Head of Energy and Airports

About this role

The Commerce Commission | Te Komihana Tauhokohoko is New Zealand's competition, consumer, consumer credit, and economic regulatory agency. Our vision is that New Zealanders are better off because markets work well, and consumers and businesses are confident participants.

Mō te tūranga | About the role

This is a pivotal senior leadership opportunity within our Infrastructure Regulation branch, responsible for leading the regulation of the Energy and Airports infrastructure sectors.

Reporting to the General Manager, Infrastructure Regulation, you will provide strategic leadership and oversight of a complex and high-impact portfolio. You'll lead a skilled, multidisciplinary team and work closely with senior leaders, the Commission's Infrastructure Committee, other regulators and external stakeholders to drive improvements in sector performance and consumer outcomes.

You will play a key role in shaping regulatory strategy, delivering major work programmes, and ensuring our frameworks and tools remain effective, transparent, and fit for purpose.

As Head of Energy & Airports, you will:

• Lead sector strategies and work programmes that improve the performance of regulated suppliers and deliver better outcomes for consumers.
• Oversee the use of our regulatory tools and influence to deliver stretaegic outcomes and be clear about their contribution to the overall regulatory system.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with industry, other regulators, government, and stakeholders to inform and influence regulatory outcomes.
• Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing team, fostering capability, engagement and consumer focus.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality, timely advice across complex and high-risk work programmes.
• Contribute as a key member of the Infrastructure Regulation leadership team, supporting organisational priorities and direction.

He kōrero mōu | About you

You are a strategic and experienced leader with a track record of delivering results in complex, technical or regulatory environments. You bring intellectual curiosity, sound judgement, and the ability to lead through complexity and ambiguity.

You'll be confident engaging at senior levels, including with executives, Boards, and external stakeholders, and be adept at translating complex information into clear, actionable insights.

You are also a people-focused leader who creates clarity, builds capability, and fosters high performance.

We're looking for someone with:

• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering complex work programmes
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking, with the ability to interpret and communicate complex regulatory, economic or technical concepts in simple terms.
• Experience working with regulatory frameworks, policy, or regulated sectors (e.g. infrastructure, energy, aviation, or similar).
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with a collaborative and credible leadership style.
• A relevant tertiary qualification (e.g. economics, law, engineering, commerce or similar), or equivalent experience.

Read more about the skills, experience and knowledge required for this position in the position description. If you are applying via SEEK, by clicking Apply Now you will be redirected to our careers page where you can access our position description.

Te wāhi mahi | Working here

We're a collaborative, inclusive and purpose-driven organisation committed to making a difference for New Zealanders. Our people are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work, and we support flexible ways of working to enable wellbeing and high performance.

You'll be part of a leadership team that values innovation, continuous improvement, and working together to achieve meaningful impact.

Ka pēhea te tono mai | How to apply

If you are a senior leader looking to step into a highly influential role shaping New Zealand's infrastructure sectors, we'd love to hear from you.

Click ‘Apply' to submit your CV and cover letter outlining your experience and motivation.

For any queries contact Liz Martin on 04 924 3625. Closing date for applications: Wednesday, 3 June 2026.

Our recruitment process is fair, inclusive and free from bias and we encourage our applicants to let us know if we can make it more user friendly for them.  We are an equal opportunity employer.  We value diverse perspectives and the contribution every one of our people makes to our culture.  Put simply – you can be yourself here.