Regional Council

Role Description Job Title: Chief Executive

Directorate CE’s Office

Reports to: The Chair and Council of Waikato Regional Council

Responsible for: 500 (Total number of staff)

Provide effective strategic leadership and overall management to Job Purpose: ensure the mission and strategic goals for Waikato Regional Council are achieved.

Direct Reports 6

Date: March 2018

Organisation Context

Chief Executive

Manager CE's Office

Director Integrated Director Director Resource Director Science Chief Financial Catchment Community and Use and Strategy Officer Management Services

The Waikato is the fourth largest region in , covering 25,000 square kilometres. It stretches from the Bombay Hills and in the north down to the Kaimai Ranges and Mt Ruapehu in the south, and from Mokau on the west coast across to the Coromandel Peninsula in the east. We have one city (Hamilton) and 10 districts, three of which lie across the regional boundary.

In 2013, 403,638 people usually live in the Waikato region – about three quarters of them in urban areas. The Waikato region has 9.5 percent of New Zealand's population. Our region contains: the longest river in New Zealand (the ); the largest lake (Lake Taupō); internationally significant wetlands; the country’s most important geothermal systems; extensive native and exotic forests, and the Tongariro National Park.

The Waikato Regional Council was established in 1989, with legislative responsibilities under the Resource Management Act (1991), Local Government Act (2002), Land Transport Act (1998), BioSecurity Act (1993) and Civil Defence Emergency Act (2002). These responsibilities on behalf of our region require long term planning and leadership spanning: civil defence; land transport; managing the effects of activities on air, soil, coastal and water resources; research and investigation; flood control and drainage; animal and plant pest control and environmental education.

The priority work areas for the Waikato Regional Council are agreed upon by our communities and the delegated representative – our 14 elected council members. Our current priorities recognise our mission of working together to build a Waikato region that has a healthy environment, a strong economy and vibrant communities. The Chief Executive heads the Executive Leadership Team and has overall responsibility for implementing council decisions and ensuring the effective and efficient performance of the council. The ELT represents five directorates, each made up of workstream-based section teams and the Office of the CE.

Key Result Areas

Job holder is responsible for Job holder is successful when Strategic Leadership

• The Chief Executive will ensure Waikato • Long terms strategic plans are in place in Regional Council has a clearly defined long- line with legislated time frames. term strategic plan with organisational • Organisational priorities and plans align to priorities and plans in place to support the strategic plan with demonstrable delivery to these. delivery to defined goals. • Community consultation is completed and • Community consultation is meaningfully reflected in the long-term strategic plan. completed. • Providing council with insight, assessment • Council is aware of and prepared for and advice about emerging trends, issues, changes that impact its vision and mission opportunities and threats.

Management and Governance

• Chief Executive shall be the Principal • Waikato Regional Council is compliant with Administrative Officer of Waikato Regional all statutes, regulations and bylaws. Council under the Local Government Act • Council is informed on relevant topics and and any other statutes, regulations and receive the support, reporting and advisory bylaws and is accountable for all services necessary for them to efficiently management and administrative functions carry out their roles. of the Council and its compliance with relevant statutes and regulations. • Council decisions are implemented in line with council resolutions. • Ensuring the Chair and council are briefed as appropriate on matters relevant to • Council is not caught unawares by council, and ensure provision of unexpected issues, developments or appropriate professional support and events. access to information and resources to enable them to do their job effectively and efficiently.

• Reporting, meeting and advisory processes for the professional governance of the council. Employee Leadership

• Ensure that Waikato Regional Council is a • Employees are in place with the skills and good employer and has the people capabilities needed

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Job holder is responsible for Job holder is successful when

capability to delivery to council’s strategy • Waikato Regional Council attracts and and plans. retains skilled, able and motivated employees who demonstrate a strong • Develop and maintain a culture where employees can be their best to ensure high quality and customer service culture quality delivery of customer services and • Employee engagement levels are high and outcomes to the region. improving

• Employee communications connect staff to • Employees are connected to the purpose the vision and mission of the organisation and aspirations of the Council

• Ensures the wellbeing and safety of • Waikato Regional Council has a safe and employees, visitors, contractors and others healthy workplace environment that in our workplaces or when undertaking supports wellbeing and safety and work for the council complies with appropriate standards, good practice and legislation. • Contribute to a positive health and safety culture, give people the tools and responsibility for making the business safer and healthier, holding yourself and them accountable.

Relationship Management

• Building and enhancing relationships and • Positive rapport is established based on networks with territorial authorities, open and trusting relationships. relevant stakeholders and related parties. • Waikato regional interests are advocated • Iwi partnerships are established and for with central government and maintained with co-governance obligations recognised in government priorities. regarding kaitiakitanga and the principles • Positive and effective relationships are of the Treaty of Waitangi as set out in the maintained with Iwi represented with the Resource Management Act achieved. region and all legislated obligations with • Ensure that the purpose and Iwi are met. responsibilities of the Waikato Regional • Waikato Regional Council is considered to Council are effectively communicated to be connected within the region and valued the communities of the region for its ability to advocate and promote • Effective communication with stakeholders regional issues in conjunction with key and groups across the region and in key partners and stakeholders. stakeholder roles. This includes Council, employees, Hamilton City and District Council Executives, community and business leaders, interest groups, government agencies, politicians.

Operations and Delivery

• Ensure that operational activities are • Delivery to expected service levels is undertaken effectively and efficiently in maintained within budget parameters. line with plans as set by council and as • Accountabilities are effectively delegated required by legislation. to executive leaders for delivery of services • Ensure effective, efficient, and economic within their areas of responsibility. delivery of timely, customer focussed and

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Job holder is responsible for Job holder is successful when

cost efficient services to required • Customer feedback indicates positive standards. perception of Waikato Regional Council service provision including value for • Bringing innovation and continuous improvement to provision of council money. services • Waikato Regional Council has the people, technical and systems capability required • Ensuring that Waikato Regional Council has the people, technical and systems to effectively deliver planned and required capability to deliver to planned and services. required (regulatory and legislative) • CE’s KPIs, as set by council, are fully activities at an appropriate standard. delivered

Financial and Risk Management

• The Chief Executive is accountable for the • Waikato Regional Council operates within financial performance of the council to agreed financial levels with accurate and agreed targets. This extends to ensuring timely reporting and forecasting available projected and approved financial targets to council to enable visibility and are achieved and at all times exercising the assessment of financial performance due financial care and responsibility • Council are kept informed on the expected of a public organisation. organisation’s financial performance • Ensuring planning and reporting systems against plans and expectations with are in place and accurate, with timely and exceptions quickly identified and reported appropriate information included within all • Appropriate controls and management reports. systems are established to ensure • At all times ensuring expenditure decisions expenditure decisions are prudent, are prudent, necessary, planned and necessary, planned and efficient efficient. • Risk management plans are in place for • Long and short term financial planning and significant risk areas, risks are regularly forecasting is kept accurate with action reviewed and plans updated based on taken as required to ensure expectations accrued learning are met. • There are no surprises on financial or risk • Ensuring that the monitoring of all areas of issues risk (such as legal, technical, engineering, financial and people) is undertaken with appropriate controls in place.

Accountabilities and Delegations Financial and statutory delegations will be exercised appropriately and within the defined parameters in the Delegations Manual. Operational delegation: $Unlimited (Subject to Annual Plan budget and council delegation) / I Capital delegation: $200,000 / H Statutory delegations: Chief Executive Management delegations: Chief Executive

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Work Complexity Most challenging duties typically undertaken or most complex problems solved:

• Include a high level of cognitive functioning with communication, interpersonal, administration, interviewing, assessment, information gathering, evaluation, negotiation, planning, report writing, organisational problem solving and decision-making capabilities.

Person Specification This section is designed to capture the expertise required for the role at the 100% fully effective level. This may be a combination of knowledge / experience, qualifications or equivalent level of learning through experience or key skills, attributes or job specific competencies.

Qualifications (or equivalent level of learning)

Essential Desirable

• Appropriate tertiary qualification • Related post graduate qualification

Knowledge / Experience

Essential

• Proven leadership at a senior management/executive level • Excellent communication skills – written and verbal. • Demonstrated strategic and tactical thinking skills • Political awareness and skill in dealing with diverse, sensitive and confidential issues (including bi-cultural sensitivity) • Proven success at building relationships and resolving issues with internal and external stakeholders • Deep general management skills including people leadership, business acumen and positive business achievements and financial management • Proven ability to influence / persuade and guide • Ability to manage and deliver exceptional results in an environment that could be high pressure and rapidly changing Desirable

• Previous experience in local government • Success at a senior role in a multidisciplinary organisation with demonstrable achievements

Key Relationships External Internal

• Central and Local Government agencies • Councillors

• Commercial and business community • Executive Leadership Team

• Contractors and service providers • Managers and employees

• Iwi

• Peers in other local authorities and organisations

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Competencies Collaborates - He mahi whakatahi Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Ma te mahi whakatahi I nga tangata e whakaoti ai nga kaupapa hiahia.

Customer Focus - He tirohanga manuwhiri Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions. Me hanga piringa kaha mo te tutuki o nga hiahia mahi.

Drive For Results - E u ai ki te kaupapa Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances. He mea u nei ki te kaupapa ahakoa te taumahatanga o nga mahi.

Drives Engagement Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organisation achieve its objectives.

Instils Trust Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity and sincerity.

Manages Complexity Making sense of complex, high quality, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.

Change to job description From time to time it may be necessary to consider changes in the job description in response to the changing nature of our work environment– including technological requirements or statutory changes. This Job Description may be reviewed as part of the preparation for performance planning for the annual performance cycle or as required. No significant changes to this role description will be made without consultation and agreement of the job holder.

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