Major Incident Manager

New Zealand Government; New Zealand; Remote; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking an experienced Major Incident Manager to lead the swift restoration of essential digital services across a 24/7 national environment. You will chair Situation Rooms, coordinate technical teams and stakeholders, and drive rapid resolution with structured incident management practices.

Responsibilities include post-incident reviews, root cause analysis, and long-term corrective actions, collaborating with Digital Operations and external partners to

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in ICT operations and service management environments.
• Proven track record in Major Incident Management or leading Situation Rooms.
• Strong understanding and practical application of ITIL principles.
• Experience in problem management including root cause analysis and corrective actions.

Responsibilities

• Lead major incident responses in a 24/7 national environment.
• Coordinate Situation Room activities with technical teams and stakeholders.
• Drive root cause analysis and implement long-term corrective actions.
• Oversee post-incident reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Major Incident Management

Situation Rooms

ITIL principles

Problem management

Stakeholder management

Clear communication

Conflict resolution

Job description

Work anywhere in New Zealand * Permanent, full time role. Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is the country's largest employer, delivering universal public healthcare to 5 million New Zealanders. We provide essential hospital, specialist, and community health services across 80+ locations - from large urban centres to rural towns and remote communities. Our goal is to improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders by delivering equitable, accessible and innovative care.

About the Role

The Major Incident Manager is a critical technology leadership role responsible for ensuring the swift, coordinated restoration of essential digital services across a 24 / 7 national environment. Acting as the central point of control during major incidents, you will lead Situation Room activities, bringing together technical teams and stakeholders to resolve issues efficiently and with minimal disruption- particularly across high-priority clinical systems. This role demands confident decision-making, clear communication, and the ability to coordinate diverse resources in fast-moving, high-pressure situations, while maintaining structured processes and consistency in incident management practices. Beyond real-time incident response, you will play a key role in strengthening and maturing major incident management capabilities. This includes leading post-incident reviews, driving root cause analysis, and implementing long-term corrective actions through effective problem management. You will work closely with Digital Operations leadership, internal teams, and external partners to ensure alignment with organisational priorities, while championing collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. Participation in an on-call roster is required as part of this nationally delivered service.

About the Team / Service / Location

The Major Incident Management service operates as a nationally delivered, 24 / 7 function at the heart of Digital Services, ensuring the reliability and resilience of critical technology systems that support frontline healthcare. The team works in close partnership with Digital Operations, internal service teams, third-party vendors, and clinical stakeholders to provide a coordinated and consistent response to major incidents. With well-established processes and structured ways of working, the service fosters a highly collaborative environment focused on continuous improvement, innovation, and knowledge sharing. Grounded in a strong commitment to equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the team also works alongside Hauora Māori and Pacific Health partners to ensure services are responsive to the needs and aspirations of all communities.

About you

You are an experienced ICT professional with a strong background in operations and service management, and a proven ability to lead major incident responses in high-pressure environments. Comfortable taking the lead in Situation Rooms, you rely on personal authority, clear thinking, and confident decision-making to guide teams toward rapid service restoration. You communicate complex technical issues in a clear, audience-appropriate way and handle conflict with professionalism and composure. With a solid understanding of ITIL and problem management practices, you are equally focused on long-term improvements as you are on immediate resolution. You bring a collaborative mindset, build strong relationships across diverse stakeholders, and are committed to continuous personal and professional growth. A genuine understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its application in practice, along with a strong sense of accountability, integrity, and care for health and safety, will set you up for success in this role.

To succeed in this role, you will bring :

• Extensive experience in ICT operations and service management environments
• Proven track record in Major Incident Management or leading Situation Rooms
• Strong understanding and practical application of ITIL principles
• Experience in problem management, including root cause analysis and corrective actions
• Ability to lead and influence using personal authority, including in complex stakeholder settings
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex issues for different audiences
• Demonstrated resilience, sound judgement, and confidence in managing conflict and high-pressure situations

Working for Health New Zealand Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.