Senior Communications and Engagement Advisor

• Be part of an organisation that delivers essential services to our community

• Provide strategic communications advice and support to Senior leaders

• Be a part of a dynamic and engaged team

This is a full-time position of 40 hours per week, based in Petone.

The remuneration range for this role is $101,125 to $142,765 (including KiwiSaver) depending on skills and experience

The opportunity

As a key member of the Communications and Engagement team, you'll lead and implement strategic communications and engagement and provide advice to our organisation to grow and protect Tiaki Wai’s reputation. You'll enjoy working in a fast-paced and delivery-focused environment and be part of a diverse and high-performing team. Your duties will include being on an Emergency Management on call roster.

You will get to

• Lead and implement strategic communications and engagement initiatives

• Identify reputational risks and provide strategic communications advice and support to mitigate these

• Respond to and manage reactive media enquiries as well as identifying and pitching proactive media opportunities

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders

• Develop engaging and targeted content for our channels.

About you

To be successful in this role you will bring:

• At least five to seven years' experience in delivering best practice strategic communications and engagement - preferably in a service delivery or operational organisation but not essential

• A tertiary qualification in communications or relevant industry experience

• Strong skills in all areas of communications - corporate communications, media, community engagement, stakeholder management, and crisis and issues management

• Experience with planning and delivering engaging content across a range of channels

• Excellent writing and editing skills and experience in translating complex information into simple and clear communications

• Experience with working and providing advice to senior leaders.

Benefits

At Tiaki Wai, our purpose extends beyond delivering great water services for the region; we foster a thriving community, support a diverse workforce, and offer supportive development opportunities. We genuinely care about your safety and wellbeing.

Our benefits include:

• Flexible working arrangements including up to 2 days working from home

• Comprehensive wellbeing programme, including one paid wellbeing day annually

• Formal and informal professional development opportunities

• 5 weeks annual leave accrual will be available following 2 years of continual service

For a full list of our employee benefits click here.

Tiaki Wai is a council-owned organisation responsible for managing the delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services across Hutt Valley, Porirua, and Wellington.

We manage public-owned extensive water infrastructure and oversee the delivery of safe and reliable services for our communities. We focus on long-term investment, asset management, maintenance, and delivering major infrastructure projects that support public health, environmental protection, and regional growth.

Water is a precious taonga. At Tiaki Wai, we put care into every drop and are guided by our values of Integrity, Care, and Leadership. We work directly with water consumers and in partnership with councils and mana whenua to deliver better water outcomes for current and future generations.

Applications close: Sunday 2 August 2026

How to apply

To view a copy of the position description: click here

To apply for the role, click on the ‘apply’ button or visit the Tiaki Wai Careers site, if you are a Tiaki Wai employee please apply using your work email.

For further information, email: Sign in to view email

Applicants for safety sensitive roles will be required to undergo drug and alcohol testing prior to commencing employment with Tiaki Wai. You must also be legally entitled to work long-term in New Zealand or eligible to obtain a working visa.