Job Description

About Us | Mō mātou    

The Survivor Experiences Service provides a safe, supportive and confidential space for survivors of abuse in care to share their experiences as part of their healing journey. The Service also supports survivors to access and understand their care records, helping to fill gaps in personal histories and provide greater understanding of past experiences.

Hosted by Te Tari Taiwhenua (Department of Internal Affairs) and overseen by an independent board, the Service brings together survivor experiences to deepen understanding of abuse in care and inform efforts to prevent future harm. Survivors may also be connected with other support services, ensuring they receive the assistance they need throughout their journey.

The role | Te tūnga  

As the Practice Development and Quality Lead, you will be the steward of the Survivor Experiences Service Professional Practice Framework, helping ensure practice is consistently trauma-informed, survivor-centred and culturally safe. You will work closely with the Senior Leadership Team, staff and contracted providers to build capability, strengthen practice and ensure quality is clearly defined, monitored and continually improved.

You will lead the development of quality assurance tools, use data and survivor feedback to identify risks and opportunities, and translate policy, research and standards into practical ways of working. A key part of the role will be influencing across the Service, including at senior leadership and Board level, to embed a culture of learning, reflection and continuous improvement.

This position is fixed term through to June 2028.

What you bring | Nōu te rourou

• Deep experience working with survivors of abuse in care using trauma-informed, survivor-centred and culturally responsive approaches.
• Strong quality improvement, risk management and safeguarding experience, with the ability to turn evidence, data and feedback into practical improvements.
• Proven ability to build capability through coaching, facilitation, training and reflective practice.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to identify gaps, assess risk and develop effective solutions.
• Excellent influencing and stakeholder engagement skills, with the confidence to work across frontline teams, senior leaders and external providers.
• A track record of leading change and embedding consistent, high-quality practice across complex service environments.

For you | Mōu 

At the Department of Internal Affairs, we are committed to offering a collaborative and innovative culture where your perspective and ideas will be welcomed. We want our people to thrive within a culture of best practice, while being able to set and achieve goals and being encouraged to challenge the status quo.  

To learn more about the diverse, important mahi we do at the Department and see why we're a great place to work check out our website  https://www.dia.govt.nz/ 

Benefits -  About Internal Affairs - Careers with us - Benefits - dia.govt.nz 

The appointing range for this role is  $125,529 - $139,476. 

To review the full job description, please  click here. 

How to apply | Me pēhea te tuku tono 

We are unable to accept applications via email. Please click the apply button to submit your application. 

We're committed to ensuring our application process is accessible to everyone. Please let us know if there is any support, we can provide to ensure the process is accessible to you.  

Applications for this role close 5pm, Tuesday 1 September 2026. Please also note that you must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand to be considered for this role. 

If you have any questions, please email  Polly Martin - Polly.Martin2@survivorexperiences.govt.nz