Description
- Develop a unified, cohesive, affordable strategy that meets Nelson’s future challenges
- Shape long-term, informed decision making that helps the region thrive
- Optimise investment to deliver public value
- Vibrant location + competitive salary + generous leave + healthcare
What do we do now to make tomorrow better?
As the Executive Director for Strategy & Planning you will lead a team with Nelson’s future at its heart. From climate change and forestry right through to asset management and city development, the plans you help create will shape our city now and well into the future.
We’re looking for a leader with long-term vision, who can maintain and inspire a team dedicated to the region’s success and help Nelson achieve its potential.
The Council
Nelson City Council is a $2.5 billion organisation serving a vibrant and diverse community of over 54,000 residents. Guided by a clear vision for Whakatū Nelson as a creative, prosperous, and innovative city, the Council is working on one of the most significant local government transformations in New Zealand. It’s an honest look at the challenges and opportunities that Councils face now and in the future with the goal of tackling them head on.
The new Operating Model is a blueprint for a strategically aligned, customer-focused organisation that’s set up to better service its communities, putting people at its heart and providing great value for money. This includes a strategic shift in how the organisation is led – moving from an operational functional-based structure to an outcomes driven model.
Part of the organisational redesign includes the establishment of the Executive Director team comprising four Executive Directors and the CEO. This new structure positions the Council to deliver on its strategic intent, nurture its people and consistently deliver value to the people it serves.
The Role
The Executive Director cohort are the strategic leaders for the Council, shaping direction, aligning people and resources and prioritising what matters most for the Council and the community.
The Executive Director – Strategy & Planning leads a broad portfolio of functions comprising strategy, policy, activity and asset management, science and environment, environmental planning, climate change, forest systems, city development, economic and council-controlled organisation oversight.
Key accountabilities include:
- Developing integrated strategies and policies to guide sustainable, inclusive community outcomes.
- Overseeing the strategic planning and life-cycle management of Council assets to optimise investment, service quality, and long-term sustainability.
- Leading urban development, climate action, and environmental initiatives for a liveable, low-emissions resilient city.
- Embedding research and innovation into planning and delivery to improve effectiveness.
- Ensuring Council-owned organisations are high-performing, accountable, and aligned with strategic goals.
The Ideal Person
You will be an experienced senior leader with the ability to think strategically, understand complex functions, and inspire trust and confidence in a multi-stakeholder environment. Your focus on relationships and nimble approach will enable you to cut across silos and drive integration and cohesion.
You will have a good understanding of local government planning, infrastructure, environmental management and policy development and will have led planning, long-term strategy, and public value creation.
Your pragmatism and insight will ensure creation of a single, coherent, fiscally transparent and affordable plan.
In addition, you will have:
- A relevant tertiary qualification.
- An understanding of governance practices, CCO frameworks, and performance accountability.
- Awareness of how data, science, and innovation support evidence-based planning and service delivery.
- Exceptional relationship-building skills, including cultural competence and the ability to partner effectively with iwi under te Tiriti o Waitangi.
How to Apply:
Candidates can apply, in strict confidence, online at Executive Jobs Search | Executive Search | Sheffield New Zealand
To apply by email, please attach your cover letter and CV and send to cvchc@sheffield.co.nz quoting 9036aa. Applications close on 31st August 2025. Emails will be electronically acknowledged, and further correspondence may be by email.
Click here to view the Candidate Briefing document including a full Position Description.
For more information please phone Jane Pollitt @ Sheffield on +64 3 353 4354.