Lead Hand Therapist

Habit Health; Wellington; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development budget

Registration & APC fee reimbursements

Pool vehicles

Clinical mentorship

Career progression

Team events

Well-being program

Job summary

Habit Health in Wellington is seeking a Lead Hand Therapist to lead our hand therapy clinic and mentor a talented team. You will maintain an active clinical caseload while guiding therapists, supporting staff development, and optimizing clinic operations to deliver outstanding client outcomes.

The role requires registration as a Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist, a current APC, and Hand Therapy NZ membership, with 5+ years of hand therapy experience and postgraduate qualification

Qualifications

• Registered hand therapist with NZ professional board
• Current Annual Practising Certificate
• Membership with Hand Therapy New Zealand
• 5+ years of hand therapy clinical experience
• Postgraduate qualifications pursued/completed
• Strong ACC rehabilitation knowledge
• Excellent clinical reasoning and report writing
• Passion for mentoring and developing others

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day clinical environment in the Wellington hand therapy clinic
• Maintain an active clinical caseload and deliver high-quality hand therapy services
• Provide mentoring, coaching, peer review, and clinical support to therapists
• Support staff development, induction, and ongoing training initiatives
• Monitor clinic capacity and assist with triage and allocation of work
• Build relationships with ACC, referrers, employers, insurers, and community stakeholders
• Support accreditation requirements and continuous quality improvement initiatives
• Promote integrated rehabilitation solutions across Habit Health’s services
• Contribute to a positive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture

Skills

Hand therapy

Mentoring

Leadership

Communication

Clinical reasoning

Case management

Education

Registration as Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist

Annual Practising Certificate

Hand Therapy NZ membership

Postgraduate qualifications (pursuing/completed)

Job description

Description:

Habit Health is seeking a Lead Hand Therapist to join our Wellington team. This is an exciting opportunity for an advanced practitioner who is passionate about clinical excellence, mentoring others, and helping shape the delivery of high-quality hand therapy services.

In this role, you'll combine a rewarding clinical caseload with leadership responsibilities, supporting the development of therapists, strengthening clinic operations, and driving outstanding client outcomes. You'll play a key role in fostering a collaborative team culture while ensuring our Wellington clinic continues to deliver best-practice rehabilitation services.

About Habit Health

At Habit Health, our purpose is to support people in their community to optimise health and live their best life. We provide integrated health services that support people on both physical and mental health journeys, helping them restore function, gain independence, and achieve meaningful outcomes.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading the day-to-day clinical environment within the Wellington hand therapy clinic
• Maintaining an active clinical caseload and delivering high-quality hand therapy services
• Providing mentoring, coaching, peer review, and clinical support to therapists
• Supporting staff development, induction, and ongoing training initiatives
• Monitoring clinic capacity and assisting with triage and allocation of work
• Building strong relationships with ACC, referrers, employers, insurers, and community stakeholders
• Supporting accreditation requirements and continuous quality improvement initiatives
• Promoting integrated rehabilitation solutions across Habit Health's service offerings
• Contributing to a positive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture

What You'll Bring

• Registration as a Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist with the appropriate New Zealand professional board
• Current Annual Practising Certificate
• Membership with Hand Therapy New Zealand
• At least 5 years of clinical experience in hand therapy or a closely aligned setting
• Postgraduate qualifications completed or currently being worked towards
• Strong ACC rehabilitation knowledge and experience
• Excellent clinical reasoning and report writing skills
• A passion for mentoring and developing others
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building abilities

Why Join Habit Health?

• Annual budget set aside for professional development / study
• Reimbursements for all registration and APC fees
• Access to pool vehicles for business needs
• Active manager feedback and clinical mentorship aimed at growth and excellence
• Permanent full-time/part- time role with clear career progression
• Great team culture with regular social events, weekly treats, award schemes
• Well-being initiatives: annual eye exam, flu vaccination, access to EAP services

If you're an experienced Hand Therapist looking for a role where you can make a greater impact through leadership, mentoring, and clinical excellence, we'd love to hear from you. For a copy of the Position Description, visit our careers page (www.habit.health/careers). If you want to get in touch directly, you can email Madison at [e-mail]. When doing so, please quote the job reference number and location.

Please note: overseas applicants will only be considered if they are already registered and approved to practise as a Hand Therapist in New Zealand. Applicants who do not hold current New Zealand registration will not be considered for this position.