Inspector

• Great opportunity to use your technical aviation expertise to positively influence aviation safety performance.
• Build on your wealth of experience, while working in a regulatory environment.
• Permanent role – Wellington based, but will consider Auckland Airport or Christchurch Airport.

By joining us, you will be part of a team where meaningful work, collaboration and innovation come together to help keep New Zealand’s skies safe and secure.

At the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, we are constantly evolving to meet the demands of a changing environment and the aviation industry.

Recent legislative changes, along with an organisational realignment, have opened exciting new opportunities across the Authority. These changes are part of a broader effort to better position our teams for the future by enabling us to be more collaborative, efficient and effective in everything we do.

As we step confidently into our role as a modern regulator, we are embracing intelligence-led, risk-based approaches that help us make a real difference for our people and the communities we serve – with a strong value-for-money ethos. We’re also committed to enabling aviation participants to support economic growth in New Zealand's aviation sector.

About the role

This role is a key position in our Monitoring and Inspection team. It will give you the opportunity to positively influence continuous improvement in safety by engaging and communicating closely with aviation organisations and individuals. As such, you will be required to exercise sound judgement and responsibility within an established operating framework.

You’ll be responsible for undertaking monitoring and inspection activities to evaluate safety performance and promote best practices within the New Zealand aviation system. At times, you will also provide specialist support across the organisation where your expertise will be called on to assist with education, certification, licensing and investigation activities.

Ideally you will be based in Wellington, however, Auckland or Christchurch airport locations will be considered.

Travel is a major component for this role. You can anticipate being away from home approximately two weeks per month. This will mostly involve domestic travel and sometimes may involve international travel, so you will need a full NZ Driver’s Licence and valid passport.

The salary band for the Inspector position starts at $115,536 to a maximum of $161,412. Starting salaries will be based on knowledge, skills and experience the successful candidate brings to the role, as well as internal relativities across the organisation.

What you’ll bring

To be successful in this role you will possess excellent communication skills with the ability to influence the management of safety at all levels. Your critical thinking, technical expertise and aviation experience will be highly valuable to your regulatory work at the Civil Aviation Authority.

You will be respected by others for your integrity, professionalism and aviation experience and be passionate about improving safety performance.

Preference will be given to applicants who can demonstrate the following:

• A relevant ICAO recognised aviation document e.g. pilot licence (CPL or ATPL), aircraft maintenance engineer licence (AMEL), or equivalent experience and qualifications
• Technical specialties which can include safety management, operations, maintenance or training
• An advanced understanding of the New Zealand civil aviation and health and safety legislative frameworks, and an awareness of equivalent foreign requirements
• Senior level experience in the civil aviation system, including experience in applying safety management systems.
• A well-developed ability to persuade and influence in a challenging environment, and communicate with clarity, tact and diplomacy.

About us

Our Values – Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Transparency, and Collaboration – represent the standards of behaviour we uphold and guide how we work at the Authority. We embrace diversity and are committed to providing an inclusive environment where our people feel respected, safe, and valued for their unique contributions. We recognise that our people drive our success.

Apply directly by completing the online application form and submit your CV and Cover Letter. Note: your cover letter will be a key part of our assessment process, so please highlight how your experience relates to the key skills required for this role. Please apply via our Careers site. We are unable to consider email applications.

We want to ensure accessibility needs are well supported, so the recruitment process is fair and equitable for all. Therefore, please let us know if there is any support, we can provide to ensure the recruitment process is fully accessible to you.

For more information on the role please view the position description or contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@caa.govt.nz.

Applications close Tuesday 26 August 2025