You might have heard about our Family Works Foodbank in Dunedin – it's the city's busiest! But we also have eight Enliven care homes across Otago which are home to more than 500 older people. Our care home staff include RNs, carers, cooks, activities coordinators, cleaners, and many dedicated volunteers.
Our care homes have consistently above industry average resident occupancy rates – and we know one reason for that is because our residents value the aroha that our staff show them every day. We're driven by people, not profit.
Our staff enjoy being part of their local teams as well as being supported by our wider Enliven whānau. We celebrate and encourage further study and career progression.
More than 800 people, who come from very diverse ethnic backgrounds, work with us and we value every one! Join our team to make a difference to the lives of others, and enjoy the opportunities that a stable, caring organisation like ours can offer.
Our Recruitment Process
Selection Criteria
PSO employees share a desire to help and empower people of all ages in our community. They value the sense of belonging to an organisation that puts people first.
For those applying to join Enliven, our aged care service, successful candidates will be empathetic, compassionate and a team player. They take pride in their work and have an ability to work alongside rather than for older people. Roles within Enliven include nurses, care workers, activities workers and a variety of essential service workers, including cooks and kitchenhands, laundry staff, housekeeping teams).
For those applying to join Family Works, our social services arm, successful candidates have excellent relationship building skills and a client-centred approach to work. Roles within Family Works includes Financial Capability Mentors, Social Workers, and Community Finance Workers.
For those applying to join our retail teams at Shop on Carroll or Op Shop on St Andrew, successful candidates will be customer focused and friendly.
Benefits of working at PSO
Presbyterian Support Otago is a large organisation with multiple areas of service provision, therefore there are often opportunities to become involved in other aspects of the organisation. While not all opportunities may lead to a vertical progression, there are certainly opportunities to broaden your skill base through involvement in committees or projects.
Registered Nurses
Each year we are keen to employ new graduate registered nurses and will support them into their nursing practice. Graduate nurses will attend a variety of study days and are encouraged to continue their learning. A graduate nurse will begin on Step 1 and be paid $28.65 per hour, along with other allowances applicable for the various shifts. The highest pay rate for our registered nurses is Step 6 currently at $37.22 per hour. We provide ongoing support with professional development including postgraduate study. We are keen to develop tomorrow's leaders and provide opportunities for staff to grow into leadership and management positions.
We also provide opportunities for CAP (Competency Assessment Programme) students and to support nurses returning to practice or nurses qualified internationally to practice in New Zealand.
Cooks
The kitchen and food service are an essential part of our care provision, tasty and nutritious food is a highlight for residents. We often have a variety of positions in the kitchen, from kitchen assistants to supervising cooks, who together ensure the food is prepared and served in an efficient and effective manner. There are opportunities for full and part-time work, cooks and supervising cooks are paid between $20.84 and $27.00 per hour, along with other allowances applicable for the various shifts.
Kitchen staff are provided with a range of training opportunities, in manual handling, food service, infection prevention and control and are supported to gain the relevant qualifications and for further development opportunities.
Care Workers
Care work is an exciting career path and there are lots of opportunities in the aged care sector to begin your career in health. Care workers undertake a range of care and health tasks under the direction of the Registered Nurse.
You can begin with no qualifications, but an empathy and willingness to help older people on Step 1 at $21.50 per hour. You will be provided with support to gain qualifications which will allow you to progress up the steps with a level 4 qualification putting you on Step 4 at $27.00 per hour. Please note that these figures are as of 1st July 2021. Along this progression you can also attain additional competencies such as a medication competency that demonstrate your growth in skills and ability to undertake advanced care tasks. Care workers also receive a range of training in health and safety, communication, infection prevention and control, manual handling to ensure they are staying current in key areas.