This is a senior
clinical and assessment leadership role responsible for the design,
development, quality assurance, and delivery of the Council’s Objective
Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for internationally qualified nurses.
You will join a
supportive and collaborative team and provide expert leadership across high‑stakes regulatory examinations, including
validation of results and oversight of examiner decisions. The full-time position
is based in Christchurch (40 hours per week), with some Wellington travel.
About
us
The Nursing Council of New Zealand is the
independent regulator for nurses in Aotearoa. Our role is to protect public
safety by ensuring nurses are competent, safe, and fit to practise. Our purpose
being Safe
nurses, safe public.
Working for the Nursing Council is an exciting
opportunity for you to use and grow your expertise and skills, while working
with a team that has a true purpose and pride in the mahi they do.
Our work
is varied and is focused on protecting the health and safety of the public by
setting and monitoring standards to ensure nurses are registered, competent and
fit to practice.
We strive
to lead health professional regulation.Our values are important to us and guide the way we work.
- We are RESPECTFUL –
He WHAKAKOHA mātou. We act with
integrity, upholding the highest ethical standards, seeking out and listening
to the views of others. We ensure our processes are fair, impartial and
equitable
- We Are
COLLABORATIVE – Ka mahi NGĀTAHI mātou. We
foster strong relationships with each other and our stakeholders. We work
with our regulatory partners in Aotearoa and internationally, to enhance
nursing practice and protect public health and safety
- We are ACCOUNTABLE
– Ka noho HAEPAPA mātou. We
promote honesty and transparency in all regulatory activities. We hold
ourselves and the nursing profession to account for meeting high standards of
professional conduct and competence. We place safety and well-being of the
public at heart of what we do.
- We are INCLUSIVE – He TĀPITI mātou. We
value diverse perspective and experiences. We make our processes and
information accessible, understandable and user-friendly
About the role
This is a senior
clinical and assessment leadership role. The role is responsible for design,
development, quality assurance, and delivery of the Council’s Objective
Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for internationally qualified nurses.
You will provide
expert leadership across the high-stakes regulatory examination, with
accountability for ensuring assessment practices are consistent, fair, and
aligned with the Council’s standards and statutory obligations.
Key
responsibilities include:
- Oversee examiner decisions, validate OSCE outcomes, and determine
assessment results
- Lead quality assurance, including moderation and psychometric review,
and continuous improvement
- Co-design assessment content with subject matter experts
- Provide governance and reporting to the Chief Executive/Registrar
A key part of
the role is working collaboratively with an external assessment provider, clinical
experts, educators, examiners, and psychometric specialists. Through these
partnerships, you will ensure assessment frameworks reflect commitments to Te
Tiriti o Waitangi, are contemporary, evidence-based, and culturally appropriate
within the Aotearoa New Zealand context.
You will also
lead quality assurance and continuous improvement activities, including
moderation, review of assessment materials, and strengthening processes to
support consistency across examiners and assessment cycles.
This role holds
delegated authority for validating assessment outcomes and plays a critical
part in safeguarding public safety by ensuring only nurses who meet the
required standards of competence can practise in Aotearoa.
About you
This role is
based in Christchurch to support in-person assessment activity and stakeholder
engagement. Travel to Wellington, will also be required.
You are an
experienced registered nurse with strong clinical and educational credibility, with
a demonstrated expertise in assessment design and delivery. You bring a
strategic and thoughtful approach to quality assurance and decision-making in a
regulatory context.
To be successful
in this role, you will bring:
- Current registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand and a
current annual practising certificate
- A master’s degree in nursing or related discipline
- Proven experience developing clinical assessments, including OSCEs
- Strong understanding of assessment quality, including validity,
reliability, moderation, and psychometric processes
- Experience working with diverse stakeholders
- Confidence working with data, reporting, and quality assurance processes
- Understanding of Te Ao Māori, tikanga, and a commitment to equity
and culturally safe practice
- Ability to lead complex assessment processes with clarity,
integrity, and decisiveness
You will be
collaborative, resilient, and solutions-focused, with the ability to work
constructively across teams and with external partners to provide sound
judgement in a high-stakes environment.
Benefits
As
well as a supportive team and collaborative environment, we also offer:
·Health insurance
·Additional leave days
·Support for professional development
·Long service leave
·Flexible working policy
What next?
If
you are ready to lead high‑stakes
assessment that protects public safety, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now with your CV and a cover letter
telling us what makes you right for this role. You must be based close to
Christchurch and hold a valid working visa to be considered for the role. If
you have any questions, please contact Kevin Keane on kevin@nursingcouncil.org.nz. We will be reviewing CVs as we go so apply
now!
