Head of School, Nursing

Eastern Institute of Technology; Napier; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Eastern Institute of Technology in Napier is seeking a permanent, full-time Head of School - Nursing to lead the School of Nursing across Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti, commencing January 2027. The role provides strategic, academic and operational leadership for undergraduate, post-registration and postgraduate programmes, delivering high-quality nursing education.

The appointee will work with academic staff, students, professional bodies and health sector partners to ensure programme quality,

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Lead development and implementation of the School of Nursing Annual Plan and performance objectives.
• Provide leadership and support for academic staff and students across programmes.
• Build relationships with healthcare providers, professional bodies and external stakeholders.
• Ensure programme quality, accreditation, moderation and regulatory compliance.
• Manage School resources, budgets and staffing to achieve objectives.
• Support curriculum innovation and programme development.
• Lead recruitment, performance development and people leadership within the School.
• Develop stakeholder engagement and partnership opportunities.
• Support research strategy and scholarly activity across the School.
• Promote a culture of quality, learner success, equity and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership experience

Curriculum development

Teaching and programme development

Stakeholder engagement

Quality assurance & accreditation

Nursing practice experience

Relationship-building

Te Tiriti o Waitangi / cultural safety

Regulatory understanding

Education

Postgraduate qualification

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 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.

He kōrero mōu | About You

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.
• Extensive nursing practice experience.
• 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.

As an inclusive and supportive employer, we value diversity and want to encourage anyone interested to apply, regardless of whether you tick all the boxes or not. We know that people from underrepresented groups and women in particular don't apply for roles if they're not a 100% match, but we're not looking for perfection, we're looking for potential. We want to see the real you in your application and welcome the real you on board if you come and work with us. Skills are gained across many areas of life, not just in formal employment. If you can demonstrate the skills listed in the advert, but the experience was gained through whānau life, community or mahi aroha (volunteering) we encourage you to apply and share your story with us in your Cover Letter. For more information, please view the Position Description below.

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.