Senior Advisors (X2) - Alcohol Harm Prevention
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
- Flexible location: based in the National office or any regional NPHS office (preferred locations: Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch)
- Two permanent, full-time roles (1.0 FTE)
- Make a national impact leading alcohol harm prevention across Aotearoa
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is the country's largest employer, delivering universal public healthcare to five 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 roles
We have two permanent, full-time opportunities for Senior Advisors (Alcohol Harm Prevention) to join the national Health Promotion Directorate within NPHS. The Health Promotion workforce sit within both the Health Promotion National office, and the regional directorates of the NPHS. Our team implements a comprehensive health promotion approach to reduce and prevent harm from alcohol in Aotearoa. The two roles each have a distinct focus area.
Role one: Community Action (CA)
- Lead community action on alcohol harm prevention - building the partnerships and networks that drive locally led change across Aotearoa
This role plays a key part in the Alcohol Harm Prevention Community Action programme, supporting relationship and stakeholder management with communities, community organisations, and alcohol harm prevention networks to strengthen locally led responses to alcohol harm across Aotearoa New Zealand. The Health Promotion team is delivering the Community Action programme, which works alongside communities, iwi, and alcohol harm prevention stakeholders to strengthen community capacity and drive locally led, innovative solutions. This role connects national programme work with regional and community partners across the country.
Role two: SBIRT/Health System Reorientation
- Building health service capacity for prevention of alcohol harm
This role plays a key part in the Prevention, Early Detection and Intervention programme, specifically supporting the expansion of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) including the Alcohol ABC approach, across primary care, secondary care, and other community settings. The Health Promotion team is delivering a programme of work focused on reorienting health services to better prevent and respond to alcohol harm, including building national capacity and capability for SBIRT delivery.
In both roles, the Senior Advisor Health Promotion leads the design and delivery of health promotion activities with genuine independence - managing their workstream end-to-end, from planning through to evaluation. They understand how health promotion operates within and across systems and look for opportunities to influence the conditions that shape health, not just deliver activities within them.
They draw on strong relationships with sector partners, communities, and clinical teams, and bring the ability to synthesise evidence and translate it into practical programme approaches. They think carefully about who the programme reaches and who it doesn't, actively applying an equity lens to their work. Strong written and oral communication is central to the role, including producing clear, well-reasoned advice and reporting for a range of audiences.
About the Team/Service/Location
The 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. The Health Promotion team implements a comprehensive approach to reduce and prevent harm from alcohol in Aotearoa, working across two complementary programmes as described above.
About you
You bring developed health promotion expertise and are comfortable leading a programme workstream with genuine independence. You select, adapt, and apply a range of health promotion frameworks, principles, and methods with confidence. You think analytically - you don't just summarise evidence, you draw conclusions from it and translate them into practical programme approaches. You build and sustain trusted relationships with communities, iwi, and sector partners, and you're confident providing advice that is clear and well-reasoned, even when the question is complex or contested.
All applicants must demonstrate:
- a relevant tertiary qualification, and a minimum of four years' experience or, a minimum of seven years' appropriate equivalent experience
- demonstrated experience leading a programme or project workstream end-to-end, including planning, stakeholder management, and evaluation
- project management and administration skills, effectively coordinating multiple activities and an ability to plan and monitor outcome achievement
- strong analytical skills and the ability to produce clear, well-reasoned written advice and programme documents for a range of audiences, including senior officials
- ability to actively apply equity analysis in programme design, including understanding who is reached and who isn't - with experience working in genuine partnership with Māori and Pasifika communities
- experience in implementing and evaluating Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles into ways of working
- an ability to work flexibly and be a team player that can adapt and pivot to support across the work programme when required.
In addition, for role one (Community Action):
- Experience in relationship and stakeholder management, including building and maintaining partnerships with community organisations, iwi, and sector stakeholders
- Experience working within or alongside community-led or kaupapa Māori initiatives in a health promotion or public health context is desirable
In addition, for role two (SBIRT/Health System Reorientation):
- Knowledge of alcohol harm prevention, including experience with or a strong understanding of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and the Alcohol ABC approach is beneficial
- Familiarity with implementing SBIRT across primary care, secondary care, or community settings is desirable
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. If you have any questions about either role, please contact Maria Bennett Maria Bennett maria.bennett1@tewhatuora.govt.nz
We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process before the closing date of this advert.
We only accept online applications. Please apply via our website.
