Health Protection Officer

**Join a team of passionate public health professionals**:

- **Play a critical role in the areas of regulatory compliance, environmental health and disease investigations**:

- **Two positions available**:

- **Christchurch/West Coast/Timaru OR**:

- **Nelson**

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.

**About the Role**

We have two opportunities available to join our Te Waipounamu team based in Christchurch/West Coast/Timaru** (1FTE perm full time)**OR Nelson **(0.8FTE perm part time)** as a **Health Protection Officer.**

Health Protection Officers hold responsibility for monitoring, compliance, operational policy implementation and providing evidence-based advice and information that aims to improve, promote and protect the health of our population in the communities we service with a focus on Equity and Hauora Māori. They primarily work in compliance, environmental health, communicable disease surveillance and investigations, emergency management and border health protection.

**About the Team/Service/ Location**

The National Public Health Service (NPHS) within Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora, work towards Pae Ora (healthy futures) for all by engaging with the wider determinants that impact people's health, focusing on oranga/wellbeing, prevention, protection, and population-level intervention. We are connected across boundaries to deliver public health services that are nationally planned, regionally delivered and locally tailored.

**About you**

If you're naturally inquisitive, love investigation and have a strong sense of initiative, you may be a great fit for this role. We need someone who can identify and manage risks to human health effectively. Excellent communication skills are a must, as you'll be working closely with other public health professionals. Paying close attention to details and following procedures accurately are essential skills we're looking for.

You're skilled at building relationships within our organization and the broader community, including various agencies and stakeholders. You can work collaboratively alongside communities and wider stakeholders and having strong links to our Te Waipounamu communities would be advantageous.

**Skills and Experience**
- A relevant tertiary qualification, preferably in Public Health or Environmental Health
- Capable of undertaking the full range of Health Protection Officer duties or a commitment to achieving competencies within six months of appointment
- A clean, valid Full New Zealand Driver's Licence
- Experience in Health Protection work in NZ or as an Environmental Health Officer in NZ or similar from overseas would be advantageous
- Ability to work collaboratively alongside communities and wider stakeholders
- Excellent presentation and communication skills
- Be a part of an on-call after hours roster and be prepared to respond to any public health emergency
- 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

**Working for Health New Zealand**

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘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.

**Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion**

**How to Apply