Nursing Director - Daily Operations, Hillmorton Hospital

Nursing Director – Daily Operations Specialist Mental Health Service (SMHS) – Hillmorton Hospital, Christchurch – Permanent, Full‑time senior nursing leadership opportunity.

Specialist Mental Health Services (SMHS) provides services across the age continuum and includes a comprehensive range of inpatient and community mental health care. With approximately 1,200 full‑time equivalents across the Division – two‑thirds of whom are nursing staff – the organisation delivers complex and critical services in a dynamic environment.

Established to address increasing complexity, growth, and operational demands within SMHS, the Nursing Director – Daily Operations will provide dedicated operational and strategic leadership across inpatient and division nursing services. In partnership with the Director of Nursing, Operations Manager, and senior clinical leaders, you will plan, develop, coordinate, implement, and report on nursing services, ensuring safe, efficient, culturally responsive, and patient‑centred care.

• Lead daily operational nursing coordination across SMHS.
• Provide oversight of after‑hours nursing leadership.
• Support the Director of Nursing with leading Safe Staffing systems, including CCDM/TrendCare, VRM, and workforce allocation.
• Support hospital flow and inter‑service coordination.
• Oversee divisional services, including the nursing pool, ECT nursing services, Clinical Services Unit, and rostering operations.
• Support emergency operational responses and escalation management.
• Lead reviews and improvement programmes for after‑hours services and the Clinical Services Unit.
• Strengthen integration between inpatient, emergency, and community mental health services.

You will be a highly credible senior nursing leader with strong operational management experience and the ability to work effectively in complex, fast‑paced environments.

• Extensive senior nursing leadership experience within mental health services.
• Strong operational and workforce management capability.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and services.
• Knowledge of Safe Staffing/CCDM systems and workforce planning.
• Excellent communication skills.
• A commitment to tangata whaiora and whānau‑centred care.
• The ability to lead service improvement and system‑wide change.
• Strategic thinking alongside strong day‑to‑day operational leadership.
• Minimum of a post‑graduate diploma in a relevant field.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a diverse and inclusive workforce and welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.