Transition Manager
Transition Manager, Strategy and Growth
Applications close: Friday 7November 2025
The opportunity | He angitūtanga
We’re focused on lifting our regulatory performance and need you!
Our Council is making some changes to how we operate across our local regulatory system, which is led from our Strategy and Growth Group. We are focused on ensuring that our Council is well positioned to:
- Make the most of the exciting growth opportunities facing Kapiti, with more than $2 billion in investment planned over the next 5-10 years, and that we are prepared for the increase in volume of work we expect from this pipeline.
- Pivot in response to the plethora of rolling central government reforms which demand greater flexibility in process, and clear expectation to reduce the time and cost of regulation.
- Ensure we implement our communities direction that the right people pay for the right services: ‘growth pays for growth’.
As a whole, there is a need for our Group to simplify, automate and connect our processes and to lift our own productivity; to leverage the skills within and across the Group, and ensure we prioritise efforts to ‘core’ regulatory work. Innovation and adaptability will underpin our success.
This key position reports directly to the GM Strategy & Group and is one of six senior managers within the Group who are responsible for the Council’s sustainable development functions and for ensuring there is a drive for ‘good growth’ in Kapiti. This role:
- Sits alongside the GM of the Group and will support transition of consenting functions into one team (under a new Manager Consenting) whilst ensuring performance is maintained; and drive efforts to improve the Groups productivity, resilience, and relevance across functions within the local regulatory system. This will include leading work to review the cost recovery and charge out approach for regulatory functions.
- Has leadership oversight for technical and strategic advice, relevant to regulatory matters, to support the Group Manager Strategy and Growth to implement the Group-wide Maturity Improvement programme.
- Maintains oversight of transition to the new datascape system, providing advice across the datascape project for the Strategy and Growth Group and our regulatory functions.
- Provides advice to the Group Manager Strategy and Growth (and new Consenting Manager); and drive work to improve consenting functions process, and consistency of decision making.
- Will help to lift not only the performance of the local regulatory system but to also shift the mindset of leadership and staff as we transition towards new ways of working.
Why work with us? When you join Kāpiti Coast District Council you’ll enjoy a range of fantastic benefits, including:
- A positive, ‘learning’ culture, and the commitment of a high-performing Executive Team – because working in an empowering and ‘good vibe’ environment matters.
- Flexible working and dependant leave – because we know that it’s important to get the work/life balance right.
- On-site parking – say goodbye to parking hassles.
- Free access to pools – dive into fun.
- Council staff discounts – because who doesn’t love a good deal?
About you | He kōrero mōu
The GM of the Group is looking for a hard-hitting and experienced senior leader to support implementation of recent changes to the Group for a fixed term period of up to 18-months – she’s particularly interested in someone with:
- Strong experience in managing a regulatory function in a local government entity. Familiarity with the Kapiti Coast preferred.
- Extensive and evidenced technical expertise in building or planning, and experience in assessing the merits of related decisions, end-to-end processes and practice.
- Ability to identify, plan and execute responses to organisational strategic priorities, adopting a ‘stewardship’ approach to embedding and implementing key strategies.
- Extensive local networks and existing relationships with stakeholders in the building or planning industries relevant to the Council’s local regulatory system.
- Strong experience in leading people, teams and/or Groups in an industry relevant to implementing Resource Management or Building Act activity.
- A relevant tertiary qualification in building or planning or similar (or equivalent experience and expertise from employment).
This is not a role for the fainthearted. So, if this grabbed your attention and it sounded like you, stop scrolling and start typing - we’re really keen to you hear from you and hope you’ll hit “apply” to put yourself in the running to join the senior management team in the Strategy and Growth Group.
For more detailed information regarding the role, please view the job description here. [PDF 220 KB]
How to apply | Me pēhea te tono
Come and join us in supporting our district to grow well, and to work with our community and key stakeholders somewhere people can live, work and play!
We are working at pace to get the right person here, so applications close on Friday 7 November 2025 - get yours in now!
Please note that we will be reviewing applications as they come in – we will interview for the role from 3 November 2025 and will be looking to promptly appoint the right person.
You must be eligible to work in New Zealand. Please note preferred candidates are required to undergo pre-employment checks including drug and alcohol screening and Police checks.