Team Leader Occupational Therapist - CDS

• Fixed Term full time (1.0FTE), parental leave cover starting January 2026 through to January 2027
• Hours of work are Monday - Friday 0800 -1630
• Registration with the NZ Occupational Therapy Board and an Annual Practicing Certificate is essential

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we're building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence.

About the role

The Child Development Service (CDS) are a community based team of allied health professionals who are passionate about improving the health outcomes of children with developmental delays or disabilities. 

The Allied Health Team Leader - Occupational Therapy Child Development Service is responsible to support a team of 16 Occupational Therapists on a day to day basis. 

As the Allied Health Team Leader - Occupational Therapy you will:

• Provide day-to-day management of the Occupational Therapy team at Child Development Service, including capacity planning and co-ordination, allocation of staff or students, and leave management
• Offer basic HR advice and referral pathways for escalation when required; and conduct success and development and performance management processes, alongside Clinical Manager
• Provide professional leadership and supervision of clinical activity and practice, through provision of expert clinical advice, consultation and support to clinical practitioners, while working within professional or occupational policies and be accountable for own professional actions
• Support triage of new referrals, respond to queries and manage the Occupational Therapy waiting list
• Manage a clinical case load and direct delivery of services

About You

We are seeking an enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to join us in this fixed term leadership position, if you are passionate about paediatric health and have the below skills and experience, we want to hear from you! 

Essential skills and experience:

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy
• Registration with the NZOTB and a current Annual Practising Certificate
  
• Minimum 5 years of clinical work experience in Paediatric Occupational Therapy 
• Experience with clinical teaching/supervision, training and development of staff
• Competency with te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reo Māori or a commitment to starting your journey and taking ownership of your learning and growth
• This role will also be required to provide direct clinical care as appropriate to the needs of the service area

Working for Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is 'the weaving of wellnesses'. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The Equity Work Programme at Health NZ focuses on helping everyone in the health system think about equity when they do their work. It also promotes the cultural change needed for the whole system to reach equity in health outcomes.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations.

We particularly welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

How to Apply

To view the position description and/or apply for the role please click “apply now” on our careers page. All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal before 11:59pm on Wednesday 3rd September. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Alex Jay at Alexandra.jay@tewhatuora.govt.nz