Charge Nurse Manager - Perioperative

JobSpace; Invercargill City; On-site; NZD 126,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora in Southland is seeking a Senior Registered Nurse to lead the perioperative service. You will supervise staff, mentor the team and collaborate with Nursing Leadership to deliver high-quality surgical care.

You will drive planning, budgeting, risk management and quality improvement, ensuring staffing levels meet patient needs and regulatory standards across the unit. APC registration and post‑graduate qualifications are essential.

Qualifications

• Senior Registered Nurse with 7+ years perioperative nursing experience and proven leadership.
• Post-graduate qualification in Perioperative Nursing, Health Leadership, Management, or related field.
• NZ Nursing registration and APC (Nursing Practising Certificate).
• Experience managing theatre operations and patient flow; leading multidisciplinary perioperative teams.

Responsibilities

• Foster a culture of clinical excellence within allocated resources.
• Lead the perioperative service with unit service planning and staffing.
• Ensure staffing levels meet best practice HR standards.
• Lead and develop assigned staff to maintain a cohesive, productive team.
• Drive communication within the perioperative service for high-quality care.
• Manage budgets and develop risk mitigation strategies for expenditures.
• Develop and manage capital expenditure plans and contribute to quality and risk management programs.
• Lead continuous quality improvement and accreditation efforts within the unit.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Clinical leadership

Communication

Change management

Education

NZ Nursing registration

APC (Nursing Practising Certificate)

Post-graduate perioperative nursing

Health leadership / management

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Salary between $126,124 and $138,057 depending on experience

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

Reporting to the Director of Nursing Southland and supported by the Nurse Manager combined with a tight knit team, you'll foster a culture within the unit that continues to strive for excellence in clinical services. Key accountabilities of this role include strategic leadership, strong partnership skills, staff education, development, and recruitment, along with financial management, production planning, report writing, quality and risk management. Operationally, you will turn your hand to supervision, mentoring, and developing relationships through close liaison with other services both internal and external. This role will have the support of the Nursing Leadership Team locally and regionally.

Tasks include but are not limited to:

• Fostering a culture that strives for excellence in clinical service provision within allocated resources
• Leading and managing the perioperative service to provide efficient and effective services including unit service planning
• Ensuring the unit is appropriately staffed and best practice human resource standards are
• Effectively leading and managing assigned staff in order to develop and maintain a cohesive and productive team.
• Ensuring communication within the perioperative service is highly effective
• Working within budgets for the financial year and in collaboration with the Nurse Manager/Director of Nursing to develop risk mitigation strategies for unexpected expenditure.
• Developing and managing annual and three year capital expenditure plan.
• Contribute and lead unit operational and clinical projects.
• Leading the process of change and instil a continuous quality improvement culture.
• Managing unit quality and risk programmes
• Assisting with leading and managing certification and accreditation within unit

About the Team/Service/Location

Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora - Southern has the largest geographical coverage of all the New Zealand regions, providing services to 350,000 people in diverse communities. We take pride in all the services we provide, and our aim is to improve, promote and protect the health of our region. We believe that our dedicated and passionate staff are a significant driving force behind the achievement of these standards, and we need more like-minded people to help us continue providing for our community.

About You

The role requires strong clinical acumen and clinical leadership, coordination, operational functions, quality and financial performance, human resource management, quality and risk management, and quality, clinical pathway development and other service delivery improvements within the unit.

In addition to the above, you'll be a Senior Registered Nurse with over 7 years of recent Perioperative Nursing experience with proven leadership experience. With the following qualifications, skills and experience:

• Post-graduate qualification in Perioperative Nursing, Health Leadership, Management, or a related clinical field
• NZ Nursing registration and APC.
• Previous experience managing theatre operations and patient flow
• Experience leading multidisciplinary perioperative teams.
• Strong clinical leadership and management skills
• Extensive knowledge of clinical quality and safety, best practice and health sector
• Advanced communication techniques such as conflict resolution, diffusion and mediation skills
• A commitment to biculturalism in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi.
• Demonstrated leadership experience at this level – ability to provide direction, support, coaching and staff development.
• Commitment to providing excellent care for patients and staff.
• Strong accountability for resource management and skills in budget management e.g., Capex, budget, and monthly reconciliation.
• Demonstrated expertise in setting standards and managing practice to achieve these standards.

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.

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