At Te Papa Atawhai, Department of Conservation we express our spirit of service and serve Aotearoa through our purpose, Papatūānuku Thrives. Our organisational strategy, Te Kaupapa a Te Papa Atawhai, puts nature and people at the heart of everything we do. It is anchored by te reo Māori and te ao Māori, recognising that Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our whānau, hapū and iwi are central to all our mahi.

 The Community Team lobby to protect conservation values and provide statutory advice to decision makers on work such as concessions, the Resource Management Act and the Crown Pastoral Land Act, as well as supporting Community groups to work on Conservation Land. The Visitor Centre deliver a front-facing customer service role providing recreation inspiration, advice and retail services 

He angitÅ«tanga | About the role

You will be responsible for leading, supporting, coaching, and developing our varied and diverse Community and Visitor Centre teams who work across our large District and out of two of our sites, Wānaka and Alexandra. You will be part of the District Leadership Team and work closely with the Senior Ranger, Community to provide advice to the Pou Matarautaki Operations Manager on the district work programme and support the districts success. You will ensure effective work planning, resourcing, and ensure quality work delivery for the Central Otago work programme.

 You will maintain and build upon the great relationships with our Treaty Partners, other government and non-government (NGO) agencies and organisations, the community, community groups, concessionaires, volunteers, neighbours and the tourism industry, and you will forge new ones to catapult forward key stakeholders' connection with nature and help to grow conservation outcomes.

 Ngā pÅ«kenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

You will be an energetic and positive individual who enjoys working in a team and prides themselves on their outstanding communications skills.  You will be skilled in leading, motivating, and coaching diverse teams of specialists to achieve their full potential, have excellent interpersonal skills and be a confident relationship builder who can get along with people from all walks of life. 

You will thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced work environment that requires you to manage competing priorities, balance planned and reactive work, prioritise team wellbeing and adapt to challenging and complex situations. An understanding of statutory aspects of land management, including concessions and the Resource Management Act would be an advantage.  You will have the ability to manage in a changing environment with an adaptable and enquiring mind.  Te Papa Atawhai has some key goals with Predator Free 2050, carbon neutral targets and regenerative tourism which require the ability to be adaptable and future focused. 

Above all, your genuine passion for conservation and the Central Otago District and wider Southern South Island (SSI) region and your alignment to our purpose Papatūānuku Thrives, will round off your profile.

Mō te tÄ«ma | About the team

To live in Central Otago is to have access to a spectacular place for recreation: mountains, lakes, internationally unique drylands and rivers to enjoy and explore. There are numerous tracks to walk, tramp or mountain bike; rock faces to climb; waterways for swimming, boating or fishing, and mountains for hunting, skiing or snowboarding