Operations Service Design Manager at Te Whatu Ora, All Locations

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Wellington based
• Willing to travel to multiple locations within the central north island region
• Permanent, Full-time

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is the country's largest employer, delivering universal public healthcare to 5 million New Zealanders. 

We provide essential hospital, specialist, and community health services across 80+ locations - from large urban centres to rural towns and remote communities. 

Our goal is to improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders by delivering equitable, accessible and innovative care. 

About the Role 

Join our team as our next Operations Service Design Manager, where you will play a pivotal role in shaping how new IT services and operational processes are designed, delivered, and embedded across the organisation.

You will provide both thought leadership and hands-on delivery, guiding major change initiatives from project development through to operational readiness. Your focus will be on ensuring smooth transitions into production, enabling our teams to deliver high-quality, efficient, and secure services.

Working collaboratively across Digital Operations, Digital Applications & Products, and Digital Delivery, you'll identify opportunities to enhance service performance, drive innovation, and strengthen the resilience of our digital ecosystem. If you're passionate about designing for success and making a tangible impact on how digital services support healthcare in Aotearoa, this is your opportunity to lead meaningful change.

About the Team/Service/ Location 

Our Digital Operations team sits at the heart of Health NZ's digital world — powering the systems that keep hospitals and health services across the country running smoothly. We're the team behind the technology that clinicians rely on every day, ensuring critical systems stay connected, secure, and reliable. But our impact goes far beyond the hospital walls — we're building the digital foundations that strengthen healthcare for communities across Aotearoa. By driving innovation, setting national standards, and investing in smarter, more resilient infrastructure, we're shaping the future of digital health in New Zealand — and you could be part of it.

About you 

You will bring your IT leadership experience and passion for operational excellence to this pivotal role driving service design and delivery across Health NZ.

• 7+ years' experience in Operational Service Design, Service Transition or technology leadership roles.
• Track record of coordinating and optimising existing services and designing new solutions to meet evolving business needs
• Proven knowledge and understanding of servce management and design frameworks such as ITIL
• Strong background in large-scale business change and ensuring appropriate operational service design and readiness for solutions, across multi projects and programmes.
• Skilled in driving innovation, proactive enhancements, and maintaining secure, resilient IT environments
• Practical experience in successfully managing the transition and impact of major change projects through into operational support as well as managing an Operational Service Design practice.
• Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Industry certifications such as ITIL v4, COBIT, Prince2, or Agile highly regarded
• Process improvement experience at scale, SIAM (Service Integration and Management) experience also beneficial
• Equivalent experience demonstrating extensive solution or service design expertise will also be considered.

Working for Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.    

How to Apply 

To apply please click “apply now.”  All applications must be submitted through our online careers' portal by Wednesday 11 February. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Roshni George at roshni.george@tewhatuora.govt.nz 

Whilst Health New Zealand is undergoing change, affected employees will be given preference and priority for this position.