Principal Advisor Regional Performance & Improvement

Te Whatu Ora; Christchurch; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora in Canterbury is seeking a Principal Advisor, Regional Performance & Improvement to lead regional performance reporting, translate targets into plans and provide insights to support decisions. You will develop high-quality reports and executive briefings while identifying trends, risks and opportunities to drive continuous improvement across the Northern region.

You will work with regional teams to enable informed decisions and to advance equitable health

Qualifications

• 5–10 years' experience in performance monitoring, reporting, analysis or advisory role.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to translate data into insights.
• Experience preparing reports, briefings or strategic advice for senior leaders.
• Ability to identify risks, opportunities and drive improvements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead timely, accurate regional performance reports for executive leadership and governance groups.
• Support development and implementation of regional planning aligned with national targets.
• Analyse performance data and translate findings into clear insights and recommendations.
• Identify risks and opportunities and support corrective actions.
• Build strong relationships across regional and national teams to ensure consistent reporting and decision-making.
• Identify opportunities to improve reporting systems and data quality.

Skills

Performance reporting

Data analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Executive briefing

Cross-organisational collaboration

Te Tiriti o Waitangi understanding

Job description

Principal Advisor Regional Performance & Improvement

• Lead regional performance reporting and provide insights to support better decision-making.
• Work with the regional team to drive delivery against health targets and key priorities.
• Use data and analysis to identify opportunities, manage risks and improve health outcomes.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is the country's largest employer, delivering universal public healthcare to more than 5 million New Zealanders across over 80 locations.

About the role

As Principal Advisor, Regional Performance & Improvement, you'll play a key role in supporting the Northern region's performance planning, monitoring and reporting. Working closely with regional teams, you'll help translate health targets and strategic priorities into clear plans, track progress and provide meaningful insights to support regional decision-making.

You'll lead the development of high-quality performance reports and executive-level briefings, ensuring information is accurate, timely and clearly presented. You'll also identify emerging trends, risks and opportunities, helping leaders make informed decisions and drive continuous improvement across the region.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the preparation of timely, accurate and insightful performance reports for executive leadership and governance groups.
• Supporting the development and implementation of regional planning and performance frameworks aligned with national health targets and priorities.
• Analysing performance data and translating findings into clear insights, recommendations and advice.
• Identifying emerging issues, risks and barriers to performance, and supporting appropriate responses and corrective actions.Building strong relationships across regional and national teams to support consistent reporting, planning and decision-making.
• Identifying opportunities to improve reporting systems, data quality and performance processes.
• Ensuring regional reporting aligns with national expectations and reflects the needs and priorities of our communities.

This is an opportunity to use your performance, reporting and analytical expertise to influence regional priorities and support improvements across the health system.

About you

You'll be an experienced performance and reporting professional who can confidently work with complex information, identify what matters and turn data into meaningful insights. You're comfortable engaging with senior leaders and stakeholders, providing sound advice and working collaboratively across teams to achieve shared outcomes.

What you'll bring to the role

• 5–10 years' experience in performance monitoring, reporting, analysis or a similar advisory role.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data, identify trends and translate findings into clear, compelling insights.
• Experience preparing high-quality reports, briefings, business cases or strategic advice for senior leaders.
• The ability to use data and evidence to identify risks, opportunities and areas for improvement, influencing decision-making at an organisational or system level.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to a range of audiences.
• Experience building and maintaining effective relationships with senior stakeholders and working across different teams and organisations.
• Experience developing partnerships across sectors, including with Māori and Pacific Peoples and communities.
• Strong planning, organisation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver results.
• A collaborative and adaptable approach, with a commitment to continuous improvement and professional development.
• An understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how to apply its principles meaningfully in your work.

This is a great opportunity to contribute to meaningful regional work and help shape how performance is monitored, understood and improved across the health system. You'll work alongside regional leaders and teams, using data and insights to support better decisions and more equitable health outcomes for our communities.

Working for Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is committed to delivering excellent healthcare for all New Zealanders. We embrace diversity and inclusion so that our workforce reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

We're also committed to creating an environment where people can bring their ideas, challenge the way things are done and continuously improve how we work.

Job details

Job Reference:

Job Reference: HNZ/1955173

Location:

South Island - Canterbury - Christchurch