National Manager Injury Management & Rehab

The National Manager - Injury Management & Rehabilitation provides strategic leadership of injury management, rehabilitation, and return to work programmes across New Zealand. This role is responsible for overseeing governance of the ACC Accredited Employer Programme (AEP), ensuring compliance with legislative and accreditation requirements while driving continuous improvement in recovery outcomes.

Working closely with operational leaders, health and safety teams, ACC, and rehabilitation providers, the role supports sustainable return to work outcomes, strengthens organisational capability, and enhances worker experience. Through data-driven decision making and strong stakeholder engagement, the position contributes to improved performance, reduced injury-related risk, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the governance, compliance, and continuous improvement of the ACC Accredited Employer Programme (AEP), ensuring alignment with accreditation requirements, legislative obligations, and organisational standards.
• Develop and implement strategies that support safe, timely, and sustainable return to work outcomes, with a strong focus on worker-centred rehabilitation and recovery.
• Provide oversight of complex, high-risk, litigated, and long-tail injury claims, ensuring effective claim strategies and positive recovery outcomes.
• Monitor portfolio performance, analyse claims data and trends, and deliver insights and recommendations that support informed decision making and performance improvement.
• Lead and develop a high-performing Injury Management team through coaching, mentoring, capability development, and the promotion of consistent best-practice injury management approaches.
• Build operational capability by partnering with leaders and teams to strengthen understanding of injury management responsibilities, return to work obligations, and recovery outcomes.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives by enhancing governance frameworks, reporting processes, standards, and service delivery practices.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with ACC, rehabilitation providers, operational leaders, and other key stakeholders to support successful outcomes and effective issue resolution.

What You Will Bring

• Demonstrated experience leading injury management, rehabilitation, workers compensation, or occupational health functions within a large and complex organisation.
• Strong working knowledge of the New Zealand ACC Accredited Employer Programme (AEP), including governance, compliance, performance management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Expertise in injury management, occupational rehabilitation, return to work practices, and the management of complex or high-exposure claims.
• Proven ability to use data, trends, and performance insights to identify opportunities and implement practical improvement initiatives.
• Exceptional leadership, coaching, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and build strong relationships across all levels of an organisation.
• Strong commercial, risk management, and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to balance worker outcomes, compliance requirements, and business objectives.
• Relevant qualifications in rehabilitation, case management, occupational health, or a related discipline, with ACC AEP management experience highly regarded.

Benefits Of Working with Downer

• Work with an ASX/NZX listed company, working with market leaders in infrastructure services.
• Grow your career with us, we are passionate about giving our people opportunities to grow through personal and professional development and continuous learning:
  • Professional development programs
    • Access to professional memberships and industry networks
• Be part of a team that cares, we foster a work environment built on support that is flexible around our employee’s wellbeing needs:
  • Flexible work arrangements
    • Parental leave
    • Employee Assistance Program
    • Programs promoting diversity and inclusion
• A range of Corporate Benefits, including:
  • Discounted services through Perks@Downer (car hires, hotels, insurance, retail stores, gyms)
    • Volunteering day
    • Marram subsidised healthcare

Why Downer?

You want your work to matter and so do we. With over 26,000 people across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, our team is made up of individuals with unique perspectives, backgrounds, and ideas.

We know that diversity makes us stronger and we actively celebrate it through our commitment to inclusion and belonging.

We’re committed to building a team that reflects the diverse communities we serve and we welcome people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, abilities, and lived experiences. We especially encourage applications from those whose voices have traditionally been underrepresented in our industry, including women Māori and Pasifika Peoples, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, veterans, people with disability, and neurodivergent individuals. Even if your experience doesn’t align perfectly with this role, we’d still like to hear from you. If it feels like the right fit, apply - potential counts, and so do you.

As a WORK180 Endorsed Employer, we support flexibility that works for your life, inclusive leadership that values your voice, and equitable access to opportunity so you can do your best work and bring your whole self to it.