General Manager Medicine & Women’s and Children’s Services

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 newly created executive leadership role has been established to strengthen and future‑proof Medicine and Women’s & Children’s Services across Canterbury. Designed in response to the scale, acuity and complexity of this portfolio, it presents a rare opportunity for a proven General Manager to lead some of the health system’s most critical services.

Reporting directly to the Group Director of Operations Canterbury, you will lead one of the organisation’s largest and most clinically complex portfolios across hospital, community and primary care settings. Positioned at the centre of system performance and transformation, this role blends strategic leadership with hands‑on operational delivery ideal for an experienced leader ready to lead complexity, build capability and influence outcomes at scale.

You will play a critical role in:

• Providing leadership across acute, medical and women’s & children’s services
• Driving safe, sustainable performance across high‑acuity clinical environments
• Improving system flow, access, equity and patient experience
• Strengthening partnerships with senior clinical leaders and system stakeholders
• Drive and deliver sustained performance against agreed Health New Zealand health targets.
• Translating strategy into measurable outcomes across the care continuum

The Medicine and Women’s & Children’s Group is responsible for:

• Oncology and Haematology services
• Women’s and Children’s services, including maternity, neonates, paediatrics, child development and women’s surgical services
• General Medicine inpatient and outpatient services
• Critical and acute services including ICU, ED / AMAU, Retrieval, Hyperbaric Services, Pharmacy and Medical Physics
• Cancer screening, treatment and support services, with a strong focus on patient flow and system performance

About You

This is a role for a confident, credible leader who thrives in complexity, leads with calm authority, and is motivated by improving outcomes for patients, whānau and communities.

You are a senior health care leader with the strategic maturity to operate at system level. You bring strong operational and commercial capability, underpinned by a people‑centred leadership style and the ability to partner effectively with senior clinicians.

Essential:

• Postgraduate qualification in leadership/management and a health‑related tertiary qualification
• Senior health leadership experience (8+ years), including leading large, multidisciplinary teams
• Proven financial, budget and performance management capability
• Strong business, planning and service optimisation expertise
• Inspiring, collaborative leader who delivers results through others
• Strategic thinker, resilient and outcomes‑focused
• Trusted partner to clinical leaders and senior executives

Desirable:

• Experience as a Service Manager, Operations Manager or General Manager
• Understanding of NZ health sector policy, system pressures and political context
• Strong digital capability and organisational insight

Working at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and values‑led workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We strongly encourage applications from Māori, Pacific, disabled and rainbow communities, and from leaders who share our commitment to equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

For a confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact Kelly Randall at Kelly.randall@cdhb.health.nz

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

Position description Apply now

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