Head Of School, Nursing

Qjumpers; Hawke's Bay; On-site; NZD 107,000 - 131,000; Full time

Job summary

Qjumpers is seeking a permanent, full‑time Head of School - Nursing to lead the School of Nursing across Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti, starting January 2027. You will provide strategic, academic and operational leadership for undergraduate, post-registration and postgraduate nursing programmes.

The appointing salary starts from $119,000 and will depend on skills and experience. You will drive school performance, quality assurance, and engagement with health sector partners to achieve learner

Qualifications

• Proven leadership and management experience.
• Teaching and programme development in undergraduate and/or postgraduate nursing or health science education.
• Knowledge of curriculum development within nursing education frameworks.
• Strong understanding of quality assurance, accreditation and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of the School of Nursing Annual Plan and achievement of performance objectives.
• Provide leadership and support for academic staff and students across undergraduate, post-registration and postgraduate nursing programmes.
• Build and maintain relationships with healthcare providers, professional bodies and external stakeholders.
• Ensure programme quality, accreditation, moderation and compliance with Nursing Council and NZQA requirements.
• Manage School resources, budgets and staffing to achieve objectives.
• Support curriculum innovation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead recruitment, performance development, mentoring and people leadership within the School.
• Develop stakeholder engagement and partnership opportunities.
• Support research strategy and scholarly activity across the School of Nursing.
• Promote quality culture, learner success, equity, cultural safety and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Curriculum development

Stakeholder engagement

Quality assurance

Staff development

Teaching experience

Education

Postgraduate qualification

NZ Registered Nurse with APC

Job description

We are seeking a permanent, full-time Head of School - Nursing to lead our School of Nursing across Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti, commencing employment in January 2027.

This pivotal leadership role provides strategic, academic and operational leadership for the School of Nursing, ensuring the delivery of high-quality nursing education across undergraduate, post-registration and postgraduate programmes. Working closely with academic staff, students, professional bodies, health sector partners and community stakeholders, you will lead the achievement of strategic objectives, support programme quality and accreditation requirements, and foster an environment of excellence, innovation and learner success.

The appointing salary for this role will be starting from $119,000 dependent on skills and experience.

The Head of School, Nursing reports to the Executive Dean, Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Sciences and will be responsible for:

• Leading the development and implementation of the School of Nursing Annual Plan and achievement of performance objectives.
• Providing leadership and support for academic staff and students across undergraduate, post-registration and postgraduate nursing programmes.
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with healthcare providers, professional bodies and external stakeholders.
• Ensuring programme quality, accreditation, moderation and compliance with Nursing Council and NZQA requirements.
• Managing School resources, budgets and staffing to achieve organisational objectives.
• Supporting curriculum innovation, programme development and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Leading recruitment, performance development, mentoring and people leadership activities within the School.
• Developing and maintaining effective stakeholder engagement and partnership opportunities.
• Supporting research strategy and scholarly activity across the School of Nursing.
• Promoting a culture of quality, learner success, equity, cultural safety and continuous improvement.

To be successful in this role you will have:

• Current New Zealand Registered Nurse status with a current Annual Practising Certificate.
• A relevant postgraduate qualification or equivalent level of knowledge.
• Proven leadership and management experience.
• Teaching and programme development experience in undergraduate and/or postgraduate nursing or health science education.
• Knowledge and experience of curriculum development within nursing education frameworks.
• Strong understanding of quality assurance, accreditation and regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to inspire, lead and develop high-performing teams.
• Excellent relationship-building skills with staff, students, industry and community stakeholders.
• A commitment to cultural safety, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, equity and learner success.

Applicants should have NZ residency or a valid NZ work visa and will undergo pre-employment checks, including a New Zealand Police vet as this role is identified as a children’s worker.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and this may close early if a suitable candidate is identified.

Head of School, Nursing Napier - Hawkes Bay