District Chief Medical Officer, Counties Manukau
Contribute to transforming the future of health in this pivotal role
Senior clinical leadership role, high impact position with New Zealand’s leading hospital
Contribute to resetting Health New Zealand and achieving Health Targets
Permanent, full-time position with the opportunity to maintain ongoing clinical practice
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.
Counties Manukau District is one of the largest public healthcare providers in New Zealand, employing more than 9,500 people across the region and delivering services to over half a million residents in South Auckland. The district is highly diverse, with more than two-thirds of the population identifying as Māori, Pacific and/or Asian.
Middlemore Hospital, the district’s main facility located in South Auckland, is home to one of the busiest emergency departments in the Southern Hemisphere. It is an advanced tertiary hospital offering comprehensive medical and surgical services, including specialist care in orthopaedic and plastic surgery, burns, spinal injury rehabilitation, vascular surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, renal dialysis and neonatal intensive care.
Counties Manukau is recognised for its vibrant, energetic and diverse communities and remains deeply committed to improving health equity and outcomes for the people it serves.
About the Role
The primary purpose of this role is to provide strong, visible, professional and clinical leadership, and to motivate and inspire medical colleagues, and wider health workforce. You will be jointly responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care, developing clinical strategies, and achieving Health New Zealand’s goals related to the medical workforce. This role involves close collaboration with colleagues to meet these objectives, modelling an interprofessional approach. The District CMO has a critical role in providing and demonstrating leadership including accountability for managing health resources. Working in collaboration with other clinical chiefs, leaders and management, the role will develop and sustain strong clinical governance functions, creating an environment where clinical excellence will flourish.
In addition to your district responsibilities, you will also hold a portfolio role that extends your influence beyond the local level. This may involve contributing to regional or national programmes of work, collaborating with key networks and groups to strengthen connections across Health New Zealand and the communities we serve. The specific portfolio will be agreed mutually, reflecting both organisational priorities and your individual expertise and interests.
You will collectively be accountable for bringing national and regional strategies to life within our local context, ensuring they make a real difference for the people we serve. You will be responsible for the appropriate implementation of national and regional strategies, policies, and standards within the local district.
You will provide strategic clinical leadership and insight into local and regional planning, driving continuous improvement in how we design, develop, and deliver care. You will work closely with regional and national networks to strengthen connections and tackle shared challenges across Health New Zealand.
The District Chief Medical Officer is a senior clinical leadership role based at Middlemore Hospital, reporting directly to the Group Director of Operations (GDO).
About you
You are a purposeful leader, with significant experience at a senior level, driven by a commitment to make a meaningful impact on healthcare. You will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to negotiate, resolve conflict and positively influence and motivate others. You will be a problem solver and system thinker who can effectively mitigate a wide range of risks and issues. You work in a collegial manner and have the desire to work with others to achieve results and share knowledge and expertise to support the growth of the team.
Current vocational or general registration with Medical Council of New Zealand, in any clinical discipline, which can include fellowship of Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators
In depth knowledge and experience related to the breadth of clinical service provision in New Zealand
In depth experience in and knowledge of clinical quality and best practice and improving care delivery
Significant clinical leadership experience, commensurate with the high level of responsibility this role entails
Competency with te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reo Māori or a commitment to starting your journey and taking ownership of your learning and growth
Experience in quality improvement projects or initiatives such as patient and whānau outcomes and experience, which give effect to Te Tiriti principles and equity-based frameworks, and/or the application of Mātauranga Māori and Kaupapa Māori approaches, particularly as they apply in healthcare settings.
Working for Health New Zealand
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora means ‘the weaving of wellness’. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The Equity Work Programme at Health NZ focuses on helping everyone in the health system think about equity when they do their work. It also promotes the cultural change needed for the whole system to reach equity in health outcomes.
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.
At Counties Manukau, we have a warm, welcoming atmosphere with a diverse mix of staff who often describe themselves as whānau (family). It is a varied and exciting place to work with sites and specialities based at Middlemore Hospital and at our other facilities based in the community.
How to Apply
Apply now at Health NZ - Counites Manukau Careers referencing vacancy number: CMH202516156 through our online careers portal before 11:59pm on 2 November 2025.
To review the position description please click here or if you have any questions about the role, please contact Vanessa Thornton, Group Director of Operations at Vanessa.Thornton@middlemore.co.nz or Santosh Parab, Recruitment and HR Operations Manager at Santosh.Parab@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz .
