Speech Language Therapy - Outpatient

North Island - Waikato; Hamilton; On-site; NZD 60,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora in Hamilton is seeking a Speech Language Therapist for 0.8 FTE on a fixed-term parental leave cover ending May 2027, primarily in outpatient clinics at Waikato Hospital with some travel. The role demands 2+ years' experience, NZSTA eligibility, and a collaborative MDT approach to assess and manage adults with communication and swallowing disorders.

Applicants should be committed to patient-centered care and culturally safe practice.

Qualifications

• NZSTA membership or eligibility.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Speech Language Therapy from an NZSTA-accredited programme or NZSTA-approved.
• Openness to working within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work within a team to achieve client focused goals.
• Culturally safe service with Te Tiriti at the forefront of practice.
• Current valid full New Zealand drivers licence.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment and intervention for adults with communication and swallowing disorders.
• Deliver services in Waikato Hospital outpatient clinics and rural clinics.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to support patient care.
• Support timely assessments and management to improve patient outcomes.

Skills

NZSTA membership eligibility

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Communication skills

Client-centred care

Cultural safety Te Tiriti

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Speech Language Therapy (NZSTA-accredited)

NZSTA qualification approved by NZSTA

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.

North Island - Waikato – Hamilton, North Island

• Waikato Hospital, with potential travel throughout the district
• Speech Language Therapy Outpatient
• Fixed term - parental leave cover ends May 2027
• 64 hours per fortnight / 0.8 FTE

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.

Are you a Speech Language Therapist looking for an opportunity to work in our Adult outpatient department? Are you committed to supporting patients beyond their hospital stay? Are you committed to driving and delivering high quality care?

If so, we would love to talk to you about our wonderful Adult Outpatient Speech Language Therapy service at Waikato Hospital and what this fixed term role has to offer you.

Come and join our team where every day brings new challenges in a dynamic work environment. Youll collaborate closely with your peers to prioritise patient care across the outpatient service, delivering focused and impactful therapy sessions that make a real difference to the lives of in your care and make an impact in one of New Zealand's largest industries.

About the Role

This would be perfect for a flexible and innovative Speech Language Therapist with 2+ years working experience, though all applicants will be considered on merit. As part of the team, you would be providing assessment and intervention on a range of communication and swallowing difficulties supporting adults.

The role will be predominately based in outpatient clinics at Waikato hospital, and rural clinics, providing instrumental/assessment and management of communication and swallowing disorders for adults.You Will work regularly with a highly skilled MDT team at the Waikato Hospital and other adult specialities to deliver a specialist diagnostic assessment and intervention service to patients under Speech Language Therapy.

About the Team/Service

The speech language therapy team as a whole work in a variety of areas including inpatient medical and surgical wards, critical care, outpatient clinics, rural hospitals, There may be opportunities to gain clinical experiences across these areas if interested.

Health NZ Waikato, provides tertiary health care to Te Manawa Taki (Midlands) Region. Clinical specialties include oncology, surgical services, paediatrics, obstetrics, emergency and critical care, radiology and anaesthetics. Our Speech Language Therapy team works closely with our Allied, Medical and Nursing colleagues across the hospital.

About you

Required skills & experience:

• Have NZSTA membership or at least be eligible for NZSTA membership.
• Have a bachelors or masters degree in Speech Language Therapy from an NZSTA -accredited programme or have had your qualifications approved by the NZSTA.
• Have an openness to working within a multi-disciplinary team working towards patient focused goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• The ability to work within a team to achieve client focused goals.
• Ability to provide a culturally safe service with Te Tiriti in the forefront of your practice and a focus on evidence-based practice.
• Have a current valid full New Zealand drivers licence

Ideally you will also have:

• Experience working with adults with a range of communication needs.
• Experience working with adults with swallowing/feeding difficulties.
• Have experience performing and interpreting videofluoroscopy swallowing studies.
• Have excellent knowledge of medical conditions commonly seen in Speech Language Therapy patients.

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.