.jpg)
Chief Executive Officer
Dunedin
- A role that matters - to the city, the region, and the people of Ōtepoti Dunedin
- A council passionate about the community and energised for the future
- A city of unrivalled heritage, world-class tertiary education, and extraordinary natural environments
Ōtepoti Dunedin is one of New Zealand's most distinctive cities - home to a proud civic culture, a vibrant student population, deep connections to mana whenua, and landscapes of genuine beauty. The Dunedin City Council serves a diverse and engaged community and is now seeking a Chief Executive to lead the organisation into its next chapter.
This is a pivotal appointment. The incoming Chief Executive will step into an active Long-Term Plan budget process, a council operating under a rates-cap environment with a significant capital programme, and a period of substantial legislative reform.
About the Role
The Mayor and Councillors are looking to appoint a Chief Executive who will lead the team with vision and a passion to do the absolute best for the region’s people, communities and economy. They seek a CE who is comfortable as a visible public figure, accountable for developing high-functioning relationships with the Executive Leadership Team, Mayor and Elected Members, and who will actively build community confidence through proactive, consistent engagement.
Key priorities for the incoming Chief Executive include:
- Continuing to build workplace culture so staff at all levels feel trusted, empowered, and supported
- Bringing their strong financial discipline to a complex capital programme in a constrained fiscal environment
- Delivering on Council decisions with full transparency and a no-surprises approach to governance
- Building strong relationships with mana whenua, the University of Otago, the business community, and other key stakeholders
- Navigating significant legislative change, leading people through times of uncertainty
- Providing strategic advice to elected members, as well as execution of the various strategies underpinning Council
About You
You are an experienced Chief Executive, or an exceptional senior executive ready to make the step up. An understanding of the public service ethos and public sector experience is strongly preferred, either in local government or comparable environments. You will be widely recognised as a strategic and successful leader who builds strong relationships and understands what it means to serve a community.
You will bring:
- Proven success in building a culture that inspires, empowers, develops and retains good people
- Strong financial literacy and a focus on the effective management of Council’s performance
- Ability to lead through change and ambiguity, with the resilience and adaptability to lead through legislative, technological, and geopolitical change
- Impeccable integrity, with a calm, pragmatic and inclusive style that fosters open dialogue at all levels
- Sound understanding of Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, reflected in how you lead and engage.
This role requires you to reside in Dunedin.
About the Council
Dunedin City Council comprises a Mayor and 14 elected councillors, serving a city of approximately 130,000 people. The Council carries a significant infrastructure and capital programme, and operates in a period of active reform across the local government sector.