Manager PHEC Design, Containment, & Assurance at Ministry for Primary Industries, Auckland MPI Centre

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Manager PHEC Design, Containment, & Assurance

Role type: Fixed-term until Jun 2029

Location: Auckland (We are also open to considering applicants in Wellington)

Salary band & range: General Salary Range B – $138,938 to $162,716 depending on skills and experience

 

About the Role - Kōrero mō te Tūranga

The Manager PHEC Design, Containment, & Assurance plays a critical leadership role within the PHEC Transformation Programme. Being accountable for the effective coordination and delivery of the design, build, quality assurance and biocontainment work package, the role provides confidence that PHEC building, facilities, systems, and operations meet stringent biocontainment requirements, while ensuring the programme can achieve and maintain the required certification to operate safely and securely, alongside other functional assurance activities.

With biocontainment security and certification at its core, the role balances operational, functional, quality assurance, and build considerations to ensure the facility is fit for purpose within a highly complex technical environment.

Acting as a key interface between the business, Crown Infrastructure Delivery, certification authorities, consultants, and internal work streams, the role ensures alignment across assurance and commissioning activities. While deep technical biocontainment expertise is not the primary focus, a strong understanding of containment and/or complex technical systems, processes, and their certification requirements (for example within aviation, petrochemical or other high risk/complexity environment) is essential to establish robust frameworks, enable effective assurance, and support the transition to operational readiness. The role also provides leadership to a specialist team responsible for detailed assurance activities and regulatory submissions.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Leading the Design and Containment Assurance (non-build) work package, ensuring alignment with programme objectives, regulatory requirements, best-practice standards, and operating models.
• Developing, implementing, and maintaining containment assurance frameworks, systems, plans, and procedures.
• Leading certification and approvals activities required to achieve and maintain PHEC biocontainment certification.
• Ensuring all containment system developments comply with regulatory, safety, quality, and operational requirements.
• Managing quality and assurance functions across non-build work streams, including effective interfaces with build and construction activities.
• Facilitating commissioning from a business perspective, ensuring operational approval readiness prior to handover.
• Leading risk assessment activities (e.g., FMECA , HAZOP) and supporting the development of emergency response protocols for containment incidents.
• Acting as the primary interface between MPI, Crown Infrastructure Delivery, certification authorities, control groups, and external advisers, including oversight of consultant performance and expenditure.
• Managing the Biocontainment Assurance Control Group secretariat function and supporting governance, reporting, and decision-making.
• Leading, mentoring, and managing the Design and Containment Assurance team, including performance, capability development, resource management, and health and safety.

 

About You – Mōu

You are an experienced leader with a strong background in complex technical systems, ideally within high‑risk, highly regulated environments. You bring a sound understanding of facility design, certification  and assurance, coupled with the ability to establish robust frameworks, systems, and processes that ensure safety, compliance, and fitness for purpose. With a pragmatic, outcomes‑focused approach, you are comfortable bridging technical, operational, and regulatory perspectives to deliver assurance in a complex programme environment.

You will bring:

• A relevant tertiary qualification, ideally in engineering or a related technical discipline, with additional certifications in project management, safety, quality, or risk management.
• Significant experience working with complex technical or safety‑critical systems, preferably within high‑risk industries such as nuclear, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, aerospace, or similar environments.
• A strong understanding of regulatory frameworks and industry standards, ideally including containment systems.
• Proven experience working across the full design, construction, and assurance lifecycle, including certification, risk assessment, and system integrity.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing resources, budgets, and organisational processes within complex, multi‑stakeholder environments.
• The ability to operate effectively in cross‑functional and multi‑agency settings, with an appreciation of government operating environments and governance processes.
• Experience in assessing and validating solutions to complex problems, with a track record of delivering high‑quality outcomes in ambiguous and fast‑evolving contexts.
• An understanding of technical safety‑by‑design and health‑and‑safety‑by‑design principles, with knowledge of the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi considered an advantage.

In addition to your technical and professional experience, you are a confident communicator and relationship builder who can engage effectively with diverse stakeholders, from technical specialists to senior leaders. You lead with clarity and integrity, motivate teams through change, and bring a strong customer‑focused mindset. Highly organised and detail‑oriented, you balance assurance and rigour with pragmatism, applying sound judgement, structured problem‑solving, and continuous improvement to achieve positive, sustainable outcomes.

 

About the Team - Mō tō mātou Rōpū

The Programme Team is made up of a dedicated group of professionals (both SME and programme/project), focused on ensuring a high quality facility and systems can be delivered in order for MPI to meet the ever increasing complex needs  of NZ Primary Sector.

 

About MPI - Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua

We're a large organisation with massive scope from the frontline to policy development and beyond.

To find out more about the Ministry and what we do please click here.

 

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

• Additional MPI leave days
• Annual Wellness payment
• Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames

 

Drug and Alcohol Screening - Whakamātau Whakapōauau me te Waipiro

Please note, given this position is safety sensitive the preferred candidates(s) for the position will be required to undergo a drug and alcohol pre-employment screening test. Further information on this process can be found on our careers site, here.

 

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” 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 on Tuesday, 19 May.

 

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

 

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