Senior Portfolio Manager Primary Health, West - Planning, Funding and Outcomes at Te Whatu Ora, Te Manawa Taki

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Based in either New Plymouth or Hamilton, Permanent Full-time
• Lead the planning, development, and optimisation of a diverse health commissioning portfolio, driving system and service redesign
• Partner with providers, clinicians, and communities to design, procure, and monitor services that deliver high-quality, equitable outcomes

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 Senior Portfolio Manager, Primary Health will cover the Western part of Te Manawa Taki including Taranaki and Waikato districts and provide strategic oversight and management for a key health commissioning contracts and programmes portfolio. You must be based in one of these Western locations.

This role is central to ensuring quality services are available for the population, driving system and service redesign, ensuring health investment delivers maximum impact, and achieving genuine equity in health outcomes for all New Zealanders.

You will be the strategic anchor of your portfolio, responsible for planning, procuring, managing, and monitoring services that align with national and local health priorities.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Strategic Planning: Lead the development and implementation of the portfolio's strategic roadmap, ensuring alignment with Health NZ and government priorities, and driving system/service redesign for improved consumer outcomes.
• Prioritisation: Work with colleagues to determine which services should be prioritised for development, redesign, or decommissioning based on evidence, cost-effectiveness, and strategic alignment.
• Expert Advice: Act as the primary subject matter expert for primary health across your districts, providing high-level strategic direction, analysis, and advice to inform commissioning decisions for services and workforce development.
• Procurement & Negotiation: Lead or support complex procurement processes, including tendering, evaluating bids, and negotiating and managing contracts to ensure services meet specified outcomes, KPIs, and quality standards.
• Performance & Risk: Monitor provider performance, identify areas of underperformance, and work collaboratively with providers and Quality Improvement teams to drive continuous improvement and mitigate critical service risks.
• Reporting: Produce clear, concise reports, business cases, and proposals for funding boards and executive decision-making bodies.
• Co-Design: Lead and partner with internal colleagues and external partners the design and implementation of new integrated models of care and funding solutions.
• Equity: Ensure all planning, procurement, and redesign work reflects our responsibilities to meet Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations and actively improve equity for priority populations.
• Change Leadership: Lead change management processes associated with new investment, disinvestment, and the introduction of integrated models of care.

About you

We are seeking a skilled Senior Portfolio Manager, Primary Health to join our Planning, Funding & Outcomes team (PFO). The PFO team is responsible for the commissioning of all funded primary, community, and mental health services across the Te Manawa Taki region.

You are a driven leader ready to take strategic ownership of a significant portfolio and drive real system change.

You will bring:

• Senior Commissioning Expertise (5-10+ years): Demonstrated senior-level experience leading the development and delivery of service and investment strategies, including the full commissioning lifecycle (planning, procurement, contract management, monitoring).
• System and Service Design: Proven experience in service design methodologies, bringing diverse partners together across the system to implement improvements.
• Strategic Acumen: Strong analytical and conceptual thinking, capable of navigating highly ambiguous and complex system-level challenges and anticipating the financial and long-term impact of decisions.
• Programme Leadership: Demonstrated experience in leading a large work programme, utilising established programme management methodologies to ensure on-time and within-budget delivery.
• Political & Partnering Skills: Highly developed political acumen, negotiation, and influencing skills, with a track record of building and maintaining strong relationships and partnerships across government and the provider sector.
• Commitment to Equity: A strong, demonstrated commitment to improving health outcomes and promoting equitable access to care, with experience in supporting Māori- and Pacific-led initiatives.
• Governance & Reporting: Expertise in the machinery of government processes, including the development of high-quality ministerial briefings and executive reports.
• Qualifications: A relevant tertiary or professional qualification.

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 11:59PM Sunday 22 February 2026.

For further information, please contact Chloe Mercer on Chloe.Mercer@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz.

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.