Principal Policy Advisor at Te Whatu Ora, All Locations

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Based in Wellington or Auckland
• 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 

In this role, you'll bring sharp policy thinking and confident project leadership to support our Executive on work that really matters. From assessing proposals and investment decisions to spotting risks and operational impacts across Health NZ, you'll help ensure our advice is clear, timely, and aligned with organisational, Board, and Ministerial priorities.

You'll also help lift the quality of our advice to make sure our Executive, Board and Ministers are well‑briefed and set up for success. Working across Health NZ and with key partners, you'll help connect the dots, ensure we have a whole of Health NZ position, and keep our work moving in the right direction.

As a Principal Policy Advisor, you'll lead complex, cross‑cutting projects that need Chief Executive oversight. You'll manage multiple stakeholders, provide strong, objective insights, and act as a trusted voice within the Advisory Team—helping the organisation navigate big issues with confidence.

You'll succeed in this role if you enjoy bringing together information to find the ‘so what', work at a fast pace, and are comfortable with working in ambiguous and complex situations.

About the Team

The Advisory Team provides strategic support to the Chief Executive, offering organisation‑wide insight, connecting key work programmes, and helping ensure strong, well‑aligned decision‑making across Health NZ.

About you 

To be successful in this role, you will have the following:

Essential

• Relevant graduate and postgraduate qualifications.
• Practical experience putting Te Tiriti o Waitangi into action.
• Background as a senior policy advisor, ideally with both policy and operational exposure.
• Strong understanding of the health and disability sector and well‑established networks.
• Proven ability to manage senior stakeholders, think strategically, and navigate complex environments, supported by financial, risk, and project management capability.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to translate technical information for non‑experts and share knowledge across the organisation.

Desired

• Programme or project management experience.

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 11:59PM Sunday 15 March 2026. For further information, please contact Nicole Rickard on Nicole.Rickard@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz.

The full position description is available on the Health New Zealand Careers site.

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

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process before the closing date of this advert.