Head of Implementation Services

• Lead WorkSafe’s enterprise implementation capability
• Help direct effort where it will have the greatest impact
• Permanent senior leadership role based in Wellington

About Us
He aha te mea nui o tēnei ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

Hello, Kia ora, Noa’ia, Talofa lava, Mauri, Mālō e lelei, Tālofa, Ni Sa Bula Vinaka, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Mālō ni, Kia orana, nǐ hǎo, Kamusta.

WorkSafe New Zealand | Mahi Haumaru Aotearoa is the primary workplace health and safety regulator. Our vision is that everyone who goes to mahi comes home healthy and safe. We live by our values:

• Whakakotahi – we are united in a strong purpose
• Kōrero mai – we engage meaningfully
• Tiakina mai – we are entrusted with a duty of care

About your team / Ko te tīma
Enterprise Planning and Implementation is a new group established at WorkSafe to strengthen planning, coordination, and implementation across the organisation, particularly to improve how work is prioritised, sequenced, and supported through to delivery.

Implementation Services is responsible for helping WorkSafe translate both regulatory priorities and organisational change into effective action. The team brings together business planning, business design and implementation capability to improve how work is planned, coordinated and delivered across the organisation.

This is a significant maturity-building opportunity. While good foundations are in place, there is still considerable scope to strengthen planning disciplines, implementation approaches and organisational capability. You'll have the opportunity to shape how the function evolves and build capability that will have a lasting impact across WorkSafe.


About the role / Ō te tūranga
As Head of Implementation Services, you will lead WorkSafe's enterprise implementation capability, helping ensure regulatory priorities, organisational initiatives and continuous improvement activity are translated into coordinated, realistic and sustainable action.

You will work across Strategy, Policy, Digital and operational functions to bring clarity to priorities, sequencing, dependencies and organisational capacity. Your focus will be on helping the organisation make informed decisions about where effort should be directed, how work should be coordinated, and what is required to successfully deliver change.

This is not a traditional PMO leadership role. It is a broader enterprise leadership position focused on strengthening implementation capability, enabling organisational improvement and ensuring WorkSafe's finite resources are directed towards the areas that will have the greatest impact.


What You’ll Do / Ko tōu ake mahi

• Lead WorkSafe's enterprise implementation capability
• Establish implementation planning, sequencing and readiness disciplines
• Coordinate priorities, capacity and dependencies across functions
• Strengthen implementation frameworks, tools and organisational practice
• Support leaders to plan and implement change effectively
• Align business planning, business design and implementation capability
• Capture and share implementation insights to improve future delivery
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing implementation function

What You’ll Bring / Ko ngā pukenga ōu

• Significant senior leadership experience in implementation, change or delivery enablement
• Experience embedding implementation planning and dependency management practices
• Ability to align strategy, policy, digital and operational priorities
• Experience influencing senior leaders on readiness, capacity and delivery risk
• Strong systems thinking and organisational planning capability
• Proven people leadership, coaching and capability-building skills

Experience within a regulatory, public sector or complex organisational environment is desirable, as is familiarity with programme, portfolio or enterprise planning disciplines. Consultancy, commercial, local government and public sector backgrounds may all provide relevant experience. 

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.


Salary range / Awhe utu
The expected appointment base salary for this role is $229,219. KiwiSaver or SSRSS employer contributions are additional. 

From 1 April 2026, our KiwiSaver employer contribution increased to 3.5%.

We offer a range of benefits including:

• Free life insurance for the duration of your employment
• Health insurance and eyecare discounts
• $400 home workstation contribution
• Five weeks’ annual leave
• 15 days’ sick leave
• A Reward and Recognition Framework that celebrates the impact our kaimahi make
• Professional development opportunities
• Employee-led networks supporting our diverse communities 

Location
Wellington is preferred, reflecting where much of WorkSafe's planning, implementation and organisational design capability is currently based. Other locations may be considered for an outstanding candidate who is comfortable with regular travel and building strong relationships across the organisation. This role requires visibility across a wide range of functions and the ability to work effectively with leaders and teams throughout WorkSafe.


How to apply / Me pēhea te tono
Click Apply and upload your CV and cover letter.

AI can be a helpful tool when preparing your application, but what matters most to us is you. Please ensure your CV, cover letter and responses reflect your own skills, experiences and perspective. We want to hear your real story, your passion, your personality and what makes you unique. Don’t let AI do all the talking. Let it support you, not replace you.

WorkSafe Mahi Haumaru is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and actively welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including people with disabilities and those who are neurodivergent.

We believe different perspectives strengthen our mahi and help create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

If you encounter accessibility barriers in completing the application or require adjustments or support to ensure the recruitment process is accessible to you, contact worksafe@inside.co.nz for a confidential kōrero. 

This vacancy has been established as part of changes to WorkSafe's organisational structure after a review of WorkSafe's operating model identified opportunities to improve role clarity, ways of working and organisational effectiveness. As part of these changes, WorkSafe has established a number of new roles to ensure we are well placed to meet expectations now and in the future.


Applications close: 5pm, 17th September, 2026.