Senior Solicitor

Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga | Education Review Office (ERO) are dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, health, and wellbeing. We welcome every gender, ethnicity, ability, religion, age, and background and encourage all our people to be their authentic selves.

What we offer

• Professional development, coaching and career growth opportunities
• Meaningful work that contributes to better outcomes for children and whānau
• The opportunity to be part of a significant regulatory transformation

Mō tēnei tūranga | About this role

This permanent role is based in Wellington and reports to the Deputy Chief Executive Regulation and Early Childhood Education (Director of Regulation). The Senior Solicitor provides expert legal advice and strategic support across regulatory, compliance, investigation, enforcement and licensing matters.

Working closely with operational, policy and leadership teams, you will help ensure statutory functions are exercised lawfully, fairly and effectively. You'll play a key role in supporting complex regulatory decisions, managing legal risk, and contributing to the development of a strong and effective regulatory culture.

The role includes:

• Providing legal advice on regulatory frameworks, legislation and statutory obligations
• Supporting licensing, compliance monitoring, investigations and enforcement activity
• Advising on administrative and public law matters, including natural justice and procedural fairness
• Managing legal and regulatory risks and supporting organisational governance
• Contributing to the development of regulatory policy, guidance and procedures
• Building strong relationships across ERO, government agencies and external stakeholders
• Providing practical, accessible legal advice to non-legal audiences.

Mōhou ake | About you

We want to hear about any of the following in your cover letter and CV:

• Experience advising on regulatory, administrative or public law matters
• Experience supporting investigations, compliance, enforcement or licensing functions
• Your ability to analyse complex issues and provide pragmatic legal advice
• Examples of influencing, advising and building trusted relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Experience working in government, regulatory or public sector environments
• How you've demonstrated sound judgement in complex or sensitive situations
• Your knowledge and experience of, or willingness to learn about, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tikanga, te reo and te ao Māori
• How you've demonstrated inclusion, collaboration and customer-focused thinking in your work
• Admission as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand and a current practising certificate.

Ko mātou | About Us

Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga | Education Review Office (ERO) is the government's education evaluation agency - we inform and facilitate improvement in early learning services, schools and kura. We promote a stronger, more equitable education system. We believe equity and excellence in outcomes is possible for all learners when the mahi centres on the child, the heart of the matter - Ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

If this role interests you, click on the "Apply" button to be re-directed to our site where you will be able to apply and view the Position Description. We encourage you to be your authentic self in your application. We are truly committed to diversity, inclusion and lifting our cultural capability. You don't need to be knowledgeable in these areas; we are looking for people who are willing to learn.

If you would like further information about the role, reach out to Virginia Ng - [email protected] for a chat. For any other questions about the recruitment process, you can contact us at [email protected]

Applications close: Tuesday 18 August, 2026

Note: We will be screening applications as we receive them to move swiftly to interview shortly after the advert closes (depending on application numbers this date may change). You may be asked to complete a pre-interview screen via phone or video. Please let us know in your application if you require any assistance from us during the process.

Check out our careers site to learn more about working at ERO.

You must have the right to live and work in Aotearoa New Zealand. Background and various pre-employment checks are part of our recruitment process.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: unsolicited CVs will not be accepted. Please do not contact the Hiring Manager directly. Instead, contact [email protected].