Senior and Inquiries Specialists at The Audit Office, Wellington - Wairarapa

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Senior and Inquiries Specialists

The Audit Office | Te Mana Arotake 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, the Auditor-General's work plays a major part in ensuring that our public sector remains one of the most trusted in the world.

We're looking for an Inquiries Specialist and a Senior Inquiries Specialist to join our Inquiries team. This team is part of our Legal, Knowledge and Practice Group and carries out inquiries on behalf of the Auditor-General. That work takes an independent, in-depth look at the public sector's use of resources, including situations where something might have gone wrong or where money and resources might have been misused, and provides a unique opportunity to consider improvements to the public sector.

Our inquiries often cover complex and high-profile matters. To see some examples of our work, visit our website: ao.parliament.nz.

In these roles, you'll be involved in:

• assessing whether inquiries are warranted, making recommendations, and carrying out inquiry work;
• gathering information and analysing evidence;
• preparing reports and other products;
• meeting and discussing issues with staff of public organisations (including senior leaders); and
• dealing with wide range of issues, organisations, and people.

As a Senior Inquiries Specialist, you'll also be responsible for leading and managing larger cases and managing other team members.

For the Inquiries Specialist position, we're looking for someone with up to four years' relevant experience, preferably in the public sector. For the Senior Inquiries Specialist, we're looking for at least seven years' relevant experience.

A tertiary qualification in law, accounting, or other relevant discipline is essential for this position.

We offer our staff:

• Learning and development opportunities.
• Supportive, flexible working.
• Health and well-being benefits.
• A unique operating environment with Parliament.

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 to understand the issues facing the public sector and how these affect the lives of New Zealanders. We strongly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so that we can assist you through the recruitment process.

For this role you must be able to gain and maintain a Confidential national security clearance. Ordinarily, this means that you must be a New Zealand citizen, be a permanent resident, or hold a current residency class visa and intend to become a citizen when eligible. You must have a five-year checkable background in New Zealand, the UK, the USA, Canada, or Australia. Use this online tool to self-check your eligibility for a security clearance: www.protectivesecurity.govt.nz/eligibility-tool. (Please note that this tool is not part of the formal security clearance process.)

We value originality and effort. Although AI can be helpful, we require you to submit a cover letter and CV that reflects your own voice and experiences.

For more information, please contact Sandy Hoggarth on email recruitment@ao.parliament.nz.

To find out more about us, see our website: ao.parliament.nz.

You must apply online through jobs.govt.nz (you'll find the application form and position descriptions there, too).

Applications close Sunday, 26 July 2026.

If you experience issues logging into jobs.govt.nz, please email jobsiteadministrator@dia.govt.nz for support.