Christchurch | Permanent | Full-Time
Lead with compassion. Inspire your team. Help shape recovery journeys when they matter most.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced registered mental health professional to provide clinical leadership across two unique and highly valued services supporting adults experiencing mental distress.
As Clinical Team Leader, you’ll work alongside the Service Manager to lead a skilled multidisciplinary team, ensuring safe, high-quality, recovery-focused care while supporting staff development, clinical decision-making, and continuous service improvement.
Mō Te Tūranga | About The role
Our Adult Crisis and Planned Respite services provide short-term residential support for tangata whaiora who are experiencing periods of increased vulnerability or requiring additional support in their recovery journey.
This leadership role combines clinical expertise with operational oversight, helping ensure our services remain welcoming, safe, professionally led, and recovery focused. You’ll mentor staff, provide clinical guidance, strengthen relationships with Health NZ and community partners, and contribute to a culture where both tangata whaiora and kaimahi can thrive.
In this role, you will:
- Provide day-to-day clinical leadership across Adult Crisis and Planned Respite services.
- Support, coach and develop a multidisciplinary team through supervision, mentoring and performance support.
- Lead recovery-focused, trauma-informed clinical practice and sound risk management.
- Coordinate admissions, discharges and service delivery alongside Health NZ and community partners.
- Promote high standards of documentation, quality improvement, medication management and audit compliance.
- Foster a positive team culture that reflects Stepping Stone Trust’s values and commitment to continuous improvement.
- Participate in the Duty On-Call roster.
Mōu | About you
We’re looking for a confident clinical leader who enjoys supporting others to grow while maintaining excellent standards of care. You’ll bring strong clinical judgement, calm decision-making under pressure, and the ability to build trusted relationships across services and disciplines.
Must Have:
- Current registration with an appropriate New Zealand professional body.
- Relevant Level 7 health qualification.
- Minimum three years’ clinical experience working within adult mental health, crisis, respite, residential or community services.
- Strong knowledge of recovery-oriented, trauma-informed practice, risk assessment and crisis intervention.
- Experience leading, coaching or supervising staff.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with strong clinical documentation ability.
- Confidence working collaboratively with Health NZ, NGOs and community agencies.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise competing demands.
- Competent computer skills including Microsoft Office and electronic clinical record systems.
- Full New Zealand Driver Licence.
- The legal right to work in New Zealand.
Desirable:
- Postgraduate mental health qualification (or willingness to commence postgraduate study).
- Previous experience in a Clinical Team Leader or senior clinical role.
- Experience participating in an on-call roster.
- Knowledge of NGO mental health service delivery and interagency collaboration.
- Tā mātou mahi | We offer
- A supportive, values-driven workplace
- Professional supervision and ongoing professional development.
- Opportunities to further develop your leadership capability.
- Paid sick leave, available from commencement (provided eligibility criteria are met)
- Paid birthday leave (after six months permanent employment).
- Internal training and development opportunities.
- The opportunity to make a genuine difference in the lives of tangata whaiora every day.
Mō mātou | About us
At Stepping Stone Trust (SST), we provide community and residential services supporting more than 700 people each week across Canterbury and Otago. With over 275 staff working across clinical, support, nursing, counselling, social work and corporate services, we’re committed to delivering compassionate, person-centred mental health services that inspire hope and support recovery.
Our work is grounded in our core values of Faith, Grace, Hope, Love and Integrity.
Interested?
Applications close: Sunday, 12th July 2026
If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you. Please click Apply Now and submit your CV and cover letter.
Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place before the closing date. We reserve the right to appoint before the advertised closing date.
Stepping Stone Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating a safe, inclusive workplace where everyone feels they belong. All successful applicants will undergo vetting appropriate to the requirements of the role.
