He ara pūkenga, he ara tauwhiro, hei whakamana mātā waka 
The many pathways to knowledge, the many pathways of social work, upholding the dignity of all

Senior Advisor – Workforce Planning

This isn’t your run of the mill workforce planning role. This is an opportunity to be part of something new that will make a difference.

Working on a sector-wide approach to social worker workforce planning as part of a new Lead Agency role, designated by the Minister for Social Development and Employment.

These are exciting times for the social work profession and exciting times for you as a workforce specialist to develop your career in a new and varied way.

The parameters of the role have been set by Government, and a draft Workforce Strategy and Action Plan have been developed, but there is real scope for you to work alongside colleagues and the sector to bring this to life.

Working closely with our Chief Advisor Māori to embed te ao Māori and He Arapaki, our Māori Strategy and Action Plan throughout all that we do, reporting to our Policy and Workforce Planning Manager, this is a role for a strong relationship builder.

If you are passionate about ensuring that we have the right social workers, with the right skills, knowledge, and competencies, in the right place at the right time to support the wellbeing of our whanau, rangitahi and tamariki, then this role could be for you.

This really is an opportunity to work on something new for the social work profession and make a real contribution towards the wellbeing of New Zealanders.

If this sounds like you then then please contact Sandy Matthews at sandy.matthews@swrb.govt.nz for a detailed person description.

Applications close 6 December 2021

Policy Advisor

This isn’t your average Advisory role.

This is an opportunity to be part of something different, that uses your policy skills and experience of undertaking bespoke research projects, combines your love of uncovering something new or different with reporting on performance trends and themes.

We are looking for someone with experience of the machinery of government, performance reporting and developing accountability documents, who can also support the organisation as it develops its role in a mandatory world, as a modern regulator.

These are exciting times for the social work profession and exciting times for you as an Advisor looking to develop your career in a broad and varied way.

This is a role for a strong relationship builder, a details person, with great reporting and analysis skills, who loves finding ways of better communicating results with their audience.

If you are passionate about ensuring that we have the right evidence from which to make decisions and believe as we do, in the important work that social workers do to support the well-being of whānau, rangitahi and tamariki, then this role could be for you.

This really is an opportunity to work on a range of projects that support the SWRB to deliver to Government as a modern regulator, and more broadly to support the development of the social work profession.

This is a fixed term role for 18 months.

If this sounds like you then then please contact Sandy Matthews at sandy.matthews@swrb.govt.nz for a detailed position description.

Applications close 6 December 2021

Senior Advisor Social Work, Māori

He ara pūkenga, he ara tauwhiro, hei whakamana mātā waka 

The many pathways to knowledge, the many pathways of social work, upholding the dignity of all

The Social Workers Registration Board have a fantastic opportunity for a Senior Advisor Social Work, Māori to join our team in Wellington.  To be successful in this role you will need to bring a strong understanding of kaupapa Māori social work paradigms, mātauranga Māori, tikanga, and te ao Māori, strong analytical abilities, good communication and engagement skills, and work effectively in a collaborative regulatory authority environment. 

The Senior Advisor Social Work, Māori will:

• support the office’s engagement with tangata whenua  
• provide advice to the SWRB regarding Kaupapa Māori social work practice perspectives, promoting a focus on outcome and purpose, and generally enhancing the effectiveness of the Board   
• provide expert advice on how to engage with tangata whenua social workers over issues related to regulation of social work 
• provide professional social work practice advice
• actively engage and inform the social work sector on matters relating to compliance and regulatory policies for social workers   
• participate in the distribution of information to ensure social workers are informed about compliance and regulatory requirements
• provide expert Social Work advice to the Regulatory Compliance Team in the execution of their duties in respect of Social Worker registration and investigating complaints and compliance breaches 
• engage with the education provider sector on issues of qualification standards and social work practice 

This is an exciting and challenging role, and we are seeking someone who is committed to helping us to achieve our aspiration to support and encourage professionalism in social work sector through tools of our legislations.

Key requirements of the role:

• A strong understanding of mātauranga Māori, kaupapa Māori, te reo me ona tikanga  
• Highly developed engagement skills, including the ability to present complex issues to a wide variety of audiences especially within te ao Māori
• Strong networks and positive working relationships with tangata whenua social workers, Iwi and community Māori organisation 
• In-depth knowledge of social work theory and practice

To apply, or to obtain a detailed position description, please contact sandy.matthews@swrb.govt.nz.

Senior Legal Advisor

Want to be part of the team providing legal advice and direction to a new regulator who is supporting the development of professionalism in the social work sector?  

The Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) is a Crown Entity which is the regulatory authority responsible for the registration of social workers. Its primary function is to protect the safety of members of the public by ensuring that social workers are competent, fit to practise, and accountable for the way in which they practise. A further purpose is to enhance the professionalism of social workers. 

Mō tēnei tūranga | About this role

The SWRB have an opportunity for a Senior Legal Advisor to join their team and provide expert advice across various portfolios. The Senior Legal Adviser role sits within the Corporate Services Group. The group takes a continuous improvement and customer focused approach to its work. 

As the Senior Legal Advisor, you will be responsible for:

• Provide legal advice to the Board and its staff on its legislation, complaints and notifications, and general legal matters.
• Legal advisor to Professional Conduct Committees and prosecute as required.
• Privacy Officer and managing the Official Information Act requests.
• Supporting the SWRB with engagement with tangata whenua, pacific and diverse communities on issues of regulation and regulatory compliance

You will be trusted to work autonomously and bring the experience and confidence to advise teams within the SWRB. You will operate in a supportive team and have the option of flexible working.

Mōhou ake | About you

To be successful in this role, you need to be able to demonstrate the following:

• At least four years of post-admission experience
• Ideally, you will have a knowledge of regulatory principles and practice or a background in public or corporate law
• A good knowledge of litigation and provision of legal advice is ideal but not essential
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• A high level of initiative, flexibility and adaptability
• Current practising certificate, or eligibility to obtain one

To apply, or to obtain a detailed position description, please contact sandy.matthews@swrb.govt.nz.