Service Manager (new service)

Kaikaranga; Auckland; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaikaranga in Auckland seeks a General Service Manager - Enabler to lead a brand-new wraparound service supporting disabled and neurodiverse tamariki under 12 who have been stood down or excluded from school. You will guide a team and shape the service from the ground up.

You will build partnerships across education, health, disability and community sectors, manage risk, drive evidence-informed practice and ensure equity and Kaupapa Māori approaches are embedded in every decision.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in disability, education, health, or community services.
• Ability to work across complex systems and deliver outcomes.
• Ability to build credibility and lasting relationships with partners and stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of challenges facing disabled and neurodiverse tamariki in education.
• Commitment to equity and culturally responsive practice.

Responsibilities

• Lead, support, and develop a team delivering wraparound support to tamariki.
• Build and maintain partnerships across education, health, disability, and community sectors.
• Manage risk, escalations, and complex situations with confidence and care.
• Oversee commissioning resources to fill gaps where services don't yet exist.
• Drive evidence-informed practice and contribute to system-level change.
• Assist in shaping a learning-focused service from the ground up.

Skills

Leadership experience

Stakeholder relationships

Systems navigation

Equity and Kaupapa Māori

Job description

General, Service Manager - Education and Disability
English, Health and physical education, Learning languages, Mathematics and statistics, Science, Social sciences, Technology, Te reo Māori, The arts

As Service Manager - Enabler at Kaikaranga, you will lead a brand-new wraparound service designed to support disabled and neurodiverse tamariki under 12 who have been stood down or excluded from school.

What you will be doing:

• Leading, supporting, and developing a team of Kaitūhono delivering high-quality wraparound support to tamariki.
• Building and maintaining strong partnerships across the Ministry of Education, health, disability, and community sectors.
• Managing risk, escalations, and complex situations with confidence and care.
• Overseeing commissioning resources to fill gaps where services don't yet exist.
• Driving evidence-informed practice and contributing to system-level change.
• Assisting in shaping a learning-focused service from the ground up.

What you will bring:

• Leadership experience in disability, education, health, or community services – with a focus on education and disability.
• A track record of working across complex systems and getting things done within them.
• The ability to build credibility and lasting relationships with a wide range of partners and stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of the challenges facing disabled and neurodiverse tamariki in the education system.
• A commitment to equity, Kaupapa Māori approaches, and culturally responsive practice.