS JOB” or visit the MPI Careers Site. To apply, you must hold the right to work in New Zealand or be eligible to obtain it – click here to find out more about work visa eligibility and options.

 

Applications close at 11.59pm Tuesday 19 May 2026    

 

If you have any questions about the role, please email Sophie.Hallett@mpi.govt.nz 

 

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