Programme Lead - Regional Rural, Primary and Urgent

• West Coast, Greymouth
• Te Waipounamu Rural Training Hub
• Permanent, full-time role (40 hours per week)

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.

Are you a strategic programme leader with strong health, education and community connections and a passion for strengthening the rural health workforce?

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking an experienced Programme Lead - Regional Rural, Primary and Urgent (Te Waipounamu) to lead the regional implementation and delivery of nationally supported health workforce programmes, projects and plans across rural, primary and urgent care.

About the role

This is a regional role focused on strengthening the health system workforce across Te Waipounamu, particularly in rural, primary and urgent care settings outside of the Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora organisation.

A key priority will be establishing the Te Waipounamu Rural Training Hub, bringing together local education and health agencies to co-design a connected community of health education and training. You will work closely with regional workforce development initiatives and national bodies, including the Rural Health National Clinical Network.

You will also play a key role in delivering workforce initiatives such as:

• strengthening integrated rural generalist training opportunities across Te Waipounamu Supporting entry into rural practice
• increasing rural hospital medicine specialist training and support
• developing primary care pathways for house officers
• supporting RMIP and RHIP programmes
• expanding rural clinical placements for medical students from new and existing medical schools
• supporting multidisciplinary and inter-professional workforce development across rural communities
• supporting initiatives that attract and retain skilled health professionals in rural communities.

Working as part of the Workforce Planning and Development team, you will connect regional and national workforce priorities and bring together health, education, MSD, Iwi, local government and community partners to deliver sustainable workforce solutions.

About the role - Leadership and relationships

You will provide senior regional leadership across complex programmes of work, ensuring initiatives are well planned, effectively implemented and focused on achieving measurable outcomes.

You will:

• lead and coordinate regional programme implementation across rural, primary and urgent care
• build strong relationships with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora workforce and clinical leaders, education providers, local government and wider health system partners
• establish and maintain effective partnerships to support the Rural Training Hub and wider workforce initiatives
• provide strategic and tactical advice, progress reporting and monitoring
• identify and proactively manage risks, issues and implementation challenges
• drive innovative and forward-thinking approaches to regional workforce development
• ensure strong connections between workforce planning, programme development, funding and implementation
• influence and build consensus across groups with differing priorities and perspectives
• contribute to collective leadership within the Workforce Planning and Development team
• bring together local education providers, health services, iwi, and rural communities to co-design a connected community of health education and training.
• ensure workforce initiatives reflect equity, inclusion and our responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• role model Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora values and contribute to a positive and collaborative culture.

About you

You will be an experienced programme or project leader who is comfortable operating across complex environments and bringing people together to achieve shared outcomes.

You will have:

• a relevant tertiary qualification and/or significant health sector planning and delivery experience
• extensive local and regional relationships across health, education and local government
• strong existing relationships across the West Coast and engagement with the key groups required to establish and sustain the Rural Training Hub
• proven experience leading and delivering programmes of work in complex and changing environments
• a strong interest in pastoral care, learner support and academic mentoring
• the ability to build consensus and achieve decisions across groups with differing views
• excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• a strong understanding of and commitment to ensuring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is central to this work.

It would also be advantageous to have:

• sound judgement, discretion and the ability to work effectively under pressure
• excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience engaging senior stakeholders, agency executives and Ministers
• advanced knowledge and experience within the New Zealand health and/or education sectors.

Join us

This is a unique opportunity to influence the future of rural, primary and urgent care workforce development across Te Waipounamu.

You will be at the centre of bringing health, education and community partners together to create innovative workforce solutions that support rural communities and improve access to quality healthcare.

If you are a collaborative and strategic programme leader who can build strong partnerships, navigate complexity and turn workforce strategy into action, we would love to hear from you.

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 Sunday, 20 September 2026. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Kerri McCarthy [email protected]

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