The Medical Director and Palliative Medicine Specialist is a clinically active senior medical leader who provides direct specialist palliative medical care to Hospice South patients while leading and supporting the medical service. The role is highly collaborative and visible; requiring the ability to build strong relationships, bring people together across disciplines and services and work constructively with colleagues, patients, whānau and external health professionals. Through partnership and shared decision-making, the role supports cohesive medical services and high-quality, person-centered care.

The Medical Director works closely with the medical team and wider organisation to support medical workforce performance, service coverage, professional development, medical standards, medical risk management, service improvement and the effective use of medical service resources.

The Medical Director’s clinical participation will provide the clinical oversight and accountability necessary to safeguard the quality, safety, effectiveness, and long-term sustainability of specialist palliative medical care across Hospice South’s inpatient, community, and aged residential care services. It will support informed communication with the Chief Executive Officer, Board, and wider organisation on matters of organisational strategy, clinical governance, service planning, and organisational performance.

Specialist palliative medicine practice

• Maintain a regular and substantive direct clinical workload across Hospice South’s inpatient, community and aged residential care services.
• Provide specialist assessment and management of complex palliative care needs, including complex pain, symptom, medication and clinical issues.
• Provide senior medical leadership in complex clinical decision-making, referral, triage, admission, transfer, discharge and clinical escalation.
• Provide specialist consultation across inpatient, community, aged residential care, outpatient and telehealth settings, including outreach across Southland and the Wakatipu Basin.
• Provide specialist medical advice to the multidisciplinary team and collaborate with internal and external health professionals to support coordinated, person- and whānau-centred care.
• Communicate effectively with patients and whānau regarding diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options, goals of care and advance care planning.
• Participate in the medical on-call roster and provide senior specialist support as required.
• Maintain high standards of prescribing, clinical documentation and professional practice within relevant evidence, standards, scope and organisational requirements.
• Maintain specialist knowledge, clinical competence, professional registration and recertification requirements.

Medical Service Leadership and Management

• Hold overall accountability for the leadership, management and performance of the Hospice South medical service.
• Provide visible, accessible and values-led medical leadership, modelling professional standards and fostering a positive, respectful, inclusive and accountable culture.
• Set clear priorities, expectations and performance standards and develop an annual medical service plan aligned with Hospice South’s strategy, contractual requirements and community need.
• Ensure the medical service is effectively integrated with Hospice South’s wider clinical and organisational services.
• Make timely and well-informed decisions, delegate appropriately and retain accountability for medical service outcomes.
• Lead and embed change within the medical service, ensuring effective communication, implementation and evaluation.
• Identify and proactively manage emerging clinical, service and workforce risks, providing timely advice and escalation to the Chief Executive Officer.
• Establish effective decision-making, escalation and communication pathways, supported by regular medical service forums focused on patient care, performance, workforce, quality, risk and service development.
• Ensure safe, timely and sustainable medical service coverage, monitoring demand, capacity, workload and continuity of care and responding proactively to emerging service pressures.
• Collaborate with the Director of Nursing and Clinical Services to ensure effective integration of medical services across clinical operations.

Medical Workforce Management

• Provide line management and professional leadership for Medical Officers, Nurse Practitioners and other assigned medical service staff.
• Lead medical workforce recruitment, appointment, orientation, performance and development, ensuring clear role expectations, accountabilities and delegated authorities.
• Foster a culture of high performance, providing constructive feedback, recognising contribution and addressing performance, conduct, capability and competence concerns appropriately.
• Ensure effective clinical supervision, mentoring, peer review, professional support and continuing professional development arrangements.
• Lead medical workforce planning, including succession, retention, leave, locum and future workforce requirements, and contribute to regional workforce development.
• Ensure practitioners are appropriately credentialled and appointed and practise within their scope, competence, delegated authority and organisational requirements.
• Promote sustainable workloads, psychological safety and professional wellbeing, supporting a culture in which staff can raise concerns safely.
• Ensure appropriate arrangements are in place for trainees, students and visiting practitioners.

Clinical Governance

• Provide senior medical leadership for clinical governance, quality, safety and equity.
• Ensure evidence-based practice and compliance with standards;
• Lead medical risk, adverse event and review processes.
• Use quality/performance information to drive improvement.
• Ensure appropriate medical policies, pathways and regulatory requirements are maintained.

Education, supervision and workforce development

• Provide clinical teaching, supervision, mentoring and professional support to Medical Officers, Nurse Practitioners, trainees and students.
• Lead Hospice South’s medical education commitments, including learner placements, orientation, supervision, feedback and assessment.
• Contribute to the education and development of the wider clinical workforce, strengthening palliative care capability across Hospice South and the broader health sector.
• Lead and support palliative care education for staff, health professionals and community groups, promoting generalist palliative care capability across primary care, aged residential care and hospital services.
• Maintain strategic relationships with universities, colleges and training providers to support education, training and workforce development.
• Identify and develop emerging medical and Nurse Practitioner leaders, fostering reflective practice, interdisciplinary learning and continuous professional development.
• Engage with regional and national professional networks and specialist palliative care forums to strengthen collaboration, professional development and workforce capability.

Organisational and Sector Leadership

• Provide independent medical leadership and advice to the Chief Executive Officer, Board and Senior Leadership Team, contributing to organisational strategy, planning, risk management and service development.
• Advocate for safe, equitable, accessible and sustainable specialist palliative care services and represent Hospice South within the health system, professional sector and wider community.
• Build strong and pragmatic relationships across Health New Zealand, primary care, hospitals, aged residential care, Māori health providers, other hospices and community organisations.
• Support an integrated regional approach to generalist and specialist palliative care, including specialist consultation, education and relationship support to hospital services in accordance with current service arrangements.
• Collaborate with regional and national palliative care networks and contribute medical expertise to sector development, funding, service design and system-wide initiatives.
• Monitor changes in health policy, legislation, professional practice, funding and community need, advising Hospice South on their implications and strategic opportunities.

Financial and Resource Management

• Provide financial and resource leadership for medical services, including development and management of the medical service budget within delegated authority.
• Monitor expenditure, workforce costs and resource utilisation, identifying and escalating financial pressures, variances and emerging risks.
• Ensure medical service resources are allocated and used efficiently, effectively and sustainably without compromising quality or safety.
• Contribute to organisational budgeting, forecasting, business planning and service development, including the development of relevant business cases and proposals.
• Collaborate with the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Nursing and Clinical Services on shared resource requirements and priorities.
• Ensure resource and service decisions are supported by robust activity, quality, workforce and financial information.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

• Provide leadership for health, safety and wellbeing within the medical service, fostering a safe, respectful and psychologically healthy working environment.
• Ensure risks affecting patients, whānau and staff are identified, assessed, escalated and effectively managed, including risks associated with workload, fatigue and on-call demands.
• Promote safe and sustainable practice and ensure medical staff understand and fulfil their health and safety responsibilities.
• Contribute to organisational emergency management, business continuity and health and safety processes and ensure compliance with relevant policies and legislation.
• Maintain awareness of personal workload, wellbeing and professional support needs and raise concerns appropriately.

Other responsibilities

• Undertake other responsibilities and strategic initiatives reasonably consistent with the purpose and seniority of the role, and achieve agreed annual performance objectives.

Essential qualifications and professional requirements

• Current registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand and a current annual practising certificate.
• Vocational registration in palliative medicine, or eligibility for provisional vocational registration in palliative medicine.
• Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and/or the Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine, or an equivalent specialist qualification recognised by the Medical Council of New Zealand.
• Current participation in an applicable Medical Council approved recertification and continuing professional development programme.
• Compliance with all applicable credentialling, supervision and professional development requirements.
• A current driver licence and ability to travel throughout Hospice South’s service area.

Applicants who hold vocational registration in a related specialty may be considered where they have substantial specialist palliative medicine experience and meet all applicable Medical Council and Hospice South requirements.

Experience and Capability

• Substantial specialist experience in palliative medicine, with advanced clinical knowledge and demonstrated expertise in managing complex palliative care needs.
• Broad clinical experience across inpatient, community, hospital and/or aged residential care settings.
• Demonstrated senior medical leadership and management capability within a complex health service environment.
• Strong people leadership capability, with experience leading, developing and supporting Medical Officers, Nurse Practitioners, trainees and other health professionals.
• Experience in medical workforce recruitment, supervision, performance management, professional development, workforce planning and succession.
• Demonstrated experience in clinical governance, quality improvement, risk management and adverse event review, with sound knowledge of professional and regulatory requirements.
• Strong clinical judgement and the ability to make timely, well-informed decisions in complex or uncertain situations.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams and professional and organisational boundaries, building strong relationships with key stakeholders.
• Experience in medical education, clinical supervision and professional mentoring, with a commitment to developing wider palliative care capability.
• Strategic and change leadership capability, including experience contributing to service planning, improvement and development while remaining connected to frontline clinical practice.
• Ability to interpret and use clinical, workforce, quality, activity and financial information to inform decision-making and service improvement; experience in budget and resource management is desirable.
• Strong understanding of hospice philosophy, person- and whānau-centred care, cultural safety, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and equitable health outcomes, ideally supported by experience within hospice, community, rural and/or regional health services.

Personal Attributes

• Visible, approachable and credible as both a specialist clinician and senior leader.
• Compassionate, respectful and strongly person- and whānau-centred.
• Collaborative and inclusive, with the ability to bring people together and build trusted relationships.
• Calm, clear and decisive, with the confidence to make and own difficult decisions.
• Fair, consistent and accountable in leading others, with integrity, sound judgement and professional courage.
• Self-aware, reflective and resilient, with the ability to adapt, manage competing demands and seek support when needed.
• Committed to continuous improvement and strongly aligned with Hospice South’s purpose, philosophy and values.

1. Specialist Palliative Medicine Expertise

Demonstrated specialist clinical expertise in palliative medicine, including substantial experience assessing and managing patients with complex palliative care needs across inpatient, community and aged residential care settings, with eligibility for vocational registration in New Zealand.

2. Medical Leadership and People Management

Proven experience in senior medical leadership, including the ability to lead multidisciplinary medical teams, provide clinical direction, manage performance, develop workforce capability and foster a positive, collaborative, accountable and high-performing clinical culture.

3. Clinical Governance, Quality and Risk Management

Demonstrated experience leading clinical governance activities, quality improvement initiatives, patient safety programmes, adverse event reviews and risk management processes within a healthcare environment.

4. Strategic and Operational Health Service Leadership

Experience contributing to organisational strategy, service planning, change management and the sustainable delivery of healthcare services, with the ability to balance operational leadership responsibilities with ongoing clinical practice.

5. Stakeholder Engagement and System Collaboration

Highly developed communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to build effective partnerships across healthcare providers, executive leaders, primary care, aged care services, Māori health providers, community stakeholders and regional health networks.

6. Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Equity

Demonstrated commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, cultural safety and achieving equitable health outcomes, with the ability to lead culturally responsive, person and whānau-centred models of care for diverse communities.

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Reponsible for :

• Senior Medical Officers / Palliative SpecialistsMedical Officers
• Nurse Practitioners
• Rotating House Officers and other medical trainees
• Medical service contractors and locums where applicable
• Other positions specifically assigned to the medical service

Key Relationships:

• Chief Executive Officer
• Director of Nursing and Clinical Services
• Senior Leadership Team
• Quality and Practice Development role
• Patient and Family Support Team Leader
• Inpatient and Community Clinical Coordinators
• Chief Financial Officer
• Wakatipu service leadership
• Nursing, allied health and wider clinical teams
• All Hospice South staff and volunteers
• Health New Zealand hospital and community services
• Primary care and aged residential care providers
• Māori health providers
• Other hospice and specialist palliative care services
• Education providers and professional bodies
• External agencies and other healthcare professionals

Please discuss with HardyGroup Consultant

Service Location: Invercargill, New Zealand

Position Description

Hospice South Website

The closing date for applications is Sunday, 27 September 2026

The reference number to include in your application is H26_5575

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: azuniga@hardygroupintl.com

Your application must include:

1. Cover letter addressed to the Principal Consultant, David Price;
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:

David Price
​National Manager, HardyGroup New Zealand
​M. +64 (0)21 0239 2211
​E. dprice@hardygroupintl.com