Occupational Therapist Clinical Lead at Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty, Bay of Plenty

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Whakatāne Hospital – Permanent Full-time
• Live, work and play in the sunny Eastern Bay of Plenty
• Professional Development and Support + Wellness Programme + Staff Carparking 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders. 

About the Role

The Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead role provides clinical support for the staff Occupational Therapists across emergency, acute care unit, medical, surgical and paediatric wards and inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation at Whakatāne Hospital. 

This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced Occupational Therapist wanting to develop their leadership capabilities. This is an opportunity to advance your skills in: 

• Provision of clinical leadership, coordination, and support for the acute Occupational Therapy team
• Supervision and development of new and existing staff
• Fostering a culture of clinical excellence, innovation and strategic thinking
• Development of relationships through close liaison with other services both internal and external
• Facilitation of clinical practice development within the multidisciplinary team 

In this role you will carry a clinical caseload as required across the hospital setting, while providing day to day coordination for a small team. You will also work collaboratively with other clinical leads across the district, the Occupational Therapy Professional Lead and Whakatāne Acute Allied Health Services Team Lead. Leadership support and training will be provided as well as regular professional development and collegial support.  

About the Team/Service/Location

The Acute Occupational Therapy service is a part of the Te Koru Rehabilitation Department. Te Koru is home to a range of allied health professionals including rehabilitation, speech language therapy, podiatry, occupational therapy, dietetics, community therapy, outpatient physiotherapy, pelvic health and hand therapy providing a friendly and supportive team. 

We are fortunate to be located in sunny Whakatāne. The Hospital is located 5 minutes away from the river or bush walks and 15 minutes from the beach.  Your eight hour work day can be tailored between 7am to 5pm to enable you to make the most of our beautiful location before and after work. 

Boasting some of the most sunlight hours in New Zealand, Whakatāne offers award winning beaches for both surf and fun. Be still and listen to the native bird chorus in our bush clad walkways, plus swim in the cleanest freshwater lakes around. Come join our team who are already enjoying a uniquely rewarding lifestyle outside of the main cities. Whakatāne is small but mighty, featuring all the things you need whilst remaining within easy travel to Tauranga and Rotorua for that little bit extra.   

For more information on living and working in Whakatane click here. 

https://careers.tewhatuora.govt.nz/locations/bay-of-plenty/ 

About you

We are looking for a person with New Zealand Registration and current Annual Practicing Certificate from the Occupational Therapy Board of New Zealand. 

Our preferred candidate will have:

• At least four years' experience 
• Evidence of strong clinical and leadership skills.
• Experience in teaching and mentoring other health professionals.
• Excellent listening, verbal and written communication skills, and able to work with a wide range of people from a variety of backgrounds.
• A commitment to achieving equitable outcomes for Māori
• Knowledge of quality improvement principles and processes 

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 10^th August 2025. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Carole Vivian, Associate Director of Allied Health, Eastern Bay of Plenty via email Carole.Vivian@bopdhb.govt.nz. 

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