"Manager, Pasifika Success (Students)"

Job Description:

• Do you have a relevant tertiary qualification or significant experience in a similar role?
• Are you passionate about making a difference working with and alongside our Pacific peoples?
• Can you establish and maintain strong networks and collaborate with a range of internal and external stakeholders?

Kōrero mō te tūranga - About the role

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington is seeking an experienced and visionary manager to lead our work in strengthening student success for Pacific peoples. This is a new permanent, full-time role created to shift the dial for our Pacific students in a way that is transformational, sustainable, and grounded in Pacific ways.

In this role, you’ll help drive systemic change that positions Te Herenga Waka as the university partner of choice for our Pacific peoples. You’ll lead a talented team that provides incredible care to our Pacific students. You’ll lead an innovative programme of change ensuring that it remains relevant to our students, aligned with the broader system, and is delivering impact.

Key responsibilities:

• Strategic oversight of the Fano Mua programme: Ensure that the Fano Mua programme remains culturally responsive, academically relevant, and fit-for-purpose.
• People Leadership: Lead the Advisers, Pasifika Success (Students), ensuring that they are empowered and equipped to deliver culturally responsive pastoral care to students that are assigned to them.
• Lead the Pasifika inputs into culturally responsive pedagogy: Aligned to the strategic direction of the Office of the Assistant Vice Chanceller Pasifika, work closely with academic and professional staff to design the culturally responsive pedagogy component of Fano Mua, ensuring that it is centred within the university’s equity and academic excellence frameworks.

Ō pūmanawa - About you

You are a seasoned leader with deep expertise in creating systemic change that enhance the success of our Pacific peoples. You connect vision to systems, translate the big picture into delivery, and are able to bring others into the vision. Taking a village approach, you’re passionate about creating meaningful change that continues to lift success for our Pacific students.

Key requirements:

• 8+ years of senior leadership experience in enhancing the educational success of Pasifika students, including how New Zealand’s tertiary settings relate to Pacific peoples.
• Deep experience in building effective teams and leading people.
• Demonstrated experience in programme management including planning, financial accountability, and monitoring.
• Proven ability to research and understand the wide-ranging learning, developmental, and cultural needs of our Pacific students.
• Strong understanding of Pacific cultures, and the diversity that exists within this collective of peoples.
• Robust problem-solving skills and the ability to work under pressure.
• Proven ability to establish and maintain strong networks and collaborate with range of internal and external stakeholders.
• A relevant tertiary qualification or significant experience in a similar role.
• A commitment to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Role Description:

Click here to see further information, including salary details.

If this link is not available, click 'apply' to view this on the University career's page.

Close date for vacancy: 15 January 2026.

Contact details for vacancy: If you have any questions regarding this role, please get in touch with Emma Dunlop-Bennett (emma.dunlop-bennett@vuw.ac.nz).

How to apply:

Please ensure you are applying for this role directly on our careers page and not via email. Candidates must submit supporting documents along with their resume, such as a cover letter. Applicants who do not have residency or citizenship and require a visa to work at the University must clearly indicate their visa status in their application and understand that if they do not have a current, relevant visa, they will need to secure this independently.

We can only consider applicants who are citizens or residents of New Zealand or Australia or on a current working visa. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and we may progress with suitable applicants prior to the application closing date. Applications from recruitment agencies are not accepted.