Senior Procurement Advisor

• Permanent, full-time position based in our Te Waipounamu region. 
• Provide expert procurement and probity advice across complex regional and national procurement programmes.
• Work alongside senior stakeholders to shape high-quality procurement approaches and outcomes.
• Support the delivery of health services through robust, transparent and effective procurement.

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 

We're looking for an experienced Senior Procurement Advisor to join our Contract Liaison and Procurement team in the Southern region.

This is a senior role supporting complex procurement of regionally led services, while working closely with our national procurement and contracting teams. You'll have a strong connection with Portfolio Managers and advisors involved in the commissioning cycle, providing expert procurement, probity and strategic advice to support effective decision-making and successful outcomes.

You'll lead or contribute to end-to-end procurement processes, including developing procurement briefs and providing probity oversight. You'll also help ensure procurement approaches align with government procurement rules, policies and best practice.

A key part of the role will be building procurement capability across the Southern teams. You'll provide advice, coaching, training and guidance, while contributing to the development and continuous improvement of procurement processes, methodologies, systems and tools.

You'll work collaboratively across Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, building strong relationships with regional and national teams, Finance, Legal, Sector Operations, Hauora Māori Services and other organisational procurement teams. You'll also engage with external stakeholders including health providers, government agencies and other sector partners.

This is an opportunity to bring your procurement expertise to work that supports the delivery of health services and better outcomes for communities across Aotearoa.

About you 

You'll be an experienced procurement professional with a strong understanding of complex procurement processes and the ability to provide trusted, strategic advice. You'll be confident working with senior stakeholders and navigating complex environments where sound judgement, collaboration and strong relationships are essential.

To be successful in this role, you'll bring:

• A relevant graduate qualification and significant experience in senior procurement roles, ideally 3–5+ years.
• Experience managing complex social services procurement processes, ideally within the health sector.
• Strong knowledge of procurement principles, processes and best practice, with the ability to apply these in complex environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear, robust advice for a range of audiences.
• Proven strategic thinking and critical analysis skills, with the ability to develop options and provide sound, evidence-based recommendations.
• Experience preparing and presenting high-quality advice, papers, reports and other documentation for senior audiences.
• The ability to use data and insights to identify trends, risks and opportunities and support organisational and system-level decision-making.
• Excellent relationship-management and stakeholder-engagement skills, including experience working with senior leaders and external partners.
• Experience developing and implementing strategies and work plans that deliver organisational objectives.
• A commitment to applying Te Tiriti o Waitangi in a practical and meaningful way.

Experience coaching colleagues or providers in procurement approaches and processes, working within the health system, or navigating All-of-Government procurement practices and Cabinet requirements would be advantageous.

You'll be someone who builds trust, works collaboratively across interconnected teams and brings professionalism, integrity and sound judgement to your work. You'll be comfortable working independently while also contributing to a wider team and supporting continuous improvement.

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 11:59PM Sunday 11 October 2026. For further information, please contact Nicole Rickard on Nicole.Rickard@TeWhatuOra.Govt.NZ.

The full position description is available on the Health New Zealand Careers site.

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process before the closing date of this advert.