Group Manager, Service Modernisation at Te Whatu Ora, All Locations

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Lead at scale – Shape and modernise People Operations for one of New Zealand's largest and most complex organisations.
• Drive meaningful change – Own and lead major service modernisation and continuous improvement programmes that simplify how work gets done.
• Influence and collaborate – Partner with senior leaders across regions and districts while building and leading a high‑performing specialist team.

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

The Group Manager, Service Modernisation leads the continuous improvement and modernisation of People Operations across Health NZ, making it easier for our workforce to do what they do best. This role provides strategic and operational leadership for HR process and business improvement activities, ensuring people processes, systems and services are efficient, scalable and deliver a high‑quality experience for managers and employees.

Leading a specialist team, the Group Manager owns HR operational processes and drives service modernisation and change programmes, including the implementation of a programme‑based approach to initiatives for example Health New Zealand's askHR model and future workforce service enhancements. Working in close partnership with national, regional and local P&C leaders, the role enables best‑practice process and systems adoption and delivers continuous improvement initiatives across the organisation, regions or individual districts.

About you
You will be an experienced leader with 10+ years' experience across process improvement and change, ideally including operating model and/or policy design. You bring proven capability in establishing and running fit‑for‑purpose programme management functions that effectively prioritise, track and deliver change initiatives and benefits. With strong people‑leadership experience and ideally 5+ years in a Human Resources environment, you are comfortable operating in complex, large‑scale organisations.

You will have a track record of analysing and simplifying complex information to provide well‑reasoned recommendations that improve systems and process efficiency. You are highly organised, with strong planning and time‑management skills, and are proficient in data analysis and reporting tools.

Working at 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 Sunday, 15 March. For further information, please contact Matt Kelly on Matt.Kelly@tewhatuora.govt.nz  

While Health New Zealand is undergoing change, affected employees will be given preference and priority for this position, and applications will be reviewed as they are received, with the recruitment process potentially proceeding before the advert closes.