Sustainability & Resilience Advisor
About Nelson City Council | E pā ana ki te Kaunihera o Whakatū
Our vision for Whakatū Nelson is a creative, prosperous and innovative city. Our community is inclusive, resilient, and connected – we care for each other and our environment.
About the role | Kō tēnei tūranga mahi
As our Sustainability & Resilience Advisor, you'll play a key role in helping Nelson City Council reduce its emissions and improve the sustainability of its operations. Working alongside the Resilience & Adaptation Advisor, you'll provide practical, evidence-based advice that supports leaders to embed climate thinking into decision-making and work programmes.
You'll take ownership of key areas of Council's sustainability and resilience work programme, including emissions reduction, organisational sustainability, resource efficiency, environmental performance and low-emissions development. You'll use strong analytical skills and an economic lens to ensure recommendations are practical, affordable and deliver value for money.
Key Responsibilities Include
You'll be a skilled sustainability professional who can balance strategic thinking with practical delivery. You're comfortable working with complex information, translating data into meaningful insights, and influencing others through clear, evidence-based advice.
To Be Successful In This Role, You'll Bring
Applications close | Rā whakakapi
Midnight on Wednesday 25 November 2026
For further enquiries | Ina he pātai anō, whakapā mai
Please reach out to our People & Capability team on: nccvacancy@ncc.govt.nz
Our vision for Whakatū Nelson is a creative, prosperous and innovative city. Our community is inclusive, resilient, and connected – we care for each other and our environment.
About the role | Kō tēnei tūranga mahi
As our Sustainability & Resilience Advisor, you'll play a key role in helping Nelson City Council reduce its emissions and improve the sustainability of its operations. Working alongside the Resilience & Adaptation Advisor, you'll provide practical, evidence-based advice that supports leaders to embed climate thinking into decision-making and work programmes.
You'll take ownership of key areas of Council's sustainability and resilience work programme, including emissions reduction, organisational sustainability, resource efficiency, environmental performance and low-emissions development. You'll use strong analytical skills and an economic lens to ensure recommendations are practical, affordable and deliver value for money.
Key Responsibilities Include
- Leading and delivering sustainability and resilience initiatives and programmes
- Monitoring, analysing and reporting on Council's emissions data and profile, tracking progress against targets and translating data into clear, actionable insights that inform investment and operational decisions
- Progressing practical emissions reduction opportunities across assets, fleet, facilities and procurement
- Developing business cases and investment proposals for sustainability initiatives
- Building practical tools, frameworks and approaches that support climate-related decision making across Council
- Working collaboratively with teams across the organisation to identify and implement sustainable practices
You'll be a skilled sustainability professional who can balance strategic thinking with practical delivery. You're comfortable working with complex information, translating data into meaningful insights, and influencing others through clear, evidence-based advice.
To Be Successful In This Role, You'll Bring
- Sound technical knowledge of climate change, emissions reduction and sustainability
- Experience in carbon accounting, emissions reporting and tracking performance against emissions targets
- Ability to apply cost effectiveness principles to sustainability initiatives, ensuring recommendations are practical, affordable, and targeted
- Strong research and analytical skills
- Experience developing business cases and investment proposals supported by data and practical analysis
- Experience integrating sustainability, climate change or resilience considerations into planning, asset management or infrastructure investment processes
- Excellent communication and relationship building skills with the ability to build trusted relationships and influence people across an organisation
- Understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and experience working with iwi and Māori in sustainability or environmental contexts
- A relevant tertiary qualification in sustainability, environmental science, climate change or a related discipline
- Wellbeing leave, platforms and initiatives
- A fully subsidised health insurance scheme
- Generous leave provisions
- Learning and professional development opportunities
- Access to various employee benefits and discounts
- Opportunities to contribute to meaningful projects that shape our community's wellbeing and future
- Mountains, beaches and national parks at your doorstep
Applications close | Rā whakakapi
Midnight on Wednesday 25 November 2026
For further enquiries | Ina he pātai anō, whakapā mai
Please reach out to our People & Capability team on: nccvacancy@ncc.govt.nz