Senior Customs Officer Grade 1

Full job description
Senior Customs Officer (SCO) Grade 1 Surveillance Officer - Get on the New Zealand Customs Service career pathway


New Zealand Customs Service | Te Mana Ārai o Aotearoa protects and promotes Aotearoa New Zealand through world class border management.


The Customs Surveillance Unit (CSU) works with both domestic and international partner agencies, providing specialised surveillance support to help protect our communities from organised crime groups (OCGs), importation of illicit drugs, financial crime and child exploitation. The CSU also benefits from exceptional working relationships with Customs technical and investigation teams. This enables the unit to be a formidable opponent against OCGs, disrupting international syndicates and providing evidence to secure custodial sentences against those bringing harm and illicit goods into New Zealand.


We are offering a unique opportunity for trained surveillance operators to join the existing, highly performing Customs Surveillance Unit.

If you are not a trained surveillance officer then please look out for our entry level surveillance course that will be advertised next week.


About this role | Mō tēnei tūranga mahi

You will be providing specialised surveillance support for investigating a range of border related offences. You must be able to work calmly under pressure and be able to adapt to evolving situations, and an affinity with technology is also important. You will need to be able to follow operational instructions as well as have sound decision making skills.


The nature of the work you will be involved in requires you to be available to work unpredictable and long hours at times. The unit has a national remit, so there will be times when you will be required to work away from home for extended periods, and at short or no notice. With that in mind, it's important to talk to those closest to you about the unpredictable nature of the role. The job is demanding and we require a high level of commitment to achieve operational success, however the role has a level of flexibility in and around operational need and requirements.


The team is based in Auckland. If you're not based in or near Auckland, you'll need to be willing to relocate.


The salary is $$67,745 - $86,742 with an additional unpredictable hours allowance of $16,286.


About you | Ko wai koe …

In this Senior Customs Officer Grade 1 position you will be expected to be able to hit the ground running, already having been trained as a surveillance officer. You will be enthusiastic about growing your skillset and honing your tradecraft, with motivation to learn and grow in your surveillance career pathway. Excellent communication skills are essential as you will be dealing with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. As surveillance work is linked to serious offences, you will need to be proficient in understanding and applying legislation.


To be considered for this position, you must:

Have successfully passed the Customs Surveillance Course (or equivalent course, such as the NZ Police or SIS/Military courses or international equivalents)
Have a full and unrestricted NZ driver's licence
Be able to work 'unpredictable hours'. This includes working outside of usual working hours, working extended hours, and being rostered to cover on-call periods.
Be available for deployment at short notice to any location nationally
Be capable of passing a surveillance skills assessment
Be able to pass a fitness test, drug test, and medical
Be able to obtain and maintain an organisational security clearance, and a Top Secret level security clearance.

You must be able to obtain and maintain a high-level security clearance. Ordinarily to obtain this level of clearance candidates must have a 10 year checkable background in countries where meaningful and reliable checks can be undertaken. Where requisite checks are unable to be made, the candidate application may not be able to be progressed.


How to apply | Me pehea te whakauru

Please apply online. You will be asked to outline your motivation for the role and relevant skills and experience as a Surveillance Officer, along with why you are interested in the role and some competency-based questions. The online application process takes a bit of time and requires you to provide examples of previous work - specific questions are asked in the online process. It's best to set aside some time when you won't be interrupted.


Please only apply if you already have the required training and experience, if you do not then please look at our other advert for entry level Surveillance Officers that will be advertised next week.


If shortlisted, you will be asked to complete online psychometric testing as part of the process.


If you have any queries, please contact Jasmine at recruitment@customs.govt.nz


Applications close at 5pm on Thursday 21st August 2025.


New Zealand Customs Service | Te Mana Ārai o Aotearoa is a member of Diversity Works New Zealand and is committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities and welcome applications from everyone who can meet the requirements of the role. We also support flexible working arrangements.


Job details
Reference #
45389

Posted on
07 Aug 2025

Closes on
21 Aug 2025

Location(s)
Auckland

Expertise
Customs Technical, Intelligence, Investigations

Job level(s)
Experienced

Work type(s)
Permanent Full Time

Additional attachment