Job Description

At Napier City Council, great communication is about more than sharing information. It's about building trust, encouraging participation and helping our community feel informed, involved and connected.

We're looking for an experienced Communications & Engagement Advisor to join our team on a fixed-term basis through to July 2027. You'll work across a diverse range of Council projects and initiatives, partnering with teams throughout the organisation to deliver clear communications, meaningful engagement and advice that helps people understand, contribute to and shape the future of Napier.

From developing communication strategies and creating engaging content through to supporting community consultation, stakeholder relationships and media responses, you'll play an important role in ensuring Council communicates openly, effectively and with purpose.

Te Āheinga - The Opportunity

This is a varied role where you'll combine strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, working with a diverse range of people both inside and outside Council.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Develop and deliver communications and engagement plans for Council projects and initiatives

• Create engaging content across digital, print, social media and internal communication channels

• Support community consultation, workshops, events and engagement activities

• Build strong relationships with community groups, mana whenua, stakeholders and internal teams

• Provide communications advice and engagement best practice across the organisation

• Help support media responses and contribute to managing emerging issues

• Use feedback and insights to continually improve how Council communicates with its community

He kōrero mōhou - About You

You're someone who enjoys working with people, communicating complex information in simple ways and building trusted relationships.

You'll also bring:

• At least five years' experience in communications, engagement or a similar advisory role

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an eye for clear, engaging content

• Confidence managing multiple projects and competing priorities

• Experience creating content across a range of digital and traditional communication channels

• Strong stakeholder relationship skills and the ability to work collaboratively with a wide variety of people

• A relevant tertiary qualification in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Media or a related discipline

Experience within local government or the public sector, along with an understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and engagement with Māori, will be highly regarded.

Ngā painga mōhou - What we Offer

• Employee Assistance Program (OCP)

• Quarterly values awards + Birthday vouchers + Social club

• Free flu vaccinations (annual)

• Ka Awatea Cultural Wānanga + NCC Kapa Haka

• Te Reo Māori language classes

This is a fixed term opportunity til July 2027, working full time 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday. You will be based in Napier

The annual salary package for this role is $93,514 - $104,516 (including KiwiSaver), with the final offer depending on your skills and experience.

We will be interviewing applications as we receive them and may close the role when we have found the right person.

He kōrero mō Te Kaunihera o Ahuriri - About NCC

At Napier City Council, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer that values diversity. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and work to make our hiring process fair and accessible. If you need any support or adjustments during your application or interview, let us know—we’re happy to help!

Our success is grounded in strong partnerships with Mana Whenua and Iwi, supported by our Māori Partnerships team, Te Waka Rangapū, which builds cultural capability through education and training.

Before you join, you’ll need to complete pre-employment checks (including criminal background checks, with some roles requiring health screening and drug & alcohol testing). As an NCC employee, you may also be called on to support Civil Defence emergencies when our community needs us most.

Please visit Napier City Council Careers website to see full job description

– Communications & Engagement Advisor (Fixed Term)