Chief Financial Officer

Whakairohia he toki, tāraia te anamata | Learning with purpose, creating our futures 

Chief Financial Officer

• Large and complex leadership role both strategically and operationally
• Assist in the reimagination of applied higher and vocational learning
• Flexible location

Te Pūkenga

Te Pūkenga - tēnei te ako, tēnei te tauira, tēnei te ara, tēnei te ahu, ka whakairihia ki te pae o whiti, maranga mai, he ora!

Te Pūkenga, a place which awakens potential, shapes capability to drive excellence and supports a thriving Aotearoa.

Formed in 2020 and tasked with the once-in-a generation opportunity to transform vocational learning across Aotearoa New Zealand, to unite the network of Polytechnics and Industry Training Organisations and create an education system fit for the future of work. In the coming year Te Pūkenga will become the largest tertiary learning institute in Aotearoa New Zealand and that delivers exceptional learning experiences and equity, in learning and employment outcomes for learners and staff.

In the coming year Te Pūkenga will become the largest tertiary learning institute in Aotearoa New Zealand and we have some awesome aspirations for our mahi:

• Give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in all that we do
• Provide exceptional learning experiences and equitable outcomes for Māori
• Be learner centred. Recognise the diverse and unique needs of all ākonga and staff and their whānau, empowering, diversity, belonging, safety and wellbeing
• Partner with employers to deliver relevant work-integrated education and training that meets skills needs
• Create barrier free access to, and mobility within, the network
• Deliver equitable and nationally consistent outcomes for all regions through responsive and flexible delivery
• Focus on efficient and cost-effective delivery across the network
• Become a connected, relevant and future focused provider driven by innovation, collaboration and teaching excellence

Kaupapa | Purpose

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive – Operations, the purpose of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will assume a strategic role in the overall financial management of Te Pūkenga, working with the CFO's from across the network and in partnership with iwi and Māori partners during the transition phase, and moving to direct overall leadership and responsibility of the finance and asset management following horizon one.

Ngā Mahi | Do

The CFO will have primary responsibility for effective financial management across the network, ensuring the financial strategy is established to meet the expectations outlined for Te Pūkenga.

This role will have direct responsibility for three core areas:

• Leveraging financial thought leadership to generate innovative ideas that transform the organisation and providing advice that supports executive decision-making
• Implementing frameworks, policies and standards to safeguard the organisation from financial risk and lead the adoption of good practice
• Providing finance systems, transactional services and expert capacity to enable the organisation to meet its financial obligations

[Please see the position description for a breakdown of specific financial management functions]

Pūkenga | Have

To be successful in this role you will have:

• Experience in Executive Finance positions leading Financial Management functions in large organisations (ideally including the Public Sector) to deliver financial processes and services through centralised national teams and decentralised teams located in strategic business units across Aotearoa, New Zealand
• The ability to understand and apply Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles in finance practice and leadership.
• Experience leading a business through significant transformation, understanding and balancing the needs of many stakeholders
• Experience in developing people and building a strong, collaborative, high performing finance team based throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand
• A proven track record in delivering equity and improved outcomes for end users
• Experience of the Māori and indigenous data, information and knowledge landscape – and specifically Māori data sovereignty
• Understanding of the levers and challenges of educational achievement within the Aotearoa New Zealand context and how technologies can transform our practices and improve outcomes.
• Ability to operate within complex environments, solving problems which require diverse analytical, specialist and creative input

Waiaro | Be

The successful candidate will:

• Share the Te Pūkenga vision and purpose in a compelling way to motivate and unite their people, creating network wide energy and optimism for the future
• Be an enthusiastic and committed champion of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Equity, and courageously lead this within the finance ecosystem of Te Pūkenga.
• Aligned with our position that data is taonga, particularly that of people and communities
• Champion data as a critical piece of a bigger environment where the curation and coordination of learner experiences is woven through our finance ecosystem
• A senior leader, create a positive culture and connect an individual’s mahi to the goals of Te Pūkenga to drive high employee engagement
• An advocate for psychological and cultural safety, build diverse teams with broad skills and encourage open expression of diverse ideas and opinions
• Committed to Ako, continuous improvement, self-reflection, active learning and experimentation and encourage diverse thinking to nurture innovation
• Be qualified in Accountancy, including membership of CAANZ or equivalent

Our Whānau

Te Pūkenga people love working there because they are a diverse and dynamic team who are committed to the purpose of learners and their whānau at the centre of all that they do. Some of their people have joined from the network of subsidiary organisations, others are new to the vocational education sector. They are united in and humbled by the opportunity they have, to create a system with a relentless focus on equity and that honours and gives practical effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

They value diversity of thought, skills, experience and backgrounds and welcome applications from everybody.

This position does not have a prescribed office location, they are a geographically dispersed team and they value your ability to maintain your community and whānau connections.  From time to time there will be travel throughout the motu including to the office of Te Pūkenga in Kirikiriroa | Hamilton, you will be supported to work from home within Aotearoa | New Zealand when not travelling.

To Apply

To submit your application, please ‘Apply’ now. For a confidential discussion please call Dale Gray on 09 913 0172 or Melissa Dick on 09 913 0175. Please note all applications will be acknowledged electronically.  Applications for this role close on Friday 1st April 2022.