Provide clinical leadership to OST and addiction services across the Wairarapa community.

Senior Medical Officer / Lead Clinician

Lead innovative addiction services, shape the future of care, and make a meaningful difference across Wairarapa.

Pathways Wairarapa has an exciting opportunity for a passionate and experienced Senior Medical Officer / Lead Clinician to provide clinical leadership within our innovative, responsive, and community-focused Opioid Substitution Treatment and addictions services.

Based in Masterton, this role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful difference for tāngata whai ora, taiohi, whānau and the wider Wairarapa community, while enjoying the lifestyle benefits of a rural and semi-rural region.

This is a unique opportunity to step beyond traditional models of addiction service provision and contribute to a high-quality, flexible, and community-responsive treatment service. You will provide medical expertise, clinical leadership and support to multidisciplinary teams delivering care across AOD, OST and mental health services.

The role offers opportunities to apply your creativity and leadership to service development, service planning, quality improvement, teaching, supervision, and multidisciplinary clinical leadership.

We are committed to culturally responsive practice and to delivering services that meet the needs of our community, including tāngata whai ora and taiohi.

Pathways / REAL is one of New Zealand's largest national NGO providers of mental health and addiction services, and the only NGO in New Zealand delivering both AOD and Opioid Substitution Treatment services. Locally, we serve a population of approximately 45,000 people and are a strong contributor to service governance across regional and national AOD and OST forums.

Our services work collaboratively with community providers and local health services, and include:

  • AOD counselling and case management
  • OST programme management
  • 'REAL' Youth AOD service
  • Social detox residential support and mental health planned respite facility
  • Mental Health Housing and Recovery residential programme
  • Mental Health support community mobile service

If you are a Senior Medical Officer who is passionate about clinical excellence, strong peer relationships and improving outcomes for communities with growing needs, we would welcome your interest. You will join a values-led NGO committed to delivering high-quality, responsive, and compassionate care.

You will be supported by strong relationships with local health partners, addiction service leadership across the region, peer review groups, and generous continuing medical education opportunities.

We are looking for a clinician who brings professional credibility, sound judgement and a genuine commitment to addictions and mental health care. You will have:

  • A current registration as a Medical Officer
  • Postgraduate qualifications and/or experience in addiction medicine or related clinical work
  • Expertise in the Ministry of Health gazetting process to become the Lead Clinician for OST prescribing
  • A commitment to high standards of care, clinical excellence, and culturally responsive practice
  • Strong clinical leadership skills and the ability to build effective cross-sector relationships

In this role, you can look forward to extra annual leave, subsidies for school holiday childcare, generous continuing medical education support, and a great team around you every day. You will be part of a supportive work environment where balance is encouraged, people are valued and new solutions are welcomed.

Applications close: 31 August 2026. Please note this advert may close earlier if a suitable candidate is found.

Contact: Angela Whibley-Smith, Service and Relationship Manager, on 027 337 6068 if you have any questions.

Pathways is committed to healthy lifestyles and actively supports a smoke free environment. We encourage people with experience of mental illness and / or addictions to apply.

All new appointees into Pathways require background checking. Under the requirements of the Children's Act 2014, new employees identified as coming under this Act are required to undergo further safety checks as part of the recruitment process.

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