To tatou tikanga | Our Culture

Our kaimahi (employees) are passionate people, each driven to contribute to better health outcomes, with a focus on high priority populations. We are focused on hiring kaimahi who live and work in the communities they serve.

Whakarongorau Aotearoa (Whakarongorau) is committed to understanding and improving mana taurite (equal status) starts with the understanding of self and how we, as health professionals, think and behave each minute of each day to serve the health needs for Aotearoa.

We are committed to ensuring our workforce reflects the community we support.

Ko wai mātou | About us

Whakarongorau, a social enterprise, is a virtual health and social services organisation with a proven record of connecting people seamlessly with care when they need it. Whakarongorau aims to be there when face to face health and social services cannot, providing consistent, clinically supported access to services for those in need or when people are unable to access other options due to location, time of day, financial or cultural barriers.

Mō tēnei tūranga | About the role

As People Leader - Puāwaitanga, you'll lead and support a team of professionals delivering mental health counselling and mentoring services. You will ensure kaimahi are well-supported, engaged and equipped to deliver safe, high-quality, person-centred, and culturally responsive care for tāngata whai ora across Aotearoa. You'll positively contribute to the Mental Health Services leadership team, ensuring active collaboration in the execution of the Whakarongorau strategy and achievement of clinical excellence and performance.

You’ll drive a positive, collaborative team culture that promotes learning, accountability, and continuous development, ensuring kaimahi feel valued and empowered while aligning with organisational values, strategic goals, and service priorities to achieve positive outcomes for tāngata whai ora. You'll ensure the team consistently meets key performance indicators, adheres to regulatory codes of conduct and practice, and complies with ethical, legislative and Whakarongorau processes. 

Ngā haepapa matua | Key responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a high-performing team by providing clarity, coaching, and role-modelling Whakarongorau values to foster engagement and accountability
• Drive operational excellence by ensuring KPIs are met, safety and wellbeing are prioritised, and compliance with clinical, ethical, and legislative standards is maintained
• Champion continuous improvement through collaboration with clinical quality teams, supervision providers, and by incorporating feedback into service delivery
• Build strong relationships across the organisation to support seamless service delivery and a culture of learning and partnership
• Embed Te Ao Māori principles and uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi in daily practice, ensuring culturally responsive and inclusive care for tāngata whai ora

Ngā hua mōu | What's in it for you

• Enjoy a supportive, hybrid working environment with regular work-from-home days each week
• Benefit from birthday leave and a half-day off every month to prioritise your wellbeing
• Access exclusive discounts with Boost and Samsung
• Be part of a collaborative team working towards better health outcomes for all of Aotearoa

Mōu ake | About you

You’re a compassionate, organised leader with curiosity, courage, and cultural humility. You balance warmth with accountability, turning strategy into clear, practical actions. Energised by supporting kaimahi to excel and improving outcomes for tāngata whai ora, you’re tech‑savvy and thrive in a fast‑paced service environment. You work collaboratively with clinical teams, champion continuous improvement and safety, uphold Te Tiriti commitments, and consistently role‑model our values. 

Ōu wheako ōu mātauranga hoki | Qualifications and Experience

• Qualification in a relevant field e.g. counselling, addictions, social work, psychology, psychotherapy - Essential
• Registration with a relevant professional body would be favourable but not essential
• 5+ years’ experience working in a mental health and addictions role
• Ideally, experience within a telehealth or eTherapy setting and within an appointment based therapeutic setting
• At least 2-3 years of management/supervisory experience and/or relevant management qualifications

Ōu āheitanga ōu pūkenga hoki | Skills and Competence

• Confidently able to hold appropriate coaching, behaviour and performance conversations with team members
• Able to navigate, support, follow and lead change management initiatives
• Confident with technology
• Proven ability to lead process and service delivery improvement
• Confident with driving service performance through managing against daily, weekly and monthly key performance indicators
• Able to support on-going clinical service improvements as well as other business needs

Ō mātou uara | Our values

E kimi ana mātou i ētahi tangata e kaha whakanui i ēnei uara - We are looking for people who align naturally with these values and will champion them

• Mahia te mea tika / Do the right thing
• Hihiri e te kounga / Motivated by quality
• Ngākau nui ki te pai ake / Passion for better
• Pokohiwi ki Pokohiwi / Shoulder to shoulder