Nurse Specialist

Paediatric Heart Failure and Transplant Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Starship Child Health

Senior Nursing role

Fixed Term for one year (1 FTE) position

Come be part of our Team!

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.

About the Role

The Paediatric Heart Failure and Transplant Clinical Nurse Specialist provides expert nursing leadership and clinical care for infants, children and adolescents with advanced heart failure, mechanical circulatory support devices and heart transplantation. The role coordinates care across inpatient, outpatient and community settings, ensuring seamless, whānau-centred care throughout the patient journey.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, the CNS promotes excellence in clinical practice, patient education, service development, research and quality improvement to optimise outcomes for tamariki and their whānau.

Key responsibilities

• Provide advanced assessment, care planning, implementation and evaluation for children with heart failure, cardiomyopathy, congenital and acquired heart disease, VADs and heart transplantation.
• Coordinate care across inpatient, intensive care, outpatient and community settings.
• Participate in heart failure and transplant clinics, monitoring clinical status and escalating deterioration appropriately.
• Support medication management, pre-transplant assessment and post-transplant follow-up.
• Act as key worker and primary contact for patients and whānau.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary care across cardiology, surgery, intensive care, transplantation, allied health and community services.
• Facilitate hospital-to-community transitions and transition of adolescents to adult services.
• Provide education on heart failure management, medications, infection prevention, deterioration and post-transplant care.
• Develop patient and staff education resources.
• Promote family-centred and culturally safe care.
• Provide expert clinical advice and support evidence-based policies, guidelines and pathways.
• Lead quality improvement and patient safety initiatives.
• Participate in clinical audits, outcome monitoring and research.
• Implement evidence-based practice and contribute to service quality reporting.
• Uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and promote equitable outcomes for Māori and Pacific children and whānau.
• Provide culturally safe care that respects diverse values, beliefs and needs.

For all aspects of this role and experience/knowledge required please see the Position Description.

About you

Keys Skills

• Registered Nurse with current NZ Annual Practising Certificate.
• Postgraduate qualification in nursing (minimum diploma, Masters preferred).
• At least 5 years paediatric nursing experience.
• Experience in paediatric cardiology and/or cardiac transplantation.
• Demonstrated clinical leadership skills.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven ability to manage complex clinical cases.
• Advanced understanding of paediatric cardiac conditions and heart failure.
• Knowledge of transplant assessment, monitoring and long-term management.
• Excellent communication and family engagement skills.
• Strong clinical assessment and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to coordinate complex care across services.
• Competence in quality improvement and evidence-based practice.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with ventricular assist devices (VADs).
• Working toward or holding a Master's degree in Nursing or related health discipline.

About the Team

Te Toka Tumai Auckland is part of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, the overarching organisation for New Zealands National Health Service. We provide health and disability services to more than half a million people living in central Auckland, regional services for Northland and greater Auckland, and specialist national services for the whole of New Zealand. Our main sites are Auckland City Hospital, Greenlane Clinical Centre and Starship Childrens Hospital, located in central Auckland.

Starship Child Health is a dedicated paediatric healthcare service and major teaching centre, providing family centred care to neonates, children and young people throughout New Zealand and the South Pacific. Starship is a part of Te Toka Tumai Auckland and is the only comprehensive childrens hospital in New Zealand serving a population of approximately 1 million children. Auckland City Hospital is NZs largest public tertiary hospital which has strong ties with University of Auckland and provides extensive teaching and training opportunities.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community.

We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

To apply please click apply now. All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal by 8th October 2026. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Michelle Kanth at michelle.kanth@tewhatuora.govt.nz

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advert.