Principal Advisor - Climate Change Adaptation
Wellington City Council
We're looking for an experienced Principal Advisor - Climate Change Adaptation in a full-time, fixed-term or secondment position until March 2027 to cover parental leave. This role will play a critical role in increasing Wellington's resilience to climate change impacts.
In this role, you would be joining a passionate, innovative and creative team delivering Wellington City Council's climate adaptation work programme outlined in Council's Te Atakura 2025 action plan - which is a high priority work programme of Wellington City Council.
- Help lead climate change adaptation across Pōneke
- Build strong relationships with mana whenua, embedding te ao Māori into our work
- Champion bold and innovative climate adaptation and resilience action
Āu ake mahi - What you'll do
The role will also be responsible for providing expert technical knowledge to strategic climate adaptation solutions for Poneke - informed by policy, legislation, and regulatory requirements in the local government context.
As Principal Advisor, you'll be a leading subject matter expert on local government adaptation planning. Your primary focus will be implementing and evaluating the Local Climate Adaptation Pilot in the Paekawakawa Island Bay and Haewai Houghton Valley water catchments.
Which involves the following:
- Working directly in partnership with mana whenua and incorporating te ao Māori into the adaptation programme. Experience in mana whenua engagement is essential; te reo skills are an advantage but not required
- Leading the design and delivering community and stakeholder engagement, with strong written and verbal communication skills to explain climate science and adaptation concepts to diverse audiences. You will be required to attend community forums outside normal business hours and present at public meetings, Council committees, and steering groups
- Sound technical knowledge of climate change science, climate hazards modelling and risk assessment methods, adaptation policies and best practices
- Monitoring and evaluating the pilot to inform Council's wider adaptation programme and future roll-out aligned with central government policy
- Designing the roll-out of the Local Climate Adaptation Planning Programme beyond the pilot in alignment to the lessons from the pilot and changes to central or local government policy or direction
Ngā tohu me ngā wheako - Qualifications and experience
We are looking for someone with five plus years' experience working in climate adaptation, with a relevant tertiary qualification or experience working in climate change, engineering or urban planning. Prior experience working in government would be an advantage.
You will bring the following:
- Proven ability to provide thought leadership and guide best-practice adaptation planning for an urban context
- Cultural competency and experience leading complex stakeholder engagement, particularly with Māori partners and government agencies and communities
- Ability to explain complex technical information into clear, accessible language to a wide range of audiences- including experience explaining climate change science, natural hazards, adaptation planning processes, and adaptation solutions
- Excellent organisational capacity building skills, with a collaborative approach
- Political acumenand confidence working in a complex and ambiguous governance environment
We are looking to appoint between $127,659 and $150,186 per annum, for this role, depending on relevant skills and experience.
If this sounds like you and you're an innovative thinker, compassionate and empathetic and have political acumen, then we want to hear from you!
Nōu te rourou - What's in it for you
Working for the Council offers you a range of benefits including 5 weeks annual leave, flexible working options, health and wellbeing support, Council staff discounts and a range of learning and development programmes and opportunities.
You'll also be joining a creative, friendly and supportive team led by Jamuna Rotstein, Climate Change Adaptation Lead. Jamuna has worked in a variety of climate adaptation and community resilience roles in local government and humanitarian sector. She is passionate about collaborating with diverse stakeholders to build resilience and sustainability, with a strong focus on fostering partnerships with mana whenua and Māori in alignment with our Tākai Here partnership.
View our Employee Value Proposition Video to see what our employees say about working at WCC.
Diversity:
We want your application to enable you to portray the real you. Skills are gained across many areas of our life, not just formal employment. If you can demonstrate the skills listed in the advert through whānau life, community or mahi aroha (volunteering) we encourage you to apply and share your story with us in your cover letter.
We welcome applications from all people and like our workforce to reflect the diverse communities we serve.
Accessibility Support:
We want to make sure any accessibility requirements you may have, are well supported so the selection process is equitable for everyone. Please let us know if there are any adjustments or support, we can offer to make our process more accessible to you by emailing: recruitment@wcc.govt.nz
Applications close on Friday, 5 December 2025. Please note that we may engage with applicants prior to the vacancy closing and/or close applications ahead of this date so we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.
All applications must be submitted online - we will not accept emailed applications. If you are applying for the role as a secondment opportunity, please ensure you have the support of your manager. All applicants must have the right to work in New Zealand.
If you have questions, please contact Jamuna Rotstein, Climate Change Adaptation Lead, Jamuna.Rotstein@wcc.govt.nz.
