Women & Girls Lead - Fixed Term - Wellington or Auckland

Women & Girls Lead - Fixed Term - Wellington or Auckland At Sport NZ, we want every woman and girl in Aotearoa New Zealand to have the opportunity, confidence and support to participate in play, active recreation and sport. This role is about helping make that happen. Reporting to the Manager, Priority Populations, the Women & Girls Lead will provide strategic leadership, influence and expertise across the system to improve outcomes for women and girls, while contributing to the broader work of the Priority Populations team. Why this role matters This is a 12-month fixed-term role at an important point in Sport NZ’s work to improve outcomes for women and girls. The investment, plans and budgets are in place. The focus now is on turning that into visible progress and making sure this work is part of how Sport NZ thinks, invests and delivers, not something that sits on the side. Over recent years, Sport NZ has shifted from standalone women and girls’ initiatives to making these outcomes a shared responsibility across the organisation. This role will help lead the next stage of that shift, working with teams across Sport NZ and with sector partners to keep momentum, build capability and support long-term change. You will lead key pieces of work, connect people and priorities, and help ensure women and girls’ outcomes are reflected in strategy, investment, decision‑making and delivery. The work is practical, relational and impact focused. It needs someone who can see the bigger picture, get things moving and bring others with them. About you You care deeply about improving outcomes for women and girls and can talk about gender equity in a way that is clear, practical and brings people with you. You are strategic but not abstract. You can connect the dots across an organisation and turn good intent into action. You understand the role play, active recreation and sport can have in wellbeing, belonging and opportunity. You know how to influence without relying on authority, and you are comfortable working with a wide range of partners, priorities and perspectives. You build trust easily, work well with others and can navigate complexity without making it harder than it needs to be. People value your judgement, your ability to listen and your focus on getting meaningful work done. If you want to help lead an important next phase of Sport NZ’s women and girls’ work and make sure the progress we have made is carried forward in a sustainable and practical way, we would love to hear from you. Location: Wellington or Auckland Sport NZ is committed to becoming a fully equal opportunity employer who knows equity, diversity and inclusion lead to stronger whanaungatanga and improved organisational performance. We value and embrace differences and diverse ways of thinking and being - staff at Sport NZ are celebrated for who they are and their unique contributions to our organisation. Applications close: Monday 24 August 2026, at 5pm #J-18808-Ljbffr