Senior Advisor Communications and Engagement

Senior Advisor, Communications and Engagement – 12 Month Fixed-Term – Wellington or Auckland

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is a highly specialised government department whose mission is to disrupt and deter serious complex fraud through prevention, investigation, and prosecution. We take pride in the work we do to keep New Zealand safe from fraud and corruption.

We employ a talented team of lawyers, forensic accountants, investigators, and electronic forensic, counter fraud and policy experts to do just that and, importantly, we have a small corporate services team that supports our operational teams. We are a cohesive team with a strong sense of justice and a vibrant culture.

About the role

Are you an experienced communications and engagement professional looking for an opportunity to make an impact? The SFO is seeking Senior Advisor, Communications and Engagement to join our team on a 12-month fixed-term, part-time (3 or 4 days a week) basis, covering parental leave. With flexibility to be based in either our Auckland's Commercial Bay modern office, at the heart of the city's vibrant waterfront, or Wellington's The Terrace office, just moments from the Beehive and Lambton.

In the role of Senior Advisor, Communications and Engagement, you will report to our Principal Advisor Communications and Engagement and work closely with our Chief Executive, Senior Leadership Team, and government stakeholders such the Minister’s office, Public Service Commission and Justice sector. In this role, your focus will include managing and refreshing our social media presence and website, media and supporting with significant announcements. 

You will help deliver corporate documents, ad-hoc publications, and help formulate our responses to Select Committee questions. You will also help manage and act as custodian of our brand.

About you

To be successful in this role you will have:

• Demonstrated achievement in broad communications roles where you have had sole responsibility for delivering strategic and operational level products and tasks.
• A strong track record of working with media and on issues management.
• Demonstrated experience managing social media channels, creating engaging content, and planning and successfully delivering social media campaigns.
• A strong risk radar, with sound judgement and an ability to identify risks and opportunities for improvement.
• Effective and engaging communication skills – you enjoy constructing and delivering compelling messaging across platforms and audiences.
• An ability to quickly understand facts, complexities, and intent, to inform your work product and being highly collaborative.
• An eye for design, and competency with a range of applications used to create presentations and publications.
• Experience working with content management systems – SharePoint and Silverstripe – is beneficial.

About the SFO

At the SFO we value a ‘growth mindset’ and explore this attribute during our recruitment process and in our development discussions. We believe possessing a growth mindset is a key contributor to success in the SFO environment. We are a close and motivated team with a strong workplace culture. We recognise that diversity and inclusion is important to our work. We value the unique abilities and perspectives of our employees which allows us to continue to create a supportive environment that meets the needs of our people, our business, and the communities where we work. We encourage applications from individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive and respectful workplace.  

We want our people to feel supported, connected, and able to do their best work and we have competitive policies to reflect that.

The position descriptions for this role are below. Please copy and paste below link into your browser:

SFO-Senior-Advisor-Communications-and-Engagement-Position-Description.pdf

If you would like further information about this role, you are welcome to email the recruitment team at recruitment@sfo.govt.nz .

If you wish to apply for this role, please submit your Resume and cover letter (attachments titled ‘First Name Last Name – Resume or Cover Letter’).

You can learn more about working for the SFO in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn0d419HJ0g

Applications close 4PM Friday 20 November 2026

During recruitment, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) collects personal information provided by you as a recruitment candidate, for the purpose of assessing your candidacy for employment with the SFO. Your personal information will be treated in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act 2020.

In providing your personal information to the SFO, you authorise the SFO to disseminate information about you to persons and third parties involved in the SFO’s recruitment process.  These persons and third parties may include SFO employees, SFO contractors, and agencies and individuals providing assessments, probity, background and identity check services.  We do not use, share, or disclose personal information collected or received through the recruitment process except as set out in this statement, with your consent, or in accordance with the disclosure exceptions set out in the Privacy Act 2020

The SFO undertakes to collect and store your personal information securely, as defined in the Privacy Act 2020.  You retain the right to request a review, amendment, return or destruction of your personal information, subject to relevant grounds of refusal under the Privacy Act 2020. Should employment with the SFO eventuate, your personal information will be securely retained in the SFO employment records.