Te Ara Hou Programme Manager - Military Style Academy

Oranga Tamariki; Palmerston North; On-site; NZD 147,000 - 163,000; Full time

Job summary

Oranga Tamariki is seeking an experienced Te Ara Hou Programme Manager to lead the therapeutic and rehabilitation components of the Military Style Academy in Palmerston North. You will provide leadership, clinical oversight, and professional guidance to a large multidisciplinary team delivering assessment, intervention, rehabilitation, transition, and reintegration services to rangatahi.

You will work with iwi, whānau, community providers, education and health partners to ensure culturally

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience within Youth Justice or a closely related sector.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams in complex operational environments.
• Strong knowledge of youth offending, rehabilitation, reintegration, and therapeutic practice.
• Experience providing professional, clinical, or practice leadership.
• Understanding of the New Zealand Youth Justice system and legislation.
• Proven capability in workforce development, coaching, and performance management.
• Outstanding stakeholder management with iwi, whānau, providers and government agencies.
• Strategic thinking, decision‑making, and problem-solving skills.
• Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and culturally responsive leadership.
• A relevant tertiary qualification and a current full New Zealand Driver Licence.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary therapeutic and rehabilitation workforce.
• Provide clinical governance, professional leadership, and programme oversight.
• Ensure interventions are evidence-informed and culturally responsive.
• Oversee rehabilitation, transition, and reintegration planning for rangatahi.
• Build partnerships with whānau, iwi, community providers, education and health.
• Drive continuous improvement, workforce capability, and service quality.
• Support positive outcomes through strong operational leadership.
• Participate in an on-call leadership roster and provide coverage when required.

Skills

Leadership

Multidisciplinary leadership

Youth Justice knowledge

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Cultural responsiveness

Coaching & performance

Education

Tertiary qualification

Job description

Te Ara Hou Programme Manager - Military Style Academy

Oranga Tamariki is seeking an experienced and values-driven Te Ara Hou Programme Manager to join the leadership team of the Military Style Academy (MSA) Programme in Palmerston North.

The Military Style Academy is an intensive therapeutic intervention for serious and persistent youth offenders. Combining educational, vocational, cultural, therapeutic, and physical activities, the programme supports rangatahi to address the underlying drivers of offending behaviour and build the skills, resilience, and support networks needed for successful reintegration into their communities.

As Te Ara Hou Programme Manager, you'll lead the therapeutic and rehabilitation components of the programme, ensuring evidence-informed, culturally responsive, and clinically sound services are delivered across the residential and community phases of the MSA journey.

Mō te tūnga | About the role

Reporting to the Kaiwhakahaere and working alongside the Practice Manager as a peer leader, you'll provide leadership, clinical oversight, and professional guidance to a large multidisciplinary team delivering assessment, intervention, rehabilitation, transition, and reintegration services.

Your team includes Facilitators, Practitioners, Psychologists, Case Leaders, Transition staff, and Administration Support. Together, you'll ensure rangatahi receive coordinated support that addresses offending behaviour, emotional regulation, addiction issues, wellbeing, life skills, and successful community reintegration.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and developing a multidisciplinary therapeutic and rehabilitation workforce.
• Providing clinical governance, professional leadership, and programme oversight.
• Ensuring interventions are evidence-informed, culturally responsive, and aligned with programme objectives.
• Overseeing rehabilitation, transition, and reintegration planning for rangatahi.
• Building strong partnerships with whānau, iwi, community providers, education, health, and Youth Justice stakeholders.
• Driving continuous improvement, workforce capability, and service quality.
• Supporting positive outcomes through strong operational leadership and collaborative practice.
• Participating in an on-call leadership roster and providing leadership coverage when required.

You are a proven leader with a strong therapeutic or rehabilitation background and a passion for supporting vulnerable young people to achieve lasting change.

You will bring:

• Significant leadership experience within Youth Justice or a closely related sector working with high-risk and vulnerable young people.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams in complex operational environments.
• Strong knowledge of youth offending, rehabilitation, reintegration, and therapeutic practice.
• Experience providing professional, clinical, or practice leadership.
• A strong understanding of the New Zealand Youth Justice system and associated legislation.
• Proven capability in workforce development, coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills and experience working with iwi, whānau, community providers, and government agencies.
• Strong strategic thinking, decision‑making, and problem‑solving skills.
• A commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and culturally responsive leadership.
• A relevant tertiary qualification and a current full New Zealand Driver Licence.

Why join the Military Style Academy?

This is a unique opportunity to lead a programme that creates genuine and lasting impact for rangatahi, whānau, and communities.

You'll be part of a team committed to:

• Supporting meaningful behavioural change and reduced reoffending.
• Delivering innovative and evidence-informed rehabilitation services.
• Strengthening partnerships with whānau, iwi, and communities.
• Improving outcomes for some of Aotearoa's most vulnerable young people.

Oranga Tamariki works to ensure tamariki and rangatahi are safe, strong, connected, and able to flourish within loving whānau and communities. We are committed to improving outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi, particularly Māori, through culturally responsive and evidence-informed practice.

Remuneration for this position starts between $147,010-$162,887 depending on experience.

Applications close at midnight on Wednesday the 14th of October 2026.

If you are interested, please ensure that you make yourself familiar with our code of conduct as it sets out our expectations for ourkaimahiand requires you to present at work free from the influences of both drugs and alcohol.

Reference # 42991

Posted on 30 Sep 2026

Closes on 14 Oct 2026 23:55

Location(s) All New Zealand, Te Tai Tokerau Region, Kaitaia, North Shore, Hamilton, Tauranga, Hastings, Wellington, Hawera, Blenheim, Ashburton, Alexandra, Auckland, Kaikohe, West Auckland, Paeroa, Rotorua, Dannevirke, Lower Hutt, Horowhenua, Greymouth, Christchurch, Balclutha, Waikato, Whangarei, Central Auckland, Tokoroa, Napier, Upper Hutt, Palmerston North, Nelson, Rangiora, Dunedin, Bay of Plenty, Dargaville, South Auckland, Taupō, Gisborne, Porirua, Manawatu, Timaru, Gore, East Coast, Whakatane, Hawkes Bay, Paraparaumu, New Plymouth, Invercargill, Wellington, Masterton, Taumarunui, Oamaru, Taranaki-Manawatu, Wairoa, Whanganui, Upper South, Waipukurau, Canterbury, Lower South

Expertise Social Work, Care Services, Care Services, Management, Management, Other, Management, Practice Lead, Services for children and families, Psychologists, Youth Justice, Senior Advisory, Services for children and families, Therapy, Youth Justice, Psychology and Counselling