Recruitment Delivery Lead, SMO - People & Culture

Recruitment Delivery Lead, SMO - People & Culture

North Island - Auckland – Wellington, North Island

• The chance to create meaningful impact in senior clinical recruitment across NZ

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is the country's largest employer, delivering universal public healthcare to 5 million New Zealanders. We provide essential hospital, specialist, and community health services across 80+ locations - from large urban centres to rural towns and remote communities. Our goal is to improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders by delivering equitable, accessible and innovative care.

About the Role

As the SMO Lead, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering innovative, data-driven recruitment solutions for hard-to-fill senior specialist roles, working closely with the Attraction Team and senior leadership to align initiatives with Health NZ's priorities. You'll build strong relationships with medical colleges, professional networks and bodies, and recruitment partners both in New Zealand and internationally. You and your team will be given the opportunity to represent Health NZ's employer brand at national and international forums. Ensuring compliance with medical credentialing, immigration, and employment legislation will be central to your work, as will fostering a culture of operational excellence, inclusion, and continuous improvement within your team.

About the Team / Service / Location

You'd be leading a team of SMO recruiters who are spread across the country, so being comfortable with virtual leadership is essential. This group is coming together as a new national team, having previously worked within individual districts, which means you'll play a key role in building a cohesive, collaborative culture from the ground up.

There's a huge opportunity ahead to map the SMO talent we have across Aotearoa, allowing us to enhance recruitment delivery into specialty areas and strategically target regions or disciplines with the greatest need. Your leadership will help shape how we connect talent to where it's needed most, making a real difference for our health system and communities.

About you

Working for Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

How to Apply

To apply please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers' portal by Thursday 4 December. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Matt Kelly at

This role is open only to current Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora employees. As Health New Zealand continues to undergo change, affected employees will be given preference and priority for this position.

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