Think of it as a start-up — but with the weight of a Crown mandate behind it.
The role:
As CFO/COO, you'll be the executive responsible for everything that makes things run. In the near term, you'll be completing bedding in systems, locking down the operating model, and transitioning the organisation from start-up mode into a fully functioning Crown entity. After that, you'll be leading a high-performing Corporate Services function as a trusted partner to the Chief Executive and Board.
Your portfolio spans:
- Finance — strategy, planning, forecasting, reporting, and statutory accountability
- Risk & Governance — frameworks, assurance, audit, compliance, board secretariat
- People & Culture — HR strategy and service delivery
- Legal & Procurement — contracts, legal relationships, supplier management
- IT & Information Security — operations, CISO accountability, cyber risk
- Privacy — Chief Privacy Officer accountability
You're a senior finance leader with deep roots in the New Zealand public sector. You understand the Crown environment intimately — the accountability documents, the audit relationships, the governance frameworks — and you've operated at a strategic level within it.
But you're also someone who doesn't need everything to be figured out before you can move. You're comfortable with ambiguity, energised by building things, and confident enough to make decisions in a fast-moving environment.
Specifically, you'll bring:
- A strong track record in strategic finance leadership within the NZ public sector — ideally a Crown Entity, PRO, or central government agency
- Hands-on experience with Crown statutory reporting — Statement of Performance Intent, Annual Reports, OAG audit processes
- The ability to lead a broad corporate services portfolio, not just finance
- CA ANZ qualification (or equivalent)
- Real credibility at Board and Chief Executive level
- Experience in an establishment, transformation, or build environment — or a genuine appetite for it
- You'll help shape a brand-new organisation with national significance
- Committed funding means the resources to actually do the job properly
- Direct line to the CE and Board from day one
- The chance to leave something behind that matters — not just to the organisation, but to New Zealand
