Intelligence Adoption Lead

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 is guided by purpose, powered by people and technology. We exist to help our members live well for longer.

We serve almost one million members across Aotearoa New Zealand - which means the work we do carries real scale, real responsibility, and a genuine opportunity to improve health outcomes for our nation.

As we grow to be about assurance as well as insurance – a more proactive partner in our members’ health - we’re building a new Data & AI function from the ground up, and this is one of its most distinctive roles.

This is a senior role for someone who wants to change how work actually gets done: finding where AI and automation can create real value, designing the solutions, and making sure they land and stick across the business.

About The Role

Most AI initiatives stall somewhere between a promising demo and something the business actually uses. This role exists to close that gap. You’ll lead focused AI adoption missions from idea through to implementation - discovery and problem framing, prototyping and testing, adoption planning, and handover of production-ready solutions.

This isn’t an engineering role, but you’ll need enough technical fluency to work confidently with data, analytics and engineering teams, understand feasibility, and know when a prototype is ready to scale.

This role is new territory, for Southern Cross and for most organisations, so you’ll need to be comfortable without a complete brief and able to bring a range of people on the journey.

What You'll Do

• Lead discovery on opportunities based on business value, feasibility, risk and adoption effort - helping prioritise the initiatives most likely to make a measurable impact
• Translate ambiguity into clear missions, experiments and actionable solutions
• Facilitate collaboration between business leaders, domain experts and technical teams
• Redesign workflows and operating models to embed intelligent ways of working
• Build and test prototypes and MVPs - from quick proofs of concept through to more developed solutions
• Design adoption pathways, engagement approaches and capability uplift so teams can confidently use and sustain new AI-enabled ways of working
• Hand off solutions ready for production to the Innovation & Advanced Analytics team

What You'll Bring

Leadership, curiosity and judgement matter here as much as technical depth. We’re looking for someone who knows what good looks like, makes smart trade-offs, and brings people with them.

You may come from product, transformation, service design, process improvement, digital delivery, change, AI enablement or consulting - what matters is your ability to turn ambiguous business problems into practical, adopted solutions

• Comfort operating in ambiguity; you make progress without the full picture
• Systems thinking - seeing how things connect and where the real leverage is
• Strong problem framing and facilitation skills
• Product thinking with a focus on outcomes over outputs
• Experience redesigning workflows or operating models - you know change doesn’t happen just because the technology works
• Practical experience with AI and automation tools, and a clear-eyed view of what they can and can’t do
• The ability to engage and influence at every level, from frontline teams to senior leaders
• A thoughtful approach to responsible AI, data, privacy and risk - especially in a highly trusted, member-focused environment

Why Join Us

We’re investing - in people, in technology, and in the mission. At a time when the market is hesitant, we’re continuing to invest in strengthening our foundations and building our capabilities. You’ll have executive sponsorship, a clear mandate, and the opportunity to genuinely shape data and AI practice at scale.

We’re building something worth joining. Our 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.

Who We Are

Ngākau nui. Āhurutanga. Tikanga.

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

We know our team’s culture and wellbeing drive us forward. That’s 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’re not able to consider remote options at this stage. If this sounds like the kind of work you want to help shape, we’d love to hear from you. 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.