Manager Licensing and Guidance

Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga | Education Review Office (ERO) are dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, health, and wellbeing. We welcome every gender, ethnicity, ability, religion, age, and background and encourage all our people to be their authentic selves.

Starting salary: $129,000 - $135,000 negotiable + superannuation.

Develop and grow your career through coaching, training, study support, and secondments.

Contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference to all children and young people in NewZealand.

City‑based offices that cater to a variety of working styles and needs.

This is a permanent leadership role responsible for the oversight and delivery of ERO's licensing and regulatory guidance functions, with a particular focus on early learning services. Reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive Regulation and Early Childhood Education, you will lead a team responsible for providing clear, consistent, and high‑quality guidance to support the sector to meet regulatory requirements.

You will work closely across ERO and with external stakeholders including the Ministry of Education and sector groups to ensure alignment between regulatory expectations, evaluation practice and system improvement initiatives. This role combines operational leadership with strategic influence – shaping how guidance is developed, communicated and continuously improved.

Your team will include subject matter experts who support licensing decisions, interpret regulatory requirements and provide advice to both internal kaimahi and the sector. In the first 6–12 months, you will focus on strengthening guidance frameworks, improving consistency of advice and supporting system changes arising from wider early learning reforms.

This role has been established to support the Government's proposed transfer of early childhood education (ECE) regulatory functions from the Ministry of Education to the Education Review Office (ERO), as part of the wider ECE Reform programme. The positions are designed to support the new proposed functions and strengthen ERO's capability to deliver on its expanded mandate. Any offer of employment will be subject to the relevant legislation being enacted.

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• Experience leading teams in complex regulatory, operational or advisory environments.
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• Ability to interpret and apply legislation, policy and regulatory frameworks.
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• Understanding of or willingness to learn about TeTiriti oWaitangi, Tikanga, TeReo and TeAoMāori.
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• Examples of how you have built and maintained strong relationships across agencies, stakeholders or sectors.
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• Demonstrated leadership capability – leading through others, influencing outcomes, and driving delivery.
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• Experience showing curiosity, challenging existing approaches and contributing to system or process improvement.
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• Ability to communicate complex information clearly and provide practical guidance to diverse audiences.
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• Experience working in or alongside the education sector, public service or regulatory environments (desirable).
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• Understanding of the machinery of government and public sector processes (desirable).
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