Deputy Director, Research Strategy & Capability

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• Location: Austin Hospital, Melbourne
• Employment Type: Full-time
• Classification: HS9 Admin Officer Grade 9

Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and statewide. We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our goal to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives.

About the Discovery & Innovation Unit

The Discovery & Innovation Unit is Austin Health’s research headquarters—strategic, reform-focused, and future-facing. We lead research governance, compliance, capability, and strategic engagement. Our role is to ensure the research undertaken under Austin’s banner is world-class, responsibly governed, and systemically enabled.

About the role

As Deputy Director, Research Strategy & Capability, you will lead the strategic growth of Austin Health’s research enterprise. You’ll drive the implementation of our Enabling Research Strategy, elevate institutional capability, and align our research system with national and precinct priorities—ensuring Austin is positioned at the forefront of translational research and innovation.

This is a role for someone who is already influencing from the centre of the system. You’ll design and deliver the structures that build a sustainable, skilled research workforce, create high-value partnerships, and embed research as a strategic function of health service delivery.

You’ll operate as part of a small, high-trust executive team—alongside the Director and Deputy Director of Research Governance & Integrity—to position Austin Health as a recognised national leader in research performance, capability, and cultural integration.

You will lead:

• The full implementation of Austin Health’s Enabling Research Strategy
• Research capability uplift across clinician scientists, managers, and ethics partners
• Co-investment and strategic partnerships with universities, MRIs, funders, and government
• System-level alignment between health service priorities and research performance
• Enterprise platforms that embed research into operational excellence

About you

You’re a system-builder and a strategist—trusted by executives, respected by peers, and invited to the table before reforms take shape. You thrive at the intersection of strategy, translation, and institutional performance. You’ve led initiatives that change not just behaviours—but cultures.

To be successful in this role, you'll bring with you:

Essential:

• Proven leadership in research strategy, partnerships, or capability development
• Deep experience in health research translation, strategic alignment, and workforce uplift
• Ability to influence across government, academia, and health to drive shared outcomes
• Expertise in embedding research as a core pillar of institutional performance
• Sophisticated communication and executive engagement skills

Desirable:

• Experience leading large-scale, cross-sector or precinct initiatives
• Understanding of AI-enabled learning systems or emerging capability models
• Background in implementation science or translational research environments

Qualifications:

Postgraduate qualifications in health, research, education, or a related field

Formal training or experience in workforce development, systems reform, or adult learning

Our benefits

Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day. Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including:

• Greater take-home pay through generous salary packaging, for living expenses, meals, and holiday accommodation.
• A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted fitness memberships and special offers on health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program.
• Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital, easy access via public transport and car parking options.
• Mentoring and career development opportunities.

Work with us!

We are committed to cultural safety and health equity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People. We celebrate, value, and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures, bodies, and abilities. We welcome and support applications from talented people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people with disability, neurodiverse people, LGBTQIA+ and people of all ages and cultures.

If you feel this role is right for you, we encourage your early application. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. What matters most is your passion, your drive and your willingness to learn and contribute. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the closing date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad prior to the advertised closing date.

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check and if required, a Working With Children Check. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, you are welcome to reach out to the hiring manager: Dr Heidi Gaulke, Director Operations, Discovery & Innovation Unit, Heidi.Gaulke@austin.org.au.

Interested in finding out more about this opportunity? Read the position description for further details.

Closing date: 31 August 2025