National Manager Improvement, Performance and AI - Intelligence - NPHS at Te Whatu Ora, All Locations

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Contribute to transforming the future of health in this key leadership role
• Location: Flexible – any NPHS office location, but Wellington or Auckland preferred.
• 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

We have an opportunity for a National Manager- Improvement, Performance and AI to join our Intelligence team in a key leadership role. This is a critical strategic and delivery role, providing leadership across teams that harness technology and data infrastructure to continuously improve and innovate how the Intelligence Directorate delivers services.

The core components, you will provide strategic and thought leadership, and accountability for delivery of:

• national programmes for Intelligence Directorate continuous improvement and innovation, including tools/data infrastructure choices and strategy
• operationalisation and delivery of an efficient data-enabled performance and monitoring framework for NPHS, including governance, assurance, and national and international reporting requirements. You will also lead the design and operationalisation of an NPHS Intelligence Improvement Strategy, including establishment of governance, performance measures and continuous improvement cycles across the function
• NPHS Intelligence Quality Strategy, including quality systems, standards, and assurance processes that improve the reliability, timeliness, and usability of intelligence products and services
• NPHS Intelligence AI Strategy including driving the use of AI in analytics products and efficiency initiatives, with a strong focus on responsible and ethical adoption, risk management, privacy‑by‑design practices, and capability uplift across the Intelligence function

About the Team/Service/ Location

The National Public Health Service (NPHS) within Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora, work towards Pae Ora (healthy futures) for all by engaging with the wider determinants that impact people's health, focusing on oranga/wellbeing, prevention, protection, and population-level intervention. We are connected across boundaries to deliver public health services that are nationally planned, regionally delivered and locally tailored.

The Improvement & Performance team is highly skilled, outcome‑focused, and consistently high‑performing, with a strong commitment to collaboration, delivery, and continuous improvement.

About you

You will be an enthusiastic and energetic leader, capable of speaking and translating between many ‘languages' (tech, health, data), to bring teams along journeys of improvement and innovation. You will be curious and up for challenge, always looking for new ideas and ways, we can better improve our products and services, with our eye always on bettering the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.

You will have:

• A relevant graduate and postgraduate qualification
• Proven experience operating at National Manager or equivalent senior leadership level within large, complex environments (typically 10+ years), leading leaders, demonstrating effective stewardship of resources, sound judgement and the ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity, and change
• Demonstrated success engaging and influencing senior stakeholders, including executive leadership teams, Ministers and Ministerial offices, central agencies, Crown entities, and sector partners, to achieve alignment and deliver outcomes of national significance
• A strong track record of developing and implementing innovative, sustainable solutions that deliver measurable public value, improve system and team performance, and strengthen organisational and sector capability over the long term
• Extensive senior leadership experience (typically 10+ years) in comparable roles, with accountability for delivering national level organisational reporting obligations and/or leading the design, development, and continuous improvement of technology enabled products and services at scale
• Previous experience in leading Improvement or Innovation functions, including implementing technology solutions

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 Sunday, 26 April 2026. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Anesha Pillay at Anesha.Pillay@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz

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