Charge Nurse Manager - PACU

About the Role

This is a senior leadership opportunity to take full ownership of a high-acuity PACU service during a period of significant growth.

With theatre capacity expanding substantially over the next 12 months, you will play a key role in shaping how the PACU operates, scales, and delivers consistently high clinical and service outcomes. Reporting directly to senior perioperative leadership, you will lead daily operations, set clinical standards, and build a resilient, high-performing team in a fast-paced, complex environment.

This role suits an experienced PACU or perioperative leader who enjoys influence, pace, and leading teams through change.

Key Responsibilities

You will be responsible for:

• Leading and developing a high-performing PACU team delivering safe, high-acuity patient care
• Owning operational performance, ensuring clinical quality, patient flow, and service targets are consistently met
• Building strong, credible relationships with anaesthetists, surgeons, and perioperative colleagues
• Strengthening clinical capability through coaching, education, and professional development
• Managing resources and budgets to support sustainable growth
• Collaborating with theatre and perioperative leaders to coordinate staffing and shared resources
• Driving quality improvement initiatives and supporting service change as activity and complexity increase

About You

You are a confident clinical leader with strong PACU or acute experience and a clear view of what excellent post-anaesthetic care looks like. You combine sound clinical judgement with the ability to lead, influence, and develop others.

You will bring:

Essential

• Current NZ RN registration and APC
• Proven leadership experience in PACU, ICU, OR, or ED
• Recent experience working in NZ or Australian hospital settings

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant clinical specialty
• Formal leadership development completed or underway

You are calm under pressure, clinically credible, and comfortable stepping into complex situations when required. Your leadership style is collaborative and relationship-driven, earning trust across multidisciplinary teams.

Package & Benefits

• Funded professional development
• Free parking
• Christmas & New Year shutdown
• Subsidised private health insurance (after 2 years)
• Discounts on gyms, retail, hospital, and pharmacy services
• Wellbeing support programme

Ready to lead through the next stage of growth?

This is an opportunity to lead a high-acuity PACU through a period of meaningful expansion, set standards that endure, and make a visible impact on patient outcomes and team performance.

Reference: 215552

Please note that our office will be closed from 23 December to 4 January, applications will be reviewed on our return on 5 January 2026. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

To apply online, please click on the apply button.

Alternatively for a confidential discussion please contact Elise Pope on +64 27 537 2799 quoting the reference number above.

Not quite the job for you but know someone who would love to know about this role? Please pass it on. If they are successful, we will give you a *$500 voucher of your choice. See our website for more details: https://www.frontlinerecruitmentgroup.com/terms-of-use/health-auckland/

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