Organisational structure and senior managers

Sandi was appointed Deputy State Services Commissioner on 1 April 2013. Prior to this she was on secondment to the SSC as a Deputy Commissioner and lead for the Sector and Agency Performance Group. Before joining SSC in 2011, Sandi was Deputy Chief Executive at the Ministry of Justice.  She led collaborative efforts across the Justice Sector including strategy development and four-year Budget planning. Sandi has extensive experience in leading and implementing change and in her final months in Justice ensured the merger of the Legal Services Agency into the Ministry and the accompanying policy and functional changes.  In mid 2009 she was seconded to the Department of Corrections for 18 months where she led a programme of work to lift departmental performance. She also led the contracting out of the management of Mt Eden prison to the private sector and laid the foundations for a public private partnership approach to the development of a new prison at Wiri.

Sandi has held senior roles in the private sector and local government.  She was also a member of the Better Public Services Advisory Group. 

As Deputy State Services Commissioner, Sandi continues to lead the Sector and Agency Performance Group and supports the Commissioner in the exercise of his statutory functions.

Doug joined the Commission following his return to New Zealand in November 2012.  He is the Deputy Commissioner responsible for the Justice portfolio. 

Doug spent two years working in Melbourne in the Victorian Public Service where he held roles as Executive Director, Industry, Workforce and Strategy and Director of Housing within the Department of Human Services.  For six months Doug worked in the Department of Premier and Cabinet on the Victorian Government's Better Services Implementation Taskforce initiative which was modeled on New Zealand's Better Public Services work.

Prior to moving to Australia Doug spent 12 years with the Ministry of Social Development.  Within the Ministry Doug held a variety of senior management roles including; Chief Legal Advisor, Director of the Office of the Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive.

Doug has served with the New Zealand Army as an Army Legal Service Officer and as a Territorial Forces Artillery Officer.  Doug holds degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of Otago and worked as a lawyer in private practice in Dunedin prior to joining the Army.

Jenni Norton is Deputy Commissioner, Performance Improvement Programme Group at the State Services Commission (SSC).  This group is responsible for the Performance Improvement Framework (PIF) and Major Project Monitoring and Gateway.  The PIF is a joint Central Agency initiative to help senior leaders drive performance improvement across the State Services.  The PIF is a:

• diagnostic tool for Chief Executives of State Services agencies to drive the most impactful improvements in agency and cross agency performance
• tool for Central Agencies to have a view of and drive the most impactful improvements in overall system performances
• tool to provide Ministers, the public and other stakeholders with assurance that the most impactful improvements in agency performance and across the system are occurring.

Jenni leads the PIPG Team who are, among other things, responsible for overseeing and developing the PIF model and managing and delivering PIF Reviews in State Service agencies.  Before leading this team, Jenni was a Deputy Commissioner, Chief Executive and Agency Performance. 

Prior to working at the SSC Jenni held senior management positions in the Social Service, Tertiary Education and Justice sectors.  She is also currently a Director on the New Zealand Opera Board, St Johns and is a trustee of the Territorial Forces Employer Support Council.

Jacki joined the Commission as Deputy Chief Executive in February 2012.  In this role she supports the Commissioner with strategic and operational aspects of the running of the Commission. 

Jacki has worked in a number of public service agencies including the Department of Internal Affairs, Department of Building and Housing, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Department of Labour and Ministry of Social Development.  She has worked in operational, legal, policy, change management and general management roles. 

Prior to joining the Commission Jacki worked at the Ministry of Social Development where she was a General Manager, worked in strategy and organisational development, and was seconded to other agencies to develop and implement change.  Jacki has also worked as a litigator in private practice and in parliament for a number of Ministers. 

Jacki holds LLB (Hons) from Victoria University, an Executive MBA from University of Queensland/Melbourne Business School and is a qualified executive coach.   

When she is not at work Jacki likes to garden with her husband, sit in the sun and play Lego with her four-year-old son (sometimes all at the same time).