Head of Technology - Healthy Behaviours

About us

Southern Cross Health Insurance is shaping a healthier Aotearoa New Zealand. Our purpose is simple: empowering our members to live well for longer. We're here to give peace of mind through timely access to quality care, inspire healthier living, and lead positive change across the health system. As a New Zealand-owned, member-based organisation, we're building a future where wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do -- delivering exceptional value for our members and creating an environment where our people thrive.

Now is an exciting time to join us. You'll be part of a high-performing, values-driven team where people are at the heart of everything we do -- and in return for your talent, you'll have the opportunity to grow, make an impact, and be proud of the difference your work makes.

About the role

Southern Cross serves almost one million members across Aotearoa New Zealand. The work we do has real scale, real responsibility, and a real opportunity to make a meaningful difference. With strong momentum building across our product and technology teams, we are looking for an exceptional technology leader to join our senior leadership team and help shape the future of proactive health and wellbeing at Southern Cross.  

This is a senior leadership role for someone who wants to shape technology direction, build a strong engineering culture, partner deeply with product and business leaders, and create the conditions for teams to deliver value safely, frequently, and well.  

Why Join Us  

We are investing in people, technology, and the mission. At a time when the market is hesitant, we are continuing to strengthen our foundations and build our capability. You will have executive sponsorship, a clear mandate, and the opportunity to genuinely shape engineering practice at scale.  

We are building something worth joining. Our product and technology teams are growing, our employer brand is gaining real traction in market, and the way we show up for our members and each other is being noticed. This momentum has also been reflected externally: in 2026, Southern Cross placed 8th in the Kantar Corporate Reputation Index and 5th in New Zealand for Trust.  

The Opportunity  

Head of Technology | New Product & Healthy Behaviours  

This role leads technology for new product development in our proactive health partner space. It is a rare opportunity to help build a genuinely new digital proposition from the ground up, shaping both the technology strategy and the product experience that will support healthier behaviours and deeper engagement with our membership base.  

As Southern Cross continues its shift from insurance to assurance, this role sits at the forefront of that evolution. You will lead cross-functional product and technology squads, bringing together engineering, architecture, data, and product expertise to turn ambitious ideas into meaningful outcomes for our members.  

This is not a role focused on inheriting a mature platform. It is about creating something new, navigating ambiguity, making smart technology choices, and building the foundations for long-term success.  

If you are excited by the opportunity to build, innovate, and help shape the future of health and wellbeing in New Zealand, we would love to hear from you.  

What You'll Do  

• Lead technology strategy and delivery for a new digital product portfolio, shaping architecture, platforms, engineering approaches, and technology investment decisions that support growth and innovation.  

• Own technology direction across the value stream, connecting technology choices to business strategy, managing technical debt deliberately, and providing clear architectural direction to your teams.  

• Lead and develop a high-performing technology organisation, coaching squad leads, building leadership depth, lifting engineering practice, and creating a culture of accountability, learning, and high performance.  

• Partner deeply with product and business leaders as a genuine peer, shaping outcomes, navigating trade-offs, and helping teams focus on value rather than activity.  

• Set and communicate the technical why: principles, standards, and architectural direction that give teams clarity and autonomy.  

• Champion modern engineering practices, including DevSecOps, CI/CD, reliability, observability, security by design, and safe, frequent delivery.  

• Serve as the escalation point for material technology risks, incidents, and key decisions affecting the value stream.  

• Explore and apply emerging technologies, including AI, to create differentiated member experiences and unlock new opportunities for healthier behaviours and proactive care.  

• Maintain strong relationships with senior leadership, strategic technology partners, and vendors.  

What You'll Bring  

Technology is only successful because of people. Leadership, curiosity, judgement, and the ability to grow others will matter just as much as technical depth.  

• Strategic technology leadership experience across multiple teams and domains, including platforms, architecture, cloud, data, integration, and service operations.  

• Deep understanding of modern engineering practice, including DevSecOps, CI/CD, reliability, observability, and security by design, with a track record of lifting delivery quality and speed.  

• Proven ability to operate beyond delivery management by setting technology direction, making investment and sequencing decisions, and influencing at senior leadership level.  

• Experience shaping or building consumer-facing digital products, ideally in an emerging or greenfield environment.  

• A record of building strong leaders and teams that perform sustainably, without dependence.  

• Deep understanding of product-centric ways of working and agile principles, with a track record of partnering effectively with product leadership.  

• The pragmatism to build and modernise safely, making smart trade-offs, reusing where sensible, and bringing people through change.  

• Curiosity and openness to innovation, including AI and emerging technology, balanced with long-term thinking.  

• Experience building and managing strategic technology partnerships, including vendors and platform partners.  

• Technical or business-related qualifications demonstrating expertise, curiosity, and a growth mindset.  

Who We Are  

Ngākau nui. Āhurutanga. Tikanga.  

Join a proud, diverse team that is always there, always real, always true. If you thrive in a caring, honest, and open culture, we think you will love working with us.  

We know that our team's culture and wellbeing will drive us forward. That is why we prioritise not only professional development but opportunities to thrive personally. We offer exceptional work-life balance, and our people are encouraged and rewarded for living well.  

Southern Cross employee benefits include:  

• Five days of wellbeing leave per year  

• Health insurance for you and your immediate whānau  

• Life insurance cover and discounts on pet and travel insurance  

• Extra parental leave benefits and financial wellbeing support  

• Participation in our workplace wellbeing programme  

• The option to purchase flexi leave for study, volunteering, or supporting your whānau  

• An annual volunteer day to contribute to a cause with your team  

This role is Auckland based. While we appreciate interest from candidates in other locations, we are unfortunately not able to consider remote options. Have questions? Check out our FAQs for help with the application and recruitment process. 

We are proud to have taken the Pride Pledge, reflecting our commitment to inclusion and belonging. We also facilitate an active, employee‑led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Forum, which includes our Rainbow Network, Māori Network, Pasifika Collective, and Neurodiversity and Whānau Support networks.

If you share our commitment and passion, we'd love to hear from you.