Charge Nurse Manager

• Waikato Hospital
• Charge Nurse Manager Older Persons Assessment and Liaison - OPAL
• Permanent, Full-time 1.0FTE

We are excited to announce an internal opportunity for the position of Charge Nurse Manager. This position is open exclusively to Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora staff only. We invite all eligible employees who are interested in applying to submit an expression of interest to be considered for this role.

About the Role

We are searching for a dynamic and suitably experienced registered nurse to take on the role of Charge Nurse Manager for OPAL. The role requires the appointee to take responsibility for the safe and effective management of resources and ensure the delivery of excellent patient services. The charge nurse manager (CNM) role in an OPAL service involves a dual focus on patient care oversight and team management. In this role you will provide Clinical Leadership, Operational Management, Quality Improvement and Staff Development

Key responsibilities:

• Oversight of patient care
• Acute flow
• Managing and supporting staff (OPAL RNs and Geri CNS)
• Leading quality initiatives
• Managing incidents and risks
• leading change and improvement projects
• Supporting a team to provide excellent patient care.

Click hereto view the position description.

About the Service

Older Persons Assessment and Liaison (OPAL) is a hospital-based, multidisciplinary team that provides early, comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults. Goals include: admission avoidance, Length of stay, and ensure a safe and timely discharge by addressing complex needs.

About you

Essential requirements you will need to be considered for this role:

• Registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand.
• A current practising certificate.
• Expert level on the Nurses Professional Development and Recognition Programme (PDRP) or if appropriate has achieved senior nurse level on the Senior Nurses PDRP.
• 7+ years experience in leadership in a complex health-related environment with Medicine and Older Persons, Rehabilitation clinical expertise.
• A minimum of 5 years nursing experience
• Demonstrated excellent communication and leadership skills
• Proven team building and leadership strengths
• Completed or is undertaking postgraduate study
• Previous experience working within a senior nurse role
• Focus on staff safety and wellbeing, patient safety and quality improvement
• Support staff to provide excellent clinical care, as their main priority
• Show evidence of leading change and positively influencing service culture
• Knowledge and understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi

The successful candidate will also:

• Have competency with te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reo Māori or a commitment to starting their journey and taking ownership of their learning and growth.
• Be able to demonstrate leadership experience in terms of managing complex dynamics associated with multi-professional groups.
• Be able to assess and make effective decisions under pressure in complex situations and use their own judgement to problem solve.
• Understand how to use data to improve quality, performance and
• Have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy within New
• Demonstrate highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, including the capacity to negotiate, resolve conflict and positively influence and motivate

Working at 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 online or apply via our Waikato Careers website by clicking here. All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal before 11:59 pm on 2 December 2025. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Rachael Devey at

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