Operational Administrators are part of the Support Branch of the Navy. As an Operational Administrator, you will provide high quality administrative and payroll support to ships at sea and serving personnel. You will also provide support in office administration functions such as customer service, document management and personnel management procedures.

Your role will principally be undertaken at sea onboard ships and ashore in Devonport Naval Base. Most Operational Writers also complete at least one period of peacekeeping overseas.

Job on Base

The initial parts of your career will be spent ashore in the Devonport Naval Base, with short duration postings to ships and shore establishments to strengthen your training and gain experience. These can include short term postings to other locations in New Zealand as well overseas experiences with NZDF deployed forces and exchanges with other navies.
 

Job on Deployment

Whilst at sea your most important role is as a sailor, utilising the core mariner skills you have gained in fire-fighting, damage control and seamanship tasks. You will also be given advanced first aid training to assist the ship’s medical staff in emergencies. In your trade role at sea you will support the efficient operation of the ship by ensuring that the command and personnel receive top-level policy advice and administrative support.

Career Progression

Your hard work, diligence and experience as an Operational Administrator are rewarded with promotion in rank and salary. Following your initial training and consolidation, you can reasonably expect to be performing as an effective and competent Operational Administrator within 12-18 months of joining. This will be supplemented by a posting to sea, and then further training to prepare you for promotion to a supervisory role. Your advancement will be supported by giving you further training in leadership, mariner skills and Operational Administrator skills. Successful completion of these will qualify you for a promotion to Leading Rate, whereby you will be responsible for supervising a team of Operational Administrators, either at sea or ashore. Vast employment opportunities exist for Operational Administrators within the Navy and the Defence Force. Right now there are Operational Administrators employed on peacekeeping missions around the world, at sea onboard HMNZ Ships, and in various roles and locations in New Zealand.
 

Careers in the Navy are well-rewarded, as well as being diverse and exciting. As you become more experienced and move up through the ranks, gaining additional skills and qualifications, you will see your salary rise accordingly.

While undertaking Basic Recruit Course you will be paid as a Recruit (see attached pay table). On completion of  your Recruit Course you will be paid as an Ordinary Rate and your pay will continue to increase as your career progresses.

• Be a minimum of 17 years of age.
• Meet the citizenship & security requirements to gain CV security clearance for this trade.
• Be free of any criminal convictions for the previous two years.
• Be of good character – assessed by a study of references and a police record check.

• You must have completed at least three years at secondary school.
• You must have a minimum of 8 NCEA level 1 credits in English and Maths.

You must be medically fit for service.

Whilst under training you will be posted to Devonport Naval Base. On completion of your training you may be posted to Wellington for a six month stint working in the Human resources service center.