Clinical Team Leader - Spring Hill Corrections Facility

New Zealand Government; Waikato; On-site; NZD 116,000 - 127,000; Full time

Job summary

Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Department of Corrections) seeks a Clinical Team Leader for a 12-month secondment starting January 2027 to lead our health centre team and drive high-quality, culturally responsive care. You’ll provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and clinical guidance to support wahine in our care.

You’ll work with the Health Centre Manager on rostering, reporting, and coordinating referrals, while championing Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and partnerships with Māori, whānau, and

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with current Nursing Council of NZ registration.
• Advanced nursing leadership experience.
• Experience liaising to develop and deliver services.
• Strong Te Tiriti o Waitangi knowledge and Māori health focus.
• Commitment to professional and ethical clinical care for offender health needs.
• Excellent communication and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership and coaching to the health centre team.
• Rostering, clinical reporting, and performance coaching.
• Coordinate health referrals and ongoing care with external providers.
• Ensure culturally safe practice aligned with He Whānau values.
• Address wahine concerns with empathy and integrity.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Coaching

Stakeholder liaison

Cultural competence

Team rostering

Job description

Mō te tūnga | About the role

This is a 12-month fixed-term secondment opportunity commencing 5 January 2027, providing an opportunity for an experienced clinical leader to further develop their leadership capability while making a meaningful difference to the health outcomes of wahine in our care. As Clinical Team Leader, you'll provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, support, and clinical guidance to our health centre team. Drawing on your advanced nursing expertise and leadership experience, you'll play a key role in fostering a high-performing, culturally safe clinical environment that delivers quality care and supports positive health outcomes. Working closely with the Health Centre Manager, you'll help ensure the smooth and effective operation of the health centre. You'll model professional and culturally responsive practice, championing Humanising and Healing principles while recognising the dignity and inherent mana of those in our management. Your ability to exercise sound professional judgement and support the team with complex clinical situations will be highly valued. You'll also act as a key point of contact for wahine in our care who raise concerns or complaints, ensuring issues are managed with empathy, professionalism, and integrity. The role includes responsibility for team rostering, clinical reporting, and collaboration with external providers to coordinate health referrals and ongoing care. You'll have opportunities to strengthen partnerships and contribute to service improvement initiatives that support the delivery of safe, effective healthcare within a unique environment. This position operates on a Monday to Sunday roster, with participation in an on-call roster as required. Professional registration is required. Applicants are asked to apply using the name that appears on their registration record with the relevant professional body. Please ensure your application details align with your registration to avoid delays during verification. Download the position description from the application page for further information about the role.

Mōu | About you

If you're motivated by this leadership opportunity and if you align with our kaupapa then we want to hear from you.

• Registered Nurse who holds a current Nursing Council of New Zealand Annual Practising Certificate
• Demonstrates advanced knowledge and expertise in nursing, combined with leadership experience
• Experience with successful liaison in the development and delivery of services
• Strong cultural competence - understands the Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its application and has cultural knowledge and experience of working with and for Māori, whānau and iwi.
• A proven commitment to providing professional and ethical clinical care that is focussed on meeting offender health needs.
• Empathetic communication and relationship management skills;
• Report writing capability combined with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

As the successful candidate, you will hold registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand and hold a current New Zealand Annual Practising Certificate. Your role requires a foundation in strong cultural competence, encompassing an understanding of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its application, along with cultural knowledge and experience in working with and for Māori, whānau, and iwi. Experience, qualifications, and registration in New Zealand is required. Preference will be given to candidates who have proven experience working within the New Zealand healthcare system, hold relevant New Zealand qualifications, and are currently registered with the appropriate regulatory bodies. This will ensure a smoother integration into our workforce and a deeper understanding of the local context and standards of care.

Ngā painga | The benefits

• The full salary range is $116,306 - $126,599.
• Appointment and remuneration will reflect clinical competency, skills, and experience relevant to the role.

Ko wai mātou | About us

Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Department of Corrections) Pae Ora leads the delivery of patient-focused primary health and mental health care services to tangata within corrections facilities across Aotearoa. Join Ara Poutama Aotearoa, where your work will contribute to improving public safety, reducing re-offending, and address the overrepresentation of Māori in correctional facilities. As a values-led organisation, we use the principles of rangatira (leadership), manaaki (respect), wairua (spirituality), kaitiaki (guardianship), and whānau (relationships) to guide our work and achieve the goals of our Hōkai Rangi strategy. We value inclusion and diversity in our workforce, and as a Public Service organisation we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the public we serve. We strive to make our recruitment process fair, and we encourage you to discuss reasonable accommodations with us if required. You can find out more about us here.