Product Owner

• Wellington-based candidates preferred, with strong candidates from across New Zealand encouraged to apply
• Two Years' Fixed-term, Full-Time

Join a team helping shape the future of digital health services across Aotearoa. Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is looking for an experienced Product Owner to drive the vision, delivery, and continuous evolution of digital products that support better health outcomes for New Zealanders.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders through partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence.

The Role

As a Product Owner, you will be responsible for defining and delivering digital products that create value for clinicians, patients, and Health NZ. You'll work closely with business stakeholders, delivery teams, Product Managers, Capability Managers, and organisational leaders to ensure products evolve in line with strategic priorities and user needs.

This is a highly collaborative role where you will balance customer outcomes, business priorities, and technical considerations to drive successful product delivery. You'll provide product direction, manage priorities, and help teams deliver solutions that improve healthcare experiences and operational efficiency.

Key responsibilities include:

• Defining and communicating product vision, strategy, and roadmaps aligned to organisational goals
• Managing and prioritising product backlogs to maximise value delivery and customer outcomes
• Collaborating with stakeholders, delivery teams, and leaders to gather requirements and drive product success
• Supporting agile delivery practices and continuous improvement across product lifecycles

About the team

This role sits within the Digital Services group at Health NZ, working alongside product, delivery, technology, and business teams responsible for delivering modern digital services that support healthcare across Aotearoa.

The team is focused on creating user-centred, scalable, and sustainable digital solutions that improve experiences for patients, clinicians, and health sector stakeholders.

What you'll bring

You'll be an experienced Product Owner or digital product professional with a strong track record of delivering complex products in agile environments. You'll be passionate about customer outcomes, innovation, and translating business needs into valuable digital solutions.

You'll bring excellent stakeholder management skills, strong commercial and strategic thinking, and the ability to work effectively across both technical and non-technical teams.

You will also bring:

• 5+ years' experience in Product Ownership, Product Management, or a related discipline
• Experience working with API integrations and data strongly preferred.

• Knowledge of security and privacy standards and legislation, and how they apply to government and the health sector is ideal
• Proven experience delivering complex digital or software products in agile environments
• Strong understanding of product management frameworks, agile methodologies, and user-centred design principles
• Experience managing product backlogs, roadmaps, and stakeholder expectations
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and relationship management skills
• A relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Technology, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline

Why join Health NZ?

At Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace that values diversity, supports development, and enables our people to thrive while contributing to better health outcomes for communities across Aotearoa.

The Equity Work Programme at Health NZ supports cultural and system-wide change to help achieve equitable health outcomes for all New Zealanders.

Our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. Skills can be gained through professional work, community involvement, volunteering, or whānau life. If you believe you can succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply.

We welcome applications from Māori, Pacific Peoples, disabled people, and rainbow communities.

How to apply

To view the position description and apply for this role, please click "Apply Now." All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal before 11:59pm on 31st August 2026.

For any questions about the role, please contact Ash Mohan at ash.mohan@tewhatuora.govt.nz