Senior Paediatric Physiotherapist

Healthalliance; Auckland; On-site; NZD 42,000 - 65,000; Part time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora's Starship Child Health is seeking a Senior Clinician to join the Paediatric Physiotherapy team. The role focuses on NICU and inpatient care, with ongoing training and a supportive environment. This is a permanent part-time position (0.6 FTE / 24 hours) within a dynamic paediatric service.

You will contribute to high-quality clinical care, mentor junior staff, and advance neurodevelopmental care for pepi and tamariki while collaborating with a broad MDT.

Qualifications

• NZ registration as a Physiotherapist with current Annual Practicing Certificate.
• Minimum 4+ years of post-graduate clinical work; 2 years in specialty.
• Proven clinical leadership and service development/quality improvement.
• Excellent relationship building and communication with stakeholders.
• Evidence-informed practice and clinical reasoning.
• Experience working with infants in NICU/SCBU.
• Training in neuro protective care (e.g. FINE or NIDCAP) and family integrated care.
• Trained in general movement assessment and HINE assessment.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary setting.
• Strong time management, prioritisation and organisational skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide physiotherapy to infants across NICU and Starship wards.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team for whānau-centred care.
• Support NICU physiotherapy service development and junior staff.
• Develop neurodevelopmental assessments and neuroprotective care.
• Apply contemporary physiotherapy theory and family-inclusive practice.
• Participate in rostered weekend and on-call services.

Skills

NZ physiotherapist registration

Clinical leadership

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Evidence-informed practice

Communication skills

Neonatal NICU experience

Neuro protective care training

Movement assessment (HINE)

Time management

Initiative and drive

Education

Annual Practising Certificate (NZ)

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

• Permanent part time (0.6 FTE) Senior Physiotherapist – NICU and Neuro developmental, Paediatric Therapy, Starship Children’s Hospital,
• Join our friendly supportive team who are driven by providing a high-quality clinical service across New Zealand
• Meaningful support and orientation to your practice contexts with robust opportunities for critical reflection on practice, including peer review and professional supervision
• On the job training within the paediatric physiotherapy team, and Children’s therapy including joining a well-established in-service training programme
• A great, fun team environment and supportive work culture

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

Starship Child Health is looking for a Senior Clinician to join our Physiotherapy team. This role will be working in the paediatric Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and across the other Starship wards, reviewing outcomes and providing high quality clinical care and in inpatient settings. Your passion for paediatrics and experience applying clinical knowledge is welcomed in providing premium healthcare services to our pepi and tamariki. This is a permanent, part-time role (0.6 FTE/ 24 hours) and forms part of the wider paediatric physiotherapy team.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Provide a physiotherapy service to infants across NICU and the Starship wards
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team to provide a whānau-centred approach
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team and support/ develop the NICU physiotherapy Service
• Support junior staff within the physiotherapy team to develop knowledge skills within the NICU and the Inpatient setting
• Further your skills in neurodevelopmental assessments and neuroprotective care
• Demonstrate a robust level of contemporary physiotherapy theory and practice to provide effective assessment and interventions, whilst establishing enabling relationships with children and their whānau (family)
• Remain focused in the pursuit of Māori health gain as well as achieving equitable health outcomes for Māori under the Te Tiriti obligations
• Demonstrate culturally safe practice that encompasses a diverse range of beliefs, values and practices
• Participate in a rostered weekend and on-call physiotherapy service

Thrive within a vibrant, innovative and diverse setting amongst a supportive interdisciplinary team of consultants, nurse specialists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech language therapists, social workers, dietitians, hospital play specialists and team support.

About the Team/Service/ Location

• Our team of Physiotherapists excel in a fast-paced, challenging environment where evidence-based practice, strengths in interdisciplinary practice, clinical reasoning, and decision-making skills are highly valued. The team provides a service to all inpatient areas in Starship, Child Health and selected outpatient areas.
• We provide support and orientation to your practice contexts with robust opportunities for critical reflection on practice, including peer review and professional supervision, as well as on the job training, and development opportunities.
• The Paediatric Neonatal Intensive care unit is a 46 bed Level 3 Unit, providing care to infants from the Auckland region. Additionally the unit provides care for infants requiring specialist paediatric input from across the country and some Pacific Islands.

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About you

As the ideal person for this role, you will have the following skills and attributes:

• NZ registration as a Physiotherapist with current Annual Practicing Certificate
• Minimum 4+ years of post-graduate clinical work experience and 2 years full-time experience within the area of specialty
• Proven experience working in clinical leadership and service development/quality improvement
• Excellent skills in relationship building and communication to a broad range of stakeholders
• Sound clinical reasoning skills and use of evidence informed practice
• Proven knowledge and skills in working with infants in NICU/ SCBU
• Proven experience/ training in neuro protective care (e.g. FINE or NIDCAP training) and family integrated care model
• Trained in general movement assessment and experience using the HINE assessment
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of professional groups in a multidisciplinary setting
• Effective time management, prioritisation and organisation skills
• Drive, energy and initiative with excellent interpersonal skills

For further information on this role please contact Sarah Butler – Physiotherapy Clinical Lead, Allied Health Starship at *******@adhb.govt.nz

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.