Clinical Operations Manager
Clinical Operations Manager
Southern Cross New Plymouth Hospital
Southern Cross New Plymouth Hospital is a modern private surgical hospital serving the city and wider region since 1983. As the only private surgical hospital in the city, the hospital features advanced theatres and comfortable patient facilities, with 35 inpatient beds, and a dedicated day-stay facility. The team provides excellent pre and post-operative nursing care across a wide range of elective surgical services, including Orthopaedic surgery, Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Oral and Facial Maxillary, Urology, Vascular, Otolaryngology (ENT), Plastic Reconstructive and Cosmetic surgery, and General and Endoscopic surgery.
Mō te Tūranga | About the Role
As Clinical Operations Manager, you’ll be the engine room of the hospital — leading the day-to-day operational performance while shaping a culture where patients, Medical Specialists and teams thrive. Working closely with the General Manager, you’ll inspire and align departmental leaders to deliver safe, high-quality, financially sustainable care, translating strategy into action with pace and confidence. As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, you’ll play a pivotal role in positioning the hospital for growth, innovation and competitive success within the evolving healthcare landscape of Southern Cross Healthcare.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who loves complexity and impact. You’ll balance people leadership, operational efficiency and financial stewardship. Above all, you’ll be a trusted leader who brings people together, solves problems decisively, and sets the standard for excellence in modern healthcare. This is a full-time permanent position based in our New Plymouth Hospital.
Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience
- A strong clinical foundation, with 8+ years post-registration experience, including at least 3 years in a surgical environment, giving you deep insight into how hospitals and theatres truly operate
- Proven senior leadership capability, with 6+ years in management roles, leading teams at scale and navigating complex, high-pressure environments
- Demonstrated success in clinical and operational leadership within a surgical hospital setting, ideally across private healthcare (public experience also welcomed)
- Broad experience across people leadership, workforce management and project delivery, with the confidence to lead change and improvement initiatives end-to-end
- Sound financial and commercial acumen, with experience managing budgets, resources and operational performance
- NZ Registered Nurse with a current practising certificate
- Postgraduate management qualification or equivalent leadership development
- Expert Level 4 PDRP (or actively progressing a Leadership PDRP portfolio)
- A highly credible, experienced clinician and leader who can engage, influence and partner with Medical Specialists and multidisciplinary teams
- A calm, agile and solutions-focused leader - able to prioritise, troubleshoot and shift gears quickly while maintaining composure and sound judgement
- A “we can do this” mindset, bringing innovation, positivity and a strong commitment to quality, safety and continuous improvement
Ngā mea ka taea e mātou te tuku I a koe | What we can offer you:
- Competitive Rewards: Attractive remuneration package, relocation allowance, and employee referral bonus scheme.
- Health & Wellbeing: Funded health insurance, a comprehensive wellbeing programme, and generous Christmas/New Year breaks.
- Flexibility & Growth: Flexible working arrangements and a Nursing Council of New Zealand-approved PDRP.
- Perks & Community: Discounts from a range of partners and the opportunity to join our Employee Network.
Ko wai matou | Our Organisation
At Southern Cross Healthcare, our purpose is clear: to advance quality healthcare across Aotearoa New Zealand. Our values shape everything we do:
- Care First – We lead with compassion, delivering care that’s deeply human through genuine manaakitanga.
- Better Together – Collaboration is our strength. We unite diverse skills and perspectives to create better outcomes for all.
- Pursue Excellence – We strive to improve, innovate, and excel every day—never settling, always aiming to deliver our best.
We’re proud to bring together over 4,000 skilled professionals—including 2,000 nurses and anaesthetic technicians—working alongside more than 1,200 specialists, surgeons, anaesthetists, and allied health experts. Together, we’re one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest and most trusted healthcare providers.
If you have specific needs or would like to discuss how we can support you, please contact our Talent Acquisition team at careers@schl.co.nz for a confidential conversation.
Haere mai, ā, mā te mahi tahi ka whai wāhi ki tētahi mea whai take, ka āwhina i ngā tāngata ki te whai oranga mā te whakaaro anō ki te tautiaki hauora
Join us, and together, each of us can be part of something important, helping people live their best lives by reimagining healthcare.
