Bowel Screening Programme Manager

North Island - Hawkes Bay Hastings; Hastings; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Hawke's Bay seeks a proactive Programme Manager to lead the National Bowel Screening Programme in Hawke's Bay and ensure timely progression from positive FIT to diagnosis. You will work with gastroenterology, surgery, imaging, and nursing leadership to deliver high-quality, equitable care.

You will drive performance reporting, engage Māori and Pacific communities, and collaborate with governance groups to implement service improvements across the region.

Qualifications

• Diploma or Degree in Health Management (or equivalent).
• Experience with programme management including reporting against performance and budget.
• Knowledge of Quality Improvement and Risk Mitigation.
• Understanding population health and screening programmes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the National Bowel Screening Programme and coordinate across Hawke's Bay.
• Drive equitable access and outcomes for Māori, Pacific peoples, and deprived communities.
• Report on programme indicators and work with NBSP governance groups.
• Collaborate with clinical leaders and support teams to deliver high-quality services.

Skills

Leadership

Programme management

Budget reporting

Quality improvement

Equity focus

Māori engagement

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-informed decision making

Education

Health Management degree or diploma

Job description

• This is a unique opportunity to lead a nationally significant health programme while making a measurable difference to cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and equitable health outcomes across Hawke's Bay.

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

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Bowel Screening Programme Manager to be responsible and accountable for the overall management of the National Bowel Screening Programme and coordination across the Hawke's Bay District. The role will provide leadership and support to the team members and patients to ensure all patients with a positive FIT bowel screening result are progressed to investigation and diagnosis.

A key focus of the role is ensuring equitable access and outcomes for patients that identify as Māori, Pacific Island or who are identified as deprivation 9 and 10. The role will drive, support and report on Ministry of Health programme indicators and work with the Te Whatu Ora Te Matau a Maui (Hawke's Bay) NBSP Governance Group and Endoscopy User Group to facilitate improvement as and where required.

About the Team/Service/ Location

Our Surgery & Electives team is dedicated to providing high-quality care across a range of specialties. You will work closely with clinical leaders, clinicians including: Gastroenterologists, General and Colorectal Surgeons, Imaging, Labs and Nursing leaders and operational colleagues to support the efficient delivery of services.

You will also work in partnership with all service leads and cluster leaders to provide a coordinated programme that is committed to delivering high-quality patient care and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Based at Hawke's Bay Fallen Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Hastings, this role sits within Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Te Matau a Māui, Hawke's Bay. Our region offers an exceptional lifestyle with stunning beaches, world-class wineries, outdoor recreation, and a strong sense of community. It is an ideal place to build both a rewarding career and a balanced lifestyle.

About you

You are a proactive and experienced operational leader who is comfortable working in a complex and fast-paced healthcare environment. You bring strong leadership capability and the ability to work collaboratively with clinical and operational teams to support high-quality service delivery.

You are confident navigating competing priorities, using data to inform decision-making, and driving improvements that enhance patient experience and service performance. You have a strong understanding of healthcare operations and are committed to supporting teams to deliver safe, efficient, and equitable care.

You will be a relationship-focused leader who values collaboration, communication, and transparency. You will work closely with clinical leaders, clinicians and operational colleagues to ensure services run effectively and that teams feel supported and empowered.

You will ideally have:

• Relevant professional qualification, Diploma or Degree in Health Management (or equivalent)
• Leadership and management skills and knowledge
• Previous programme management experience including reporting against performance and budget
• Knowledge of Quality Improvement and Risk Mitigation.
• Knowing of population health and screening programmes.
• Quality Improvement skills and knowledge
• Experience as a Manager and/or Leader within the Health Sector
• Demonstrable experience in leading a multi-disciplinary clinical team operating in a pan-organisational capacity
• The ability to engage effectively with Māori consumers (patients/families/whanau)
• Demonstrated ability to apply equity and the Treaty of Waitangi within the service
• Ability to work flexibly, and with a willingness to perform a variety of tasks to promote and support Te Matau a Māui \ Hawkes Bay initiatives.
• Experience of preparing complex reports and analysing performance data.
• Demonstrated experience managing stakeholder relationships across the organisation.
• High organisational skills with strong planning and prioritisation skills
• A commitment to patient-centred care and continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication and relationship management abilities.

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.