- Direct exposure to high impact investment decisions
- Blend of legal, commercial and governance work
- Visible role in a newly established Crown Entity
Join Invest New Zealand at an exciting moment in our journey. We’re a recently established Autonomous Crown Entity with a high-performance, collaborative culture — and we’re looking for a curious, practical legal professional who enjoys working at the intersection of investment, governance, and great process.
About us
Our purpose is to increase the flow of foreign direct investment into sectors with high growth and productivity potential — supporting long-term economic prosperity. We work on investments typically in the $100m to $1b range and help deliver the investment component of the Active Investor Plus (AIP) Visa scheme.
The opportunity
As our Legal & Commercial Advisor, you’ll play a key role in how we assess and support acceptable investments under the AIP visa programme. You’ll lead the investment product assessment work and support the AIP decision makers — making sure they have clear, timely information and that decisions and records are managed in line with relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
What you’ll be doing
- Be the go-to person for queries about AIP investment criteria and process, working closely with internal and external stakeholders.
- Pre-assess managed fund and direct investment applications and prepare clear summaries and recommendations for decision makers.
- Maintain accurate records, including processes/procedures and material correspondence with applicants.
- Own key risk management processes for the programme, including re-certification and the risk log.
- Support relationships with key stakeholders such as Government agencies, fund managers and licensed immigration advisers.
- Assist the General Counsel with Official Information Act requests from time to time.
What you’ll bring
- An admitted lawyer (commerce and/or finance qualifications are an advantage).
- 4–6 years’ PQE, including at least 2 years in private practice.
- Strong commercial judgement and a sound understanding of the managed funds environment (or the motivation to learn quickly, supported by commercial/financial services experience).
- Confidence working with governance and reporting requirements; board secretariat or legal executive experience is a bonus.
- Understanding of New Zealand’s financial services regulatory environment.
- A detail-focused mindset with the ability to assess and appropriately challenge information.
- Clear, professional communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
- A naturally curious, collaborative style—you enjoy being part of a small team and pitching in where needed.
Why join us?
You’ll be joining a small, ambitious organisation where your work will be visible and valued. We’re building strong foundations and practical ways of working—so you’ll have genuine scope to improve process, influence how we operate, and work alongside experienced colleagues who care about doing great work (and doing it well together).
