Principal Advisor - City Relationships

Christchurch City Council – Christchurch, South Island

About the role | Ko te mahi nei

As Principal Advisor – City Relationships, you will be a key link between Council and developers, landowners and investors, maintaining and building relationships to achieve broader outcomes for the city. You’ll work collaboratively in a “one team” environment, assessing risks and identifying opportunities that contribute to the city’s growth and development.

Your role will focus on :

• Providing high-quality advice and engaging effectively with elected members and senior leaders.
• Facilitating private sector investment critical to supporting the city’s growth and success.
• Representing Council in discussions with developers, landowners, investors, and other stakeholders to leverage opportunities and enable new development.
• Navigating Council processes for approvals, licenses, and consents, ensuring projects progress smoothly while meeting regulatory objectives.

You’ll bring deep expertise in development and construction, combined with advanced influencing skills and a strong understanding of government processes. Ideally, you have a relevant formal tertiary qualification and at least a decade of experience managing multiple stakeholders in large organisations and leading complex development projects.

To succeed, you’ll need to demonstrate :

What’s in it for you? He aha ngā hua ki a koe?

This is your chance to make a real impact on the city’s future. You’ll work on high‑profile projects, engage with influential stakeholders, and help shape a vibrant, thriving urban environment. When you join us, you’re involved first hand, and contributing to crafting the Christchurch community.

If this sounds like an interesting opportunity, you think you have what it takes and want to get involved in shaping our City then please apply today.

At the Christchurch City Council, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.

We understand that recruitment processes can be challenging. If you require any support or adjustments to help you put your best foot forward, please reach out to us at

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the close date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad before the advertised close date.

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