Senior Legal Counsel, Employment

Senior Legal Counsel, Employment at Te Whatu Ora, Canterbury

• Christchurch or Dunedin Preferred – can consider locations based over Te Waipounamu
• Permanent, full time

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 This is a rare opportunity to practice in-house in employment law and practice within a supportive and collegial team environment. We are looking for people who would like a challenge and work in a meaningful environment supporting our staff to deliver healthcare to New Zealanders. The primary purpose of this role is to provide employment law support across the full spectrum of Employment & Industrial Law issues faced by HNZ. Primarily, this role will support the Te Waipounamu region as the central point of contact for employment & industrial law issues arising in the region. There will also be the chance to contribute to national programmes of work. We have a diverse range of employment law work including contentious matters and complex advisory work. You could also expect to appear in mediations, prepare statements in reply and potentially appear in the Employment Relations Authority on behalf of Health New Zealand. About you

• Previous experience (in the range of 7+ years PQE) in providing employment law advice and representation to clients in roles applying critical thinking and using sound judgement to develop options, provide advice, and translate this into meaningful advice and solutions.
• Experience providing representation to clients in mediation, the Employment Relations Authority and Employment Court.
• Critical thinking, sound judgement and analytical skills which can be constructively applied to a wide range of employment-related legal topics and human behaviour generally.
• The ability to translate legal advice into actionable solutions;
• 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 is committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

• We want to see the real you in your application and welcome the real you on board if you come and work with us. Skills are gained across many areas of our life, not just in formal employment. If you can demonstrate the skills listed in the ad, but the experience was gained through whānau life, community or mahi aroha (volunteering) we encourage you to apply and share your story with us in your cover letter.
• We particularly welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

How to Apply To view the position description and/or apply for the role (by submitting your cover letter and CV), please click “ APPLY NOW .” For tracking and reporting purposes, all applications must be submitted through our online career portal. If you have any questions about the role, please feel free to contact Matt Kelly at matt.kelly@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz. Please note, we will be reviewing applications when received and may proceed with the recruitment process before the closing date of this advert. #J-18808-Ljbffr