Team Leader Social Work

JobSpace; Wellington; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora is seeking an experienced Social Worker to lead the inpatient Social Work team at Wellington Hospital. This full-time operational leadership role focuses on day-to-day team leadership, resource optimisation, and driving quality improvement to improve outcomes for patients, whānau and communities.

You will have APC registration, demonstrated people leadership or equivalent experience in service development or clinical practice, and a passion for equity and Te

Qualifications

• Experienced Social Worker with current APC registration.
• Direct people leadership experience preferred; can be demonstrated through service development, quality improvement or clinical leadership.
• Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and equity in health outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day, on-the-ground leadership for the Social Work team.
• Ensure services are organised and delivered efficiently with available resources.
• Identify, lead and support quality improvement activities to improve health outcomes and patient/family experience.
• Motivate and inspire others to perform at their best.

Skills

Leadership

Social Work

Quality improvement

Change management

Education

APC (Practitioner registration)

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.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we're building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence.

About the Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, enthusiastic Social Worker to further their leadership skills in a full time operational leadership role. You will be leading our dedicated team of inpatient Social Workers, based at Wellington Hospital.

The focus of the role is to:

• Provide day-to-day, on the ground leadership for the Social Work team
• Ensure services are organised and delivered in a way that makes the best use of the resources we have
• Identify, lead and support quality improvement activities that achieve improved health outcomes and an improved experience for individuals, whānau and our wider communities
• Motivate and inspire others to perform to their best

About the Team/Service Location

The Social Work team based at Wellington Hospital is a mix of new graduate to experienced Social Workers, supported by a team coordinator. All team members pride themselves on their team dynamic and the high quality care they provide to patients and whānau. The team provides high quality Social Work input across the hospital, and has strong contacts with our external providers and internal links within the hospital.

This role is one of 11 Allied Health Team Leader roles within the Capital Coast Hutt Valley Inpatient Allied Health Service. There is a wealth of collegial support available to you across the district, as well as from Allied Health colleagues working in outpatient and community settings. Our inpatient leadership team is entering an exciting period of development, with opportunities to consolidate our team vision and deliver on team plans.

This role also works closely with the newly formed Capital Coast Hutt Valley Social Work Professional Leader and the wider Allied Professions Leadership Team.

About you

You will be an experienced Social Worker with a current APC who has a passion for leadership and clinical excellence. Ideally you will have direct people leadership experience, but if not you will be able to share with us how you have developed leadership skills through other roles including service development, quality improvement or clinical practice.

You will be passionate about the role of allied health and the impact that all our professions can have on improving equity of outcomes for our people. You will be someone who enjoys thinking creatively and who can support people through change. You will have a demonstrated commitment to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi to proactively improve health outcomes for Māori.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is 'the weaving of wellness'. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. We embrace diversity and welcome application from all people, including all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disability. A workforce that is diverse and inclusive means that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We are pro-equity health organisation, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific Peoples, and the Disability Community.