Director of Services
CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK
Comcare Trust
Executive Summary
- Significant leadership opportunity within a thriving organisation
- Contribute to the mental health addictions and social housing sector
- Achieve work life balance in beautiful Ōtautahi Christchurch
THE OPPORTUNITY
Comcare Trust is looking for a dynamic Director of Services to lead and drive the organisation’s service delivery and development functions. The ideal candidate will bring exceptional people leadership skills, a strong ability to collaborate with key stakeholders, and a deep commitment to community wellbeing. They want an exceptional leader with extensive expertise in the mental health, addictions, and social housing sectors.
Comcare Trust is an innovative, forward-thinking organisation that delivers positive results for people and their families to live well in the community. Based in Waitaha (Canterbury) and Ōtepoti (Dunedin), Comcare provides support to people experiencing mental health and addiction needs and housing challenges.
THE ROLE
The Director of Services, reporting to the Chief Executive (CE) and serving as a key Executive Leadership Team (ELT) member, will provide operational oversight across Comcare’s service portfolio. This includes, Peer Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Community Housing and Housing Support Services and Employment Services. The Director will ensure that all services are delivered to the highest standards and remain aligned with Comcare's mission to create meaningful impact within the community.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
You will be a candidate with over ten years of leadership experience in managing core services across complex, geographically dispersed environments. You will possess strong clinical leadership skills, sound financial management abilities, and a proven capacity to translate strategic plans into actionable outcomes. Using data to inform decision-making, you will focus on enhancing service quality and outcomes for people experiencing mental health and addiction needs and housing challenges.
As a values-driven leader, you are passionate about building high-performing teams and fostering an environment where people with lived experience can thrive. You are committed to creating positive, lasting change for individuals and communities. You will have a commitment to Te Tiriti O Waitangi and improving outcomes for Māori.
For a confidential discussion, please get in touch with:
Dr Amanda Smith,
HardyGroup Principal Search Consultant
M. +64 (0)21 502 878
E. [email protected]
COMCARE TRUST
"Ko te whakaora, he hīkoi whakāmarama. Māna anō tōna ake ara whakaora e whakarau"
"A journey of discovery where an individual leads their own unique process of moving forwards"
Comcare is a New Zealand registered Charitable Trust whose purpose is to assist people who experience mental health and addiction needs and housing challenges to live well.
Established in 1987, the early emphasis was on assisting people who had experienced long stays in mental institutions to integrate into local communities. Since that time, the Trust has evolved and broadened its services to remain at the cutting edge of modern mental health practice. The Trust provides a rich and diverse range of Social Housing and Mental Health Support Services to the local community and freely offers advice, guidance, and collaboration nationally.
Comcare is a practical organisation, understanding that health improvement is gained from a whole-of-life approach that assists people in growing their confidence and skills to manage their own lives. Comcare works from a Recovery orientation that identifies and builds on people’s strengths to assist them manage the challenges in life, growing personal confidence, and building resilience.
Comcare Trust is an innovative, forward thinking organisation that:
- Is Recovery focused and builds on people’s strengths
- Delivers positive results for people and their families to live well in the community
- Takes a practical approach, doing what is necessary to assist people to overcome the barriers to independence and moving forward
- Offers services and supports known to have significant impact on wellbeing such as:
- Personal support and relationships
- Housing
- Employment
- Physical health
We have services across Waitaha (Canterbury) and in Ōtepoti (Dunedin).
Our Vision
People who experience mental illness and addictions live well.
Our Mission
To contribute positively to the recovery of people who experience mental illness and addictions through the provision of quality community services, and social housing and by supporting mental health sector development.
Comcare Trust is driven by the following values
How We Work
Strengths Based Approach
Service delivery is based on a Recovery/Strengths approach where:
- The service user owns their recovery process
- Hope is encouraged, enhanced and/or maintained
- The focus is on enhancing the strengths, abilities and resiliency of an individual
- All people are treated as equals with the capacity to learn, change, make life decisions and choices, and take action to create life change – no matter how severe their symptoms
- A holistic view is applied
- Access to resources, opportunities and meaningful relationships is encouraged
- The best clinical treatment is applied
- Family involvement is encouraged.
Recovery
A journey of recovery where an individual leads their own unique process of moving forwards
Comcare believes that:
- Everyone has strengths and capacities
- All people have the ability to change given the right conditions and resources
- People can change and grow their strengths and abilities
- People are their own experts
- A problem is the problem, the person is not the problem
- Problems can block people from noticing and appreciating their strengths and finding their own solutions
- Building open and honest relationships promotes growth
- The power for change is within us all.
Role Specification
The Director of Services, reporting to the Chief Executive (CE) and serving as a key Executive Leadership Team (ELT) member, will provide governance, strategic leadership, and operational oversight across Comcare’s service portfolio. This includes Community Housing and Housing Services, Housing Innovation and Development, Peer Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Employment Services. The Director will ensure that all services are delivered to the highest standards and remain aligned with Comcare's mission to create meaningful impact within the community.
Key responsibilities include:
- Providing governance, strategic direction, and operational excellence in the delivery and reporting of all Comcare services.
- Ensuring Comcare services are aligned to Comcare’s vision, mission, quality, and practice management standards, as well as contractual and regulatory obligations, and are efficiently delivered to Comcare’s clients through a well-trained and supported workforce and sound, consistent processes.
- Supporting the drive for service development and innovation through client-centered, evidence-based service development initiatives.
- Overseeing quality management for Comcare services, working in conjunction with the performance, risk, and Assurance functions. Specifically, identifying and mitigating risks, implementing internal processes and controls, policy development and adherence, and reporting on service continuous improvement/quality programmes.
- Supporting a thought leadership platform to enable Comcare to plan and nurture a long-term commitment to developing innovative insights and opportunities to set the organisation apart from others, extend its reach, and facilitate and shape evidence-based change and continuous improvement within our sector.
View more detail about the role in the Position Description
The incumbent must have:
- A degree in health, management, or other relevant qualification.
- Minimum of five years of clinical leadership experience in mental health and addictions.
Desirable:
Postgraduate management qualification.
- 1.Experience - extensive experience working as part of an executive leadership team providing people leadership and capability in building a high-performing team.
- 2.Communication - highly developed communication skills both written and verbal with the ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of stakeholders.
- 3.Sector knowledge - deep understanding of mental health and addictions and social housing space including knowledge of all relevant legislation and standards, clinical competence, evidenced-based practice, and quality assurance.
- 4.Market knowledge - proven ability to maintain awareness of the current market, economic, legislative, and political trends to maximize opportunities and minimise financial risk across an organisation.
- 5.Strategic approach - proven experience in leading strategic and business planning processes to set functional goals and objectives, policies, and strategies.
- 6.Risk management - Demonstrated experience in effectively managing organisational risk and assurance, enabling the business to make improvements that achieve key outcomes and support transparent decision-making based on timely, accurate, and reliable information and advice.
- 7.Te Tiriti O Waitangi - Strong commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi, relationship building, and a commitment to developing cultural competencies.
Direct Reports: 6
Indirect Reports: 111
To be discussed with HG Consultant
Service Location: Christchurch
Reports to: Chief Executive
Functional Team: Service Development and Delivery
The closing date for applications is Friday, 1 November 2024
The reference number to include in your application is H24_4947
Note: Please use the online platform to submit your application. It will not be accepted via email.
If you require assistance in submitting your application online, please get in touch with Executive Search Coordinator, Aldie Zuñiga: M: +61 (0)49 410 1082 / E: [email protected]
Your application must include:
- 1.Cover letter addressed to the Principal Consultant;
- 2.A written response addressing the key selection criteria; and
- 3.An up to date copy of your Curriculum Vitae.
It Is standard practice for HardyGroup to acknowledge receipt of your application no later than the next business day. We request that if you do not receive the acknowledgement, you contact the search coordinator listed above as soon as possible after the 24-hour business period and arrange to resend your application if necessary.
For a confidential discussion, please contact:
Dr Amanda Smith
HardyGroup Principal Consultant
M. +64 (0)21 502 878
E. [email protected]
LIVING AND WORKING IN CHRISTCHURCH
Ōtautahi Christchurch wants you to have it all. We are a city of possibility, of ambition, of balance. A city where you can create a full life, for your whole life. Haere mai, welcome home.
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ABOUT US
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Find and Grow Great Leaders - and we have been doing exactly that for more than 30 years in public and private health, primary, community and aged care as well as the broader public service.
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