The Chief Executive (CE) directs the Commission’s work to improve health quality, safety and equity, which includes:

• advancing its strategic priorities
• improving experience for consumers and whanau
• influencing the system to ensure there is equal opportunity to benefit for population groups and communities with poorer health outcomes
• achieving health equity
• embedding and enacting Te Tiriti o Waitangi in accordance with Wai2575 responsibilities
• strengthening systems for quality services.

The opportunity includes directing the Commission's work and advancing its strategic priorities, which includes:

• Improving experience for consumers and whānau
• Embedding and enacting Te Tiriti o Waitangi, supporting mana motuhake
• Achieving health equity
• Strengthening systems for high-quality services

System Leadership

• Demonstrate effective senior leadership in a broad range of challenging situations
• Successfully navigate ambiguous political situations by taking into account political sensitivities and drawing on strong relationship management and inter-personal skills
• Enable change in the health system to improve equity of outcomes, quality and safety
• Strategically influence quality and safety across the health system, including primary and community care, working with other system leaders
• Develop and maintain comprehensive Māori organisation and iwi networks
• Ensure networks with disabled people, Pacific peoples and other groups experiencing health inequity are strengthened

Quality and Safety Improvement intelligence

• Provide appropriate health sector intelligence to inform the wider functions of the Commission, the Board and the wider health sector
• Ensure infrastructure is in place and supported to regularly report on key quality and safety issues to the Government and publicly
• Ensure all documentation and other forms of communication are timely and of high quality, and reflect the Commission’s position as a role model of excellence
• Ensure equity analysis is undertaken as a core part of quality monitoring (including for Māori, disabled people and Pacific peoples)

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

• Work in partnership with Māori to integrate te ao Māori approaches to the health system
• Ensure the application of Māori data governance principles to all data collections and analysis

Strategic leadership

• Work closely with the Board in communicating a clear vision for the Commission and its role in driving improvement in health quality and safety
• Lead the implementation of the strategic vision and plan for the Commission in collaboration with the board, other members of the leadership team and staff
• Lead and manage the delivery of multiple functions of the Commission, including strategy, delivery, monitoring, reporting and driving improvement in quality and safety in health services, through appropriate leadership structures
• Ensure the work programme of the Commission achieves measurable improvements in the health outcomes it is trying to achieve and is able to show a positive return on the investments made
• Financial Stewardship
• Provide strategic oversight and sound stewardship of the Commission’s financial management and budgeting, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities, legislative requirements and principles of equity, and
• demonstrates value for public money
• Building and enhancing performance and relationships
• Gain and maintain the trust, respect and confidence of Ministers, the health sector, iwi, consumers and the wider public
• Work alongside other government agencies and community partners to identify opportunities to strengthen the health system
• Engage stakeholders through clear communication and direction to build buy-in and support to ensure collective leadership across the system around quality and safety
• Culture and people leadership
• Foster a continuous improvement culture across the organisation
• Provide a clear sense of direction and purpose to staff and other stakeholders
• Inspire and motivate others to commit to and achieve the Commission’s vision and purpose
• Lead by example and set the standards for the culture and values of the Commission as an organisation grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• Promote a productive and engaged workforce by fostering an open and inquiring approach to our work, which welcomes innovation and improvement
• Ensure the Commission has the required workforce capability through recruiting, retaining and developing high-performing staff and providing a work environment that enables people to work at full scope
• Ensure there is a clear vision for the Commission that it is where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, stay and do their best work
• Establish executive staff performance development plans that are aligned to the Commission’s strategy and values and provide regular feedback and coaching to staff
• Apply the principles of cultural safety demonstrating a commitment to knowledge and experience of tikanga Māori, tea o Māori, understanding of equity issues for Māori and the Commission’s responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• Health and safety
• Ensure the Commission meets its responsibilities in workplace health and safety

View the full scope of these in the Position Description.

A relevant tertiary qualification

• Exceptional relationship-building skills with the ability to influence at all levels outside/external and within an organisation and build alignment across teams.
• Credibility/ability to achieve credibility with the health and disability sector, the public, iwi and Māori, Pacific peoples and disabled people.
• An attested ability to lead, engage and influence organisational strategy and translate that into operational deliverables.
• Strong understanding of the drivers and solutions to health inequities for population groups with poorer health outcomes.
• Deep understanding of the principles of health care quality including key international trends
• Sound knowledge of the Aotearoa New Zealand health sector, the wider public service and the statutory framework for the governance and management of Crown agencies.
• Strong financial management capability commensurate with a Crown entity chief executive role, including the ability to ensure investment decisions are based on sound economic principles, expected impact and demonstrate value for money.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, particularly the ability to communicate clearly, concisely and in plain language, and present in public forums including the media.
• Proven risk management experience and the ability to manage competing priorities, with the ability and drive to deliver the required results in all key accountabilities of the role, including the ability to manage potentially high issues and risks, fix problems and implement solutions.

View the full scope of these in the Position Description.

The CE's formal relationship is direct to the Chair of the Board. They will engage individually and collectively with the Board and ensure open lines of honest and factual communication are maintained. This includes engagement with any subsidiary board committees.

Direct Reports | Pūrongo tōtika: 7 Direct Reports

Indirect Reports | Ngā Tino Hoamahi: Up to 100 indirect reports

Key Relationships | Ngā Tino Hoamahi:

Internal | ā-roto: Executive Leadership Team, all staff of Te Tāhū Hauora

Public Sector | ā-waho: Office of the Minister of Health and associated Ministers of Health, Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand, Manatū Hauora | Ministry of Health, Te Kawa Mataaho | Public Service Commission, Health and Disability Commission, ACC, Health Research Council of New Zealand, Te Aho o Te Kahu| Cancer Control Agency, Whaikaha Ministry for Disabled People and other external agencies.

Iwi and wider communities | Ngā iwi me ngā hapori whānau:Health sector organisations, consumers and the organisations that represent them, iwi and Māori organisations, Pacific and other communities and the organisations that represent them, disabled people and the organisations that represent them, professional bodies and research communities, wide range of private and non-governmental organisations, media and the public.

A competitive salary commensurate with the scale of the organisation and leadership responsibilities.

Please discuss with HG Principal Consultant

Service Location: Wellington, New Zealand

Classification: Individual Employment Agreement

Role Description

Te Tāhū Hauora | Health Quality & Safety Commission

Ngā tuhinga haepapa | Accountability Documents

Te Taumata Whakahaere | Executive Leadership Team

Ngā kanohi o te Poari | Board Members

Ngā mātanga | Clinical Leads

The closing date for applications is Tueday, 22 April 2025

The reference number to include in your application is H25_5050

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. 1.Cover letter addressed to the Principal Consultant;
2. 2.A written response addressing the key selection criteria; and
3. 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:

David Hughes
​National Manager, HardyGroup New Zealand
​M. +64 (0)21 286 4470
​E. [email protected]