Join Our Team

The Cook Islands Development Agency (CIDANZ) is a charitable trust based in Mangere, South Auckland.  We work with Cook Islands families and communities across Aotearoa New Zealand to nurture a can-do enterprising spirit that supports everyone’s social, cultural and economic development.  CIDANZ is also a part of a Pacific Whanau Ora network of community providers to help ensure that family health and wellbeing is assisted. 

OUR VISION – Families and communities prospering together.

OUR MISSION – To enable the successful connections of Cook Islands people through effective partnerships, culture, and wellbeing services.

GENERAL MANAGER  

We are seeking a passionate and enthusiastic General Manager (GM) who is committed to serving the Cook Islands people and community. The GM’s primary role will be to implement and operationalise the CIDANZ strategic plan in order to lead our organisation in fulfilling its mission, to promote and uphold our values, and to build and maintain key relationships within the Cook Islands community and with key stakeholders. 

As the GM, you will be responsible for the overall management and leadership of the organisation and the driving force behind our daily operations, ensuring financial stability, with an emphasis on effectively managing and enhancing CIDANZ’s people, assets and resources. The GM responsibilities will include program implementation and execution, financial management, compliance and human resources, with an emphasis on building a healthy, future focused and sustainable working environment. 

The GM works closely with the Board of Trustees (Board) to ensure the organisation’s goals and objectives are met and will provide input and recommendations on strategic direction and future opportunities. The GM will be expected to exercise sound leadership and judgement, manage risks while seeking opportunities, all while keeping the interests of the Cook Islands people at the heart of their work. 

This role is full time and is primarily based at the CIDANZ Auckland office in Mangere, with occasional flexibility for remote work.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES 

The GM is accountable to the Board for:

• Implementation and execution of CIDANZ’s strategy through the development and delivery of an annual plan and successful completion of specific, agreed performance measures.
• Ensuring relationships with communities and key stakeholders are well-managed.
• Leading, motivating and executing with the CIDANZ team, fostering a positive, inclusive, healthy and productive work environment and facilitating cultural knowledge, language and staff learning opportunities in an inclusive respectful environment.
• Developing best practice policies to support CIDANZ’s work and presentation of these policies to the Board for review / approval.
• Effective management of CIDANZ’s human resources, finances (including short-term and long-term financial health), risks and communications, within delegated authority.
• Supporting the Board to carry out its role and responsibilities in accordance with compliance requirements and governance best practice.
• Developing and implementing effective reporting systems to measure the impact and success of each program, track progress of goals and objectives outlined in the strategic plan and keeping the Board well-informed about CIDANZ’s performance and any significant issues regarding risks, reputation and opportunities, based on a “no-surprises” approach.

PREFERRED ROLE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or 10+ years of relevant experience.
• Ideally 5-7 years of senior management experience in a non-profit or related org.
• Commitment to CIDANZ’s mission and values.
• Deep understanding of Cook Islands communities and ideally ‘shared experience’ to support your understanding of our client and community needs and challenges. 
• Ideally, fluency in Cook Islands Maori, but at a minimum committed to learning. 
• Proven track record in financial management, human resource management, program development and operation.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Knowledge of non-profit governance and compliance requirements.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to Jillaine.h@cidanz.co.nz by 13 September 2024. Please include “General Manager Application” in the subject line.

At this stage we are not accepting resumes from recruiters, only direct applications from candidates. CIDANZ is an equal opportunity employer and we celebrate diversity. We encourage applications from individuals who may not meet all the preferred qualifications but possess a genuine passion for the role and a strong desire to contribute to our team. Please tell us why you believe that your skills and experience align with our mission.