General Manager Strategy & Stakeholder Engagement

Ko wai mātou - About us:

Hato Hone St John has been serving New Zealanders since 1885. Today, we have nearly 12,000 kaimahi working across Aotearoa to enhance the health and wellbeing of our communities. From responding to 111 calls to supporting people to stay healthy through health education, access and monitoring, we are make life-changing differences every day.

He aha te tūranga - About the role: 

This newly created General Manager – Strategy & Stakeholder Engagement role is a pivotal leadership position reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive – Strategy & Executive Operations. Based in Wellington, you will lead Hato Hone St John’s approach to strategy, performance, and stakeholder engagement to ensure that the organisation delivers on its mission.

This position provides senior strategic leadership, bringing together a diverse set of functions into a cohesive, high-performing team. You will foster strong collaboration across strategy, government relations, stakeholder engagement, partnerships, and communications and public affairs —creating alignment, clarity, and shared purpose. 

You will drive a strategic approach to stakeholder engagement and public affairs, cultivating strong, trust-based relationships across government, iwi, funders and sector partners. As the primary liaison for government relations, you will position Hato Hone St John as a credible and respected voice in the sector and among decision-makers.

Key accountabilities

• Drive the execution and achievement of our organisational strategy that aligns to our purpose, Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations, and future aspirations.
• Oversee the organisation’s communications and public affairs function ensuring integrated internal and external messaging that is tightly aligned to organisational strategy and values, consistently reflects the organisation’s narrative, and strengthens its voice across all audiences.
• Develop and execute a stakeholder engagement plan enhancing quality of relationships and maintaining partnerships that advance organisational priorities and advocacy goals.
• Identify and activate high-value partnerships that extend reach, amplify impact and enhance visibility.
• Establish robust performance and impact frameworks that enable strong organisational insight, accountability and continuous improvement.

Ko wai koe - About you:

We are looking for a senior, strategic leader with deep expertise in strategy, government relations, public affairs and policy as well as proven ability to lead high-performing teams in complex environments. Skills and experience should include:

• Experience in senior leadership roles, as a trusted advisor to Executive teams and Boards within large organisations with complex structures - ideally within the public sector or NGO environment.
•  Proven experience leading organisational strategy development and execution at scale.
•  Strong track record influencing policy and delivering advocacy initiatives that achieve impact.
• Deep understanding of the New Zealand government environment, including legislative processes and engagement with Ministers, government agencies and key stakeholders.
• Respected people leadership capability – able to build, align and motivate high-performing teams and skilled at working cross-functionally to deliver shared outcomes.
• Credibility and confidence representing an organisation publicly, with strong judgement and awareness of reputational risk.
• Resilience, comfortable navigating ambiguity and leading through change.
• A demonstrated commitment to and understanding of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi | Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Me pēhea te tuku tono - How to apply

Click “I’m interested” before applications close on Sunday 5th July

Please upload a cover letter with your CV or include a covering letter on the ‘message to hiring team’ section of the portal.

For further information please contact Lindsey Frankland 027 309 8372 or [email protected]  for a confidential discussion.

At Hato Hone St John, we embrace diversity, welcoming everyone to bring their authentic selves to work. We value unique perspectives, fostering inclusivity to better serve our communities, and we’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone belongs.

E pōhiritia nei e mātou, te whānau o Hato Hone St John, ngā rereketanga o ia tāngata ki te haramai. E āwhinatia e mātou i ngā whakaaro rereke, kia mahi pai i roto i ngā hāpori katoa. Ko ta mātou nei haepapa, kia hangaia tātahi āhuru mōwai mā tātou, kia mahi haumaru ai.

If you need accommodations for accessibility, please reach out to the recruiter listed for equitable participation in our recruitment process.

Research shows that women and people from under-represented groups are less likely to apply for roles when their experience doesn’t match the job description perfectly. If you’re excited and think you have what it takes, we want to hear from you! Even if your experience doesn’t align 100%. Please apply or contact the recruitment advisor listed on the advertisement for a kōrero.