Head of Department, Haematology - Dunedin

Awanui; Dunedin; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Awanui Labs Dunedin invites applications for Head of Department, Haematology. This senior leadership role combines strong technical expertise with people leadership and financial acumen to drive service quality and efficiency.

Reporting to the Laboratory Manager, you will lead the Haematology team, manage budgets, KPIs and workflows, and collaborate across the Awanui network to deliver outstanding diagnostic services for patients and referrers.

Qualifications

• Registered Medical Laboratory Scientist with Haematology specialty and current Annual Practising Certificate.
• Minimum of five years Haematology experience with strong technical knowledge and bench skills.
• Experience leading and developing a technical or laboratory team with people management experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong technical and operational leadership, ensuring accreditation, quality, and regulatory requirements are met.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team with clear performance expectations.
• Manage workforce planning, rostering, and leave within approved budget.
• Use data to resolve operational issues, improve productivity, and prioritise resources.
• Continuously improve processes and ways of working to increase efficiency and service quality.
• Build relationships across Awanui and with referrers and stakeholders to drive change.
• Balance bench work with management tasks.

Skills

People leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

Process improvement

Problem solving

Regulatory compliance

Education

Medical Laboratory Scientist registration

Tools

Laboratory information systems

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Job description

Head of Department, Haematology

Dunedin

Technical credibility. Strong people leadership. Sound business judgement.

Who we are | Ko wai māto

Awanui Labs Dunedin (previously known as SCL Dunedin) is part of Awanui Group, the largest network of human and veterinary diagnostics laboratories in New Zealand. Awanui has laboratories throughout the country and is committed to providing facilities and services that deliver exceptional care to patients, referrers and clients.

Based at Dunedin Hospital, our laboratory operates seven days a week / 24 hours a day providing a broad range of hospital and community diagnostic testing. The Haematology department, which includes, Flow Cytometry and Coagulation, is a technically advanced service supported by Clinical Haematologists and a skilled team of Medical Laboratory Scientists, Medical Laboratory Technicians and Trainees.

About the role |Ngā kōrero mō te tūranga

We are looking for an accomplished Head of Department to lead our Haematology service in Dunedin. This is a key leadership role requiring a strong combination of technical expertise, people leadership and business acumen.

Reporting to the Laboratory Manager, you will be accountable for the technical, operational, people and financial performance of the department. You will lead a skilled laboratory team, ensure the delivery of high-quality diagnostic services, and continually look for better, more efficient ways of working.

We are looking for someone who does more than manage the day-to-day. You will be a leader who can work through complex problems, make sound decisions, develop capable people and optimise the resources available to you. You will understand the importance of delivering service requirements within the department's approved budgets, and will use workforce planning, productivity, process improvement and good judgement to achieve this.

This is an opportunity to lead an established department while continuing to strengthen how it operates, develops its people and delivers for patients and referrers

What you will be accountable for

• Provide strong technical and operational leadership, ensuring accreditation, quality, contractual and regulatory requirements are consistently met.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing, accountable and service-focused team, including clear performance expectations and ongoing capability development.
• Manage workforce planning, rostering, and leave, ensuring service requirements are delivered within the department's approved budget.
• Use available data to solve operational issues, improve productivity and make sound decisions about resources and priorities.
• Continuously improve processes, methodologies and ways of working to reduce waste, increase efficiency and deliver sustainable service improvements.
• Build strong relationships across Awanui and with referrers and other stakeholders, leading change and improvement initiatives collaboratively.
• This role is split between performing bench work and management tasks.

About you | He kōrero mōu

We are interested in an experienced laboratory professional who has progressed beyond being a strong technical specialist and has developed into a well-rounded operational leader, preferably with previous 2IC experience.

• Registration as a Medical Laboratory Scientist with a specialisation in Haematology and a current Annual Practising Certificate.
• A minimum of five years' Haematology experience, with strong technical knowledge of laboratory protocols, practices and quality systems, in addition to strong bench sill including film morphology.
• Flow Cytometry and Coagulation experience would be advantageous.
• Proven experience leading and developing a technical or laboratory team, with strong people management, performance management and communication skills.
• Strong business and operational acumen, including experience managing budgets, KPIs, workforce resources and service delivery within defined FTE and financial parameters.
• A demonstrated ability to solve problems, identify inefficiencies and implement practical improvements to workflows, productivity, resource utilisation and service quality.
• Sound judgement, change leadership and stakeholder management skills, supported by a good understanding of Health and Safety requirements.
• Proficiency with laboratory information systems and Microsoft suite including Word and Excel.

What’s in it for you | He aha mōu:

You will join a friendly, high-performing and forward-thinking laboratory environment with access to highly automated and technically advanced diagnostic services. This role offers the opportunity to have a genuine impact - not only on the technical performance of the Haematology department, but on its people, culture, efficiency and future direction.

You will also have access to professional development opportunities through Awanui's Learning & Development team and the opportunity to collaborate with technical and operational colleagues across the wider Awanui network.

If you are ready to combine technical expertise, people leadership and commercial thinking.