National Health & Safety Programme Business Partner at Te Whatu Ora, All Locations

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Work from where you are
• Permanent, full-time position
• Combine health and safety expertise with project leadership to deliver national improvements

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

This position reports to the National Health and Safety Programme Development and Delivery Manager and provides senior advisory and operational leadership for the design, development, and implementation of national health and safety programmes of work. The role combines health and safety subject matter expertise with hands-on project leadership, taking initiatives from technical development through to implementation and evaluation.

You will play a key role in ensuring Health New Zealand's programmes meet legislative requirements, align with organisational expectations, and are effectively delivered across regional and district levels.

As a National Health & Safety Programme Business Partner, you will provide expert advice, guidance, and assurance to support programme governance, risk management, performance monitoring, and reporting. You will also develop and review national policies, procedures, processes and tools, translating legislative requirements and good practice into clear, practical guidance for operational teams.

Alongside this technical work, you will lead assigned projects and workstreams, establishing clear scope, deliverables, milestones and responsibilities. You will coordinate contributors, manage risks and dependencies, and support timely decisions to keep delivery on track.

You'll work collaboratively with regional and local health and safety teams to ensure initiatives are responsive to operational needs and contribute to continuous improvement and proactive risk management. This will include coordinating consultation, planning implementation, supporting communications and training, and arranging effective handover to operational owners.

This role may also provide targeted support to districts and lead the implementation of specific initiatives, helping to embed a consistent and high-performing health and safety culture across Health New Zealand.

About the Team

The Health and Safety team plays a vital role in ensuring consistent, high-quality service across all district sites, shifts, and professional groups. Working remotely as part of a national function, you will collaborate with technical specialists, programme colleagues and regional and district teams to develop practical solutions and coordinate their delivery.

This is a dynamic, purpose-driven team committed to maintaining safe environments and supporting services nationally.

About You

You are a seasoned health and safety professional with strong project delivery skills, including experience leading and influencing stakeholders in healthcare or similarly complex environments. You bring deep expertise in implementing and assuring compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, ACC's Accredited Employer Programme, ISO 45001, and other relevant regulations and standards.

You have experience developing policies, procedures, processes and practical tools, using evidence, operational insight and stakeholder feedback to ensure they are fit for purpose. You can interpret complex requirements and communicate them clearly to different audiences.

Your experience includes delivering strategic and organisation-wide programmes, coaching health and safety professionals and operational leaders, and leading projects from planning through to implementation and evaluation. You can turn broad objectives into achievable delivery plans, coordinate resources and contributors, and manage competing priorities across several workstreams.

You are confident maintaining project documentation, tracking milestones, managing risks, issues and dependencies, and preparing clear progress reports and recommendations for governance groups. You understand how consultation and change management contribute to successful implementation and sustained improvements.

You're confident in risk management, including identifying, developing, and monitoring controls, and you bring a calm, consistent, and mature approach to problem-solving in complex and changing environments.

You're a strong communicator and collaborator, able to build trusted relationships across all levels of the organisation. You understand the health sector and demonstrate a commitment to Health NZ's values, including Pae Ora and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with an appreciation for cross-cultural engagement and tikanga Māori.

With a qualification in Health and Safety or equivalent experience, you bring both technical credibility and the ability to lead delivery. A qualification or additional training in project or programme management would be an advantage.

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 serve our communities. 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 18th October 2026. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Cherushka Pillay at Cherushka.Pillay@tewhatuora.govt.nz.