Commercial Governance Specialist

New Zealand Police is working with the community to make New Zealanders be safe and feel safe. With over 13,000 staff, we provide policing services 24 hours a day, every day. We operate by land, sea and air, manage over 860,000 emergency calls a year and are always actively preventing crime and crashes. We’re working towards specific goals and targets that highlight our intent to work collaboratively with iwi and communities, other government sectors and business partners to deliver ‘Our Business’ and achieve long‑term change. Commercial Governance Specialists, it starts with you! Based at Police National Headquarters, Thorndon Band J Police Employee Permanent- Full Time E tῡ ki te kei o te waka, kia pakia koe e ngā ngaru o te wā. Stand at the stern of the canoe and feel the spray of the future biting at your face Mō te tūnga | About the role As a Commercial Governance Specialist, you will help shape how Police approaches some of its most significant commercial and investment decisions. Working across a diverse portfolio of contracts, programmes and projects, you’ll provide trusted commercial advice that helps the organisation maximise value, manage risk, and deliver better outcomes for New Zealanders. This is an opportunity to influence decisions from early investment planning through to contract delivery, ensuring commercial intent is translated into practical, effective, and sustainable outcomes. This is not a traditional procurement or contract management role. You’ll be involved in everything from business cases and investment proposals through to contract performance, portfolio oversight, governance reporting, and the management of commercial risk. No two days are likely to look the same, with opportunities to support technology investments, infrastructure programmes, frontline operational capabilities, and enterprise‑wide services across Police. Working closely with contract owners, delivery teams, and senior stakeholders, you’ll also contribute to improving commercial governance practices across Police, helping to build organisational capability and support better commercial decision‑making across the enterprise. Key Accountabilities Provide expert advice on commercial pathways, contract structures and lifecycle considerations. Support the development and review of business cases, commercial strategies and investment proposals. Operate and improve commercial governance frameworks, tools, standards and templates. Monitor contract performance, variations, extensions, disputes and emerging commercial risks. Prepare portfolio‑level analysis and advice for governance forums and senior decision‑makers. Support contract owners to identify, manage and elevate commercial risks appropriately. Build commercial capability and understanding across Police through guidance and support. Capture lessons learned and contribute to continuous improvement of commercial governance practices. He aha taau e kawe mai | What you’ll bring Whilst we are looking for skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the role, we also place high importance on your state of mind, the alignment of your values with ours, your ability to contribute to and build high performing teams, and the way that you lead yourself or others. What we are looking for The Commercial Governance Specialist supports organisation‑wide commercial maturity through the provision of practical commercial advice, effective governance oversight, and the continuous improvement of frameworks and standards that support sound commercial decision‑making. This role contributes to protecting value, managing risk, and ensuring consistent application of commercial governance practices across Police. These focus areas are underpinned by the following requirements: Strong knowledge of commercial governance, procurement, contract management, and public sector commercial practices. Demonstrated experience providing commercial advice on contract structures, delivery approaches, performance management, and risk mitigation. Sound understanding of Better Business Case processes and Public Finance Act settings. Strong commercial judgement with the ability to provide clear, practical, and risk‑aware advice to a wide range of stakeholders. Proven ability to build trusted relationships and work collaboratively across business, procurement, finance, legal and delivery functions. Experience operating governance frameworks, analysing commercial information, and supporting oversight and assurance activities. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly in a commercial advisory environment. Relevant tertiary qualification (or equivalent experience); professional body membership such as CIPS or WCC desirable. This role is Individual Contributor/Emerging Leader level. You can refer to Indicators for Success for further information on the requirements. To view the position description for this role please copy and paste this link into a new browser: https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/pd/2026-07/Commercial%20Governance%20Specialist.pdf Mo tātou | About us New Zealand Police is the lead agency responsible for preventing crime and enhancing community safety. It works in partnership with individuals, communities, businesses, and other public sector agencies towards the vision of making New Zealand the safest country. Police is the government's largest front‑line response agency with around 15,000 staff in large and small communities all over New Zealand and in liaison and policing development roles overseas. Your development is highly valued at NZ Police. Our employees enjoy significant investment in their development not only at an individual level, but also at the team and community practice level. We work hard to match you with work that will both play to your strengths and challenge you in new ways. The work you’ll be engaged in is real, tangible work that directly benefits our frontline and communities. Taken all together, this means we can offer you career path opportunities to progress in your chosen profession and become a more well‑rounded, experienced leader, with opportunities across the range of work we support. Utu ā-tau | Salary This position is covered by a collective agreement and salary will commence between $111,529 and $129,277 dependent on skills and experience relevant to the role. If you are an internal applicant, you must apply internally through the police system. You must provide an alternative contact email address and state your future commitments should you be successful in the next stage of the recruitment process. Deadline for applications is 5:00 pm on Tuesday 11th August. All applicants must have the right to work in New Zealand. If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact [email protected]. #J-18808-Ljbffr