"Chief Executive"

• Rare opportunity to shape the future of vocational learning in New Zealand
• Lead the transformation and strategic direction of Auckland’s largest vocational education provider

Shape the Future of Vocational Learning

Vocational education is transforming, with changes in the sector reflecting a commitment to strengthen regional leadership and to return decision-making to community and industry. The aim is to create agile, regionally focused institutions that work with employers, learners, communities and iwi to deliver relevant, high-quality programmes that meet the future skills needs of New Zealand’s workforce. This will require innovative and visionary leadership to integrate operations, streamline delivery, and build world-class polytechnics that set new standards of vocational excellence across the Asia-Pacific region.

To deliver on these aspirations, we are seeking an exceptional leader to support these ambitions. This Chief Executive role is a rare opportunity to shape a new Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP), arising from the merger of Unitec Institute of Technology (Unitec) and Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT). With a remit to serve as Auckland’s leading vocational education provider – and one of the most significant in the Asia–Pacific region – this is a role of national significance and lasting impact.

Together, Unitec and MIT operate as a large, multi-campus institution that caters to a diverse and dynamic student community. It delivers a full range of vocational education programmes, from certificates and diplomas to degrees, professional training, and industry-specific micro-credentials. Its mission is clear: to deliver accessible, high-quality learning that meets the evolving needs of learners, industry, and community across Auckland and beyond.

About the Role

As Chief Executive, you will establish and lead Auckland’s new ITP as an independent statutory organisation. You will lead the merger of two long-established institutions, align their operations and forge a single, world-class institute of technology that delivers excellence and consistency across all campuses and programmes.

This is a pivotal leadership role. You will guide the organisation through its transition, ensure campuses and programmes work together seamlessly, and keep the focus firmly on outcomes for learners and employers. You will also be a visible and community focused leader, working alongside industry, partners and Iwi to make sure the ITP reflects and the needs of Auckland’s diverse communities.

Specific focus areas include:

Transformation Leadership: Drive integration of systems, processes and technology across multiple campuses, ensuring seamless operations that establishes the institution as a benchmark for polytechnic excellence.

Academic Excellence: Oversee programme quality and NZQA compliance, curriculum development, and teaching innovation.

Learner Experience: Partner with learners to equip them to achieve vocational success.

Outcomes for all: Champion initiatives that also drive success for under-served learners including Māori, Pasifika, and others.

Financial Leadership: Manage public funding, commercial revenue streams, and capital assets with discipline and transparency.

People and Culture: Lead workforce planning, organisational design, and staff engagement, enabling a high-performance culture, inclusion, and wellbeing.

Partnerships: Build responsive relationships with industry, community, iwi and government to ensure educational delivery meets Auckland’s future workforce needs.

About You

You are a seasoned transformational Chief Executive–with a proven record of leading organisations through significant contexts of change. You have a good grasp of the tertiary education system and public sector accountability, and you are comfortable moving between governance, strategic, and operational settings.

This role calls for a leader who is visible and engaged, who understands working across diverse stakeholder landscapes -from government ministries and regulatory bodies to iwi, industry sectors, unions, staff collectives and diverse student communities - building consensus while balancing competing interests and priorities. You thrive in ambiguity, knowing how to sequence change, maintain operational continuity, and bring people along the journey whilst driving toward ambitious goals.

The transformation you lead will shape the future of vocational education in Auckland for decades to come, creating streamlined pathways for learners, building world-class delivery capability, meeting critical workforce needs, and supporting the region’s economic and social prosperity.

This is a rare, career-defining opportunity for a leader ready to make a lasting impact.

To apply in strict confidence now, click ‘Apply for this job’ or email your cover letter and CV to cvakl@sheffield.co.nz quoting 8959sk. Applications close on Monday 3 November 2025, 9am. Emails will be electronically acknowledged and further correspondence may be by email.

To view the Candidate Briefing document, please click here.

For more information please phone Patrick Rooney on +64 21 458 362.