Project Manager

North Island - Taranaki New Plymouth; New Plymouth; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora in Taranaki is seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead healthcare projects from planning to delivery. You will coordinate with clinicians, service managers, and stakeholders to ensure projects align with regional and national health priorities.

The role requires balancing strategic planning with hands-on coordination across rural services and Taranaki Base Hospital, with a focus on improving patient outcomes and service efficiency.

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex projects in clinical or health service environments.
• Knowledge of PRINCE2, Agile or Lean with strong planning and risk management.
• Ability to engage stakeholders including iwi, community partners and leadership.
• Solid understanding of NZ health system and equity-focused care.
• Experience in service design or quality improvement in health settings.
• Strong analytical thinking and clear communication to lead change.

Responsibilities

• Plan and scope projects, keep timelines, create and mitigate risks, and ensure alignment with Health NZ’s strategic goals.
• Engage with clinicians, service managers and stakeholders to review progress and plan new projects.
• Support colleagues on continuous improvements as part of clinical roles and across services.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Change leadership

Data-informed decision making

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

PRINCE2

Agile

Lean

Job description

• 1.0 FTE (parttime or fulltime will be considered)
• Taranaki Base Hospital

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the Role

A typical day in the life of a project manager at Te Whatu Ora in Taranaki is fast-paced, collaborative, and deeply rooted in the regions commitment to delivering quality healthcare. The day often involves conversations with clinicians, service managers, and stakeholders reviewing the progress of active projects, to plan new projects and to provide support to colleagues who may be supporting projects and continuous improvements as part of their clinical roles.

The project manager is responsible for planning and scoping, keeping timelines on track, creating, mitigating risks, and ensuring alignment with Health New Zealands broader strategic goals. With services spanning rural services to Taranaki Base Hospital, the work demands both a system-wide perspective and attention to localised needs.

Throughout the day, the project manager may move between planning sessions for new service designs as well as responding to emerging issues from existing projects. They regularly engage with data and frontline feedback to assess whether improvements are delivering tangible benefits, whether it's shorter wait times, improved coordination, or better outcomes for patients. A critical function of the project manager is stakeholder and relationship management, drawing out their expertise and ideas and keeping them engaged and informed about progress.

The role is a balancing act between long-term strategic thinking and hands-on coordination, requiring strong communication, cultural understanding, and agility to work across diverse clinical environments and community contexts unique to Taranaki.

The Project Manager operates as part of the Hospital and Specialist Services (HSS) team coordinating, driving and supporting services and teams from across Te Whatu Ora Taranaki to deliver projects focussed on achieving high quality clinical outcomes and service efficiency and effectiveness.

For more information on living and working in Taranaki click here

About you

As a Project Manager you understand the science and art involved in managing projects well. You also know that no two projects are ever the same. Alongside your professional experience you will be a strategic planner, a lateral thinking and someone who is used to being agile and creative. You value data, evidence, the expertise of your colleagues and know that a successful project requires a team approach. You will have excellent written and oral communication skills and be comfortable working at all levels of the organisation and community. You are a quick thinker and have the ability to manage multi projects whilst maintaining quality and meeting deadlines. You love the unknown and are always up for a new challenge.

Proven Project Experience

Demonstrated success leading complex projects in clinical or health service environments.

Project Management Expertise

Skilled in recognised methodologies such as PRINCE2, Agile, or Lean, with strong planning, budgeting, and risk management abilities.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

Exceptional interpersonal skills to engage clinical teams, iwi, community partners, and executive leadership effectively.

Health System Knowledge

Solid understanding of New Zealands health sector, including Health NZ priorities, Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations, and equity-focused care.

Service Design & Improvement

Background in service redesign, quality improvement, or innovation within health settings is highly desirable.

Leadership & Communication Skills

Strong analytical thinking, clear communication, and the ability to lead change in complex, fast-paced environments.

Working at 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.

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process before the closing date of this advert.

Whilst Health New Zealand is undergoing change, affected employees will be given preference and priority for this position.