Sector Lead - Defence & Aerospace

Te Taurapa Tūhono | New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is the government agency charged with helping New Zealand businesses to grow internationally. By supporting New Zealand businesses, we boost New Zealand’s economy and reputation and help share what’s special about Aotearoa with the world.

What you’ll be doing

This Sector Lead role provides specialist insight and leadership for NZTE across New Zealand’s Defence and Aerospace sectors, supporting NZTE customers to scale internationally in two fast-evolving, high-tech export areas.

As part of NZTE’s External Partnerships team, you’ll connect and align NZTE with activity across government, industry, and research networks to strengthen New Zealand businesses position and capability in international aerospace and defence value chains. You will represent NZTE as a senior external voice, building trusted relationships with industry bodies, innovators, defence stakeholders, and government partners. A key part of your role will be shaping strategic direction for NZTE, identifying growth pathways, and supporting exporters to navigate high integrity and often complex international markets.

Your expertise, and your ability to connect internally and externally will help ensure that NZTE’s services and advice are relevant to our customers, timely, and aligned with commercial reality.

For a more detailed view of the role, please see the Position Description.

Outstanding communicator and connector - You’ll be able to tell a powerful, persuasive sector story — creating clarity that resonates with industry, government, NZTE colleagues and international partners. You engage with tact, diplomacy, and credibility, building strong relationships across senior stakeholders in both public and private sectors. Leading through influence will be second nature.

Strategic thinking - You’re able to step back from detail to identify what truly matters. You bring clarity to complexity, understand tradeoffs, and help teams and partners make clear choices. You can anticipate future needs and trends across aerospace and defence, ensuring NZTE’s approach for our customers remains innovative and globally relevant.

Sector understanding - You will have broad knowledge of the Defence and Aerospace sectors, or transferable experience from advanced manufacturing, space technology, systems engineering, or complex B2B/B2G environments. You will understand the defence and aerospace ecosystem’s regulatory and procurement settings, dual-use innovation, and how to connect these with international opportunities. Understanding of government systems and policy environments is an advantage.

Strong commercial acumen - You’ll bring demonstrable experience partnering with businesses and driving commercial outcomes. Knowledge of exporting, global market dynamics, and operating within regulated or high compliance environments (including defence and space) will be valuable. You’re curious about emerging technologies and new commercial applications, and you can spot opportunities to leverage these for export growth.

• Being part of a global team of colleagues who are aligned around a single purpose to grow New Zealand business internationally

• Wide range of internal learning and development opportunities, including access to our highly regarded internal coaching programme

• Hybrid working, with up to two days working from home

• 5 weeks’ annual leave

• Tools of the trade including access to an iPhone and MS Surface Laptop

Applications close 11.59pm Tuesday 3rd March NZT.

Please apply online and include a CV and Cover Letter.

This role is banded NZ L18.

To check if you may be eligible please use the Eligibility self-check tool | Protective Security Requirements.

Please note: The results are a guide only. If eligible, the official vetting process will still need to be completed. If you're not eligible, the factors that may contribute to this result will be provided.

For any questions please reach out to peoplemailbox@nzte.govt.nz