Position description
Position
Chief Executive and Secretary of Defence
Department
Ministry of Defence
Position purpose
The Secretary of Defence is the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Defence and principal
civilian advisor to the Minister and other Ministers on defence matters.
The Secretary of Defence is responsible for providing advice, in consultation with the Chief
of Defence, on defence policy, defence assessments and on options capable of achieving
Government’s policy goals.
The Secretary of Defence is responsible for military acquisitions of major significance and for
arranging the assessment and audit of any New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) function,
duty or project and the procurement, replacement and repair of major military equipment
undertaken by the Ministry of Defence.
Role Profile
The Secretary of Defence will sustainably and strategically position the Ministry to materially
contribute strategic thought leadership on Defence matters in the national security policy
space. The Secretary will ensure the civilian view on military matters is transparent and
accessible if required.
The Secretary will build the Ministry’s organisational capabilities to effectively contribute to
the Government’s priorities of:
Savings and reform:


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delivering $350 - $400 million in recurring efficiencies in NZDF while ensuring it is
able to deliver on the Government’s operational expectations over the longer term.
Including:
o
an output review to be undertaken in conjunction with central agencies
o
progressing the Defence Amendment Bill to address issues identified in
the Defence White Paper 2010 (DWP)
determining a sustainable funding path for Defence – aligning Defence policy,
capability and funding settings and providing advice for major acquisition decisions
Operations and strategic relationships:
Key external relationships

the steady drawdown from the three largest current operations

retaining and building on strategic relationships including:
o
enhancing co-operation between Australia and New Zealand
o
enhancing New Zealand’s relationships in the Asia Pacific region
The Secretary of Defence is expected to establish and maintain effective working
relationships in pursuing the Ministry’s priority outcomes including:
Government and Parliament:

The Prime Minister

The Minister of Defence

Cabinet and Cabinet Committees
Sector:

The Ministry of Defence is a security sector agency and works closely with
agencies including: the NZDF, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
(including the National Assessment Bureau), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade, and the Treasury, New Zealand Police, New Zealand Security Intelligence
Service and the Government Communications Security Bureau
Communities and the public:

The Ministry of Defence provides support to the Defence Industry Committee of
New Zealand (DICNZ) and works more broadly with defence industry groups.
Defence community:

The Ministry of Defence has important relationships with a range of countries
including Australia, United States and Singapore and with NATO (especially on
Afghanistan).
Performance profile
Accountabilities
The Secretary of Defence and Chief Executive, Ministry of Defence, is accountable to the
Minister of Defence. The Chief Executive must perform the duties as set out in the State
Sector Act, the Public Finance Act and other relevant statutes and legislation, some of which
are listed in the departmental profile below.
The position of Secretary of Defence is established in terms of Part III of the Defence Act
1990. This section of the Defence Act also sets out the statutory relationship between the
Secretary of Defence and the Chief of Defence Force.
The Secretary of Defence, is also accountable for:
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
providing high quality and timely civilian advice on defence matters, (in conjunction
with the Chief of Defence Force and, where appropriate, collectively with the chief
executives of other government agencies in the security sector), to the Government
on the security of New Zealand and protection of its sovereign interests to the
Government

establishing and maintaining an effective working relationship and working cooperatively with the NZDF, particularly through the free sharing of information, timely
consultation and (where appropriate) joint decision making

establishing and maintaining an effective working relationship with the Minister of
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Defence and other Ministers
Critical areas of success

establishing efficiency, effectiveness and economy in the general administration and
control of the Ministry of Defence

providing leadership and effective management of the Ministry to:
o
contribute to the achievement of agreed outcomes, and deliver on required
outputs within allocated resources
o
maintain and develop the Ministry’s capability and systems that meet the
highest practicable standards in both the short and long term
o
comply with financial, legal, ethical, good employer and other statutory and
administrative requirements in the operation of the Ministry
o
build and maintain public trust and confidence in the Ministry of Defence

maintaining the highest standards of personal integrity, modelling and promoting such
standards

modelling leadership and collegial behaviours to achieve cross agency outcomes .
The critical areas of success which are to be achieved over the next five years are to:

provide intellectual and pragmatic leadership and sound management practices to
ensure the Ministry is an active and valued lead agency within a defence, national
security and foreign policy sector, positioned to:
o
engage effectively and systematically with other NZ Inc and national
security agencies and deliver ongoing high quality strategic long range
thinking about national security outcomes and what is required to support
them
o
undertake strategic procurement management, and impactful, targeted
evaluations

undertake a robust defence assessment that enables Government to take decisions
that reflect a sustainable balance between policy, capability, and funding

embed the capability management framework, standards, systems and processes to
ensure high quality whole of life management of capital assets

support NZDF in achieving its target of sustainable efficiencies without material loss
of capability or operational resiliency and without an increase in organisational
fragility

build and maintain an effective relationship between the Ministry of Defence and the
Defence Force and the Secretary of Defence and the Chief of Defence Force

achieve efficiencies in resource use and successfully manage the workforce through
forward looking strategic Human Resources and organisational development planning
In addition, the Chief Executive will be required to provide leadership to lift the productivity of
the public service.
Person profile
Leadership within the Public
Service
Excellent leadership by public service chief executives is essential to high performing
departments and a high performing public service. Chief executives are required to work
together in a spirit of service and strive towards the overall goal of a system of world class,
professional State Services, serving the government of the day and meeting the needs of all
New Zealanders.
Profile
The Secretary of Defence and Chief Executive of the Ministry of Defence will be a credible,
articulate and persuasive leader who can provide, and position the Ministry of Defence to
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provide, strategic thought leadership about issues relating to the defence of New Zealand .
He or she must have the courage and confidence to be decisive about what is important
and how to deliver on key priorities, as well as the experience and skill to focus, and build
the strategic capability and impact of a very small agency.
Position specific
competencies
The descriptors1 below summarise the competencies in which the Secretary of Defence and
Chief Executive of the Ministry of Defence, will need to be skilled.
Strategic skills
Effective chief executives possess a depth and breadth of knowledge. They are
intellectually sharp, and deal with concepts and complexity comfortably. They have a strong
grasp of key trends and issues facing their agency and the wider state sector, and develop
long range strategies and plans. They probe deeply into issues without losing sight of the
bigger picture. They learn quickly when facing new problems and are comfortable handling
risk and uncertainty. They are willing to experiment and are open to change. They are
future oriented and take a broad perspective on issues, analysing both successes and
failures for clues about how to improve. They create a compelling vision and inspire others
to support that vision.
Personal and interpersonal
skills
Effective chief executives have highly developed personal and interpersonal skills.
In terms of personal skills, they know themselves well, are open to criticism and seek
feedback. They learn from their mistakes and strive constantly to develop themselves. They
are adaptive. They can be counted on to remain calm and hold things together in tough
times. They are not prone to defensiveness, frustration, nor easily knocked off balance.
In their dealings with others they are good listeners and can easily establish rapport with
people from all walks of life. They are respectful toward others and hire for variety and
diversity. They build relationships of trust and respect with clients, colleagues, Ministers and
staff. They can be direct and diplomatic, and can resolve differences without damaging
relationships. They are collaborative and value others’ contributions. They create a climate
in which people feel motivated to do their best and people like working for and with them.
They are dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of Ministers and clients
and act consistently with those expectations and requirements in mind.
Organisational positioning
skills
Effective chief executives understand the political and organisational context within which
they work. They are sensitive to political processes and anticipate risks and how others may
respond. They can manoeuvre through complex political situations effectively and quietly
whilst maintaining Public Service standards of political neutrality. They know how to get
things done within the political and organisational context and understand the origin and
reasoning behind key policies, practices and procedures. They understand how to work with
different organisational cultures.
Operating skills
Effective chief executives create focus within their organisations and get things done. They
find ways to eliminate roadblocks and zero in on the vital few issues that require their
attention. They understand organisational processes and identify systemic opportunities for
synergy and integration. They create strong teams by empowering people, fostering open
dialogue, effectively allocating resources and ensuring that individuals work together. They
use teams to work across boundaries and accomplish integrated tasks and sustained
coordinated efforts. In doing this, they continually support the development of their senior
team; coaching them and providing opportunities that will stretch them.
Courage
Effective chief executives can be counted on to step up when times are tough. They do not
shirk personal responsibility. They anticipate potential conflicts and make conscious choices
about the approach they will take. If conflict arises they look for common ground; resolving
differences equitably and calmly. They are willing to take the lead on controversial issues.
1
These skill descriptions are based on Lominger International’s LEADERSHIP ARCHITECT Competency Sort Cards, Copyright  1992, 1996,
2001-2003 Lominger Limited, Inc., a subsidiary of Korn/Ferry International ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, and are used with the express permission of
Lominger International.”
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They read situations and people accurately. They are a good judge of people and are able
to clearly see their strengths and limitations.
Energy and drive
Effective chief executives consistently demonstrate energy and drive for better results. They
don’t give up in the face of resistance or setbacks, however they are also willing to adapt
their approach if necessary to achieve the desired result. They consistently and constantly
strive for better performance, balanced with a concern for people and due process.
Acting with honour and
integrity
Effective chief executives adhere to the Standards of Integrity and Conduct for the State
Services, during both good and bad times. As well as taking a lead role in promoting the
Standards, they role model the ethics, values and behaviours set out in the Standards.
They deliver on their promises and are direct and truthful in their dealings with others. They
keep confidences and admit mistakes. They do not misrepresent themselves for personal
gain and are widely trusted.
Security Clearance
Appointment will be subject to a New Zealand Government Top Secret Special security
clearance, and must be a New Zealand citizen.
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Departmental profile
Department
Ministry of Defence
Legislation
The Ministry of Defence administers the following Acts:
Defence Act 1990
Functions
Government
priorities
The Ministry of Defence (MoD SOI 2011)

provides advice to the Government about New Zealand's strategic environment, the kind of
security tasks that we are likely to have to undertake, and military capabilities that New
Zealand will need in order to do them

provides advice on, and contributing to the management of, military capabilities at all stages of
their life cycles

contributes to the work of maintaining and enhancing international defence relations,
especially with Australia and other security partners

acquires or upgrades major items of military equipment

undertakes audits and assessments of the performance of the NZDF and Ministry.
Over the next 2-5 years the Government has indicated that it wants to see the following
specific priorities for Defence advanced:
Savings and reform:


delivering $350 - $400 million in recurring efficiencies in NZDF while ensuring it is able to
deliver on the Government’s operational expectations over the longer term. Including:
o
an output review to be undertaken in conjunction with central agencies
o
progressing the Defence Amendment Bill to address issues identified in the DWP
determining a sustainable funding path for Defence – aligning Defence policy, capability and
funding settings and providing advice for major acquisition decisions
Operations and strategic relationships:
Outcomes

the steady drawdown from the three largest current operations

retaining and building on strategic relationships including:
o
enhancing co-operation between Australia and New Zealand
o
enhancing New Zealand’s relationships in the Asia Pacific region
The Ministry’s main outcomes are:
Outcome one: New Zealand is secure
Outcome two: The security of other nations is enhanced by New Zealand's efforts
These are supported by four intermediate outcomes:
Intermediate outcome one: New Zealand identifies all credible threats to its security environment
The Ministry contributes to this intermediate outcome by working together with other government
agencies in the security sector, and also with our security partners, to maintain a high level of visibility
of emergent issues and potential threats in our security environment.
Intermediate outcome two: New Zealand's military capabilities are aligned to our requirements
The Ministry contributes to this intermediate outcome by:

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working together with the NZDF and other government agencies to provide the
Government with high quality advice on the military capabilities that New Zealand will
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need. The Ministry has new accountabilities in this area, arising from the White Paper.

managing the acquisition or upgrade of significant military platforms and items of
equipment.

undertaking audit and assessments of the performance of the NZDF and Ministry in
developing and maintaining military capabilities.
Intermediate outcome three: New Zealand's defence relationships are aligned with our security
interests and foreign policy goals
The Ministry contributes to this intermediate outcome by working together with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, the NZDF and other government agencies to provide the Government with high
quality advice on developing and maintaining New Zealand's security partnerships.
Intermediate outcome four: New Zealand's military deployments support our regional and wider
international objectives
The Ministry contributes to this intermediate outcome by working together with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, the NZDF and other government agencies to provide the Government with high
quality advice on the deployment of New Zealand's military forces overseas.
Organisational
structure
Secretary of Defence
Deputy Secretary
(Policy &
Planning)
Dimensions
Deputy Secretary
(Evaluation)
Deputy Secretary
(Acquisitions)
Deputy Secretary
(Corporate)
Deputy Secretary
(Finance) / Chief
Financial Officer
The Ministry of Defence has 72 staff positions (SSC capping data December 2011)
The Ministry of Defence is located in Defence House in Wellington
Appropriations
The Minister of Defence is responsible for appropriations in the Vote for the 2011/12 financial
year covering the following:

a total of $1.956 million for audits and assessments of the New Zealand Defence Force
and Ministry of Defence

a total of just under $245 million for the purchase, modification, or refurbishment of major
items of defence equipment for the New Zealand Defence Force

a total of just over $6 million for managing procurement or refurbishment, on behalf of the
Crown, of various items of equipment contributing to a capability of the New Zealand
Defence Force

a total of just over $6.400 million for policy advice, management of international defence
relations and services to the Minister.
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