Deputy Director Research Governance & Integrity

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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 the research engine room of Austin Health—home to strategy, reform, compliance, and integrity. We’re building a future-ready, high-trust research environment that sets national standards for ethical conduct and translational impact.

About the role

As Deputy Director, Research Governance & Integrity, you won’t just manage compliance—you’ll architect the systems that shape the sector’s future. You’ll lead reform, set national benchmarks, and ensure Austin Health’s research environment reflects the highest standards of ethics, rigour, and accountability.

This role leads enterprise-wide research governance and compliance for one of Australia’s leading tertiary health services. You will shape the frameworks that ensure every research activity conducted under Austin Health’s banner is lawful, ethical, and future-proof.

From risk architecture to reform leadership, this role places you at the helm of systemic integrity. You’ll report directly to the Director of the Discovery & Innovation Unit and work closely with legal, clinical, and national regulatory partners.

You will lead:

•           Enterprise-wide ethics, governance, and integrity systems

•           Strategic reform and audit readiness across digital platforms

•           Institutional policy on misconduct, research risk, and national codes

•           Regulatory and accreditation engagement at the highest levels

•           External positioning of Austin Health as a national compliance leader

About you

You are already operating at a national or institutional leadership level, fluent in the language of risk, policy, and systems. You’re trusted by regulators, respected by peers, and ready to leave your mark on a major institution.

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

Essential:

•           Executive-level experience in research governance or health ethics

•           Command of NHMRC codes, privacy law, and accreditation frameworks

•           Strategic influence in compliance reform or national initiatives

•           Deep experience managing institutional risk, audit, or integrity functions

•           The ability to engage boards, regulators, legal teams, and research leaders

Desirable:

•           International policy, regulatory, or cross-jurisdictional compliance exposure

•           Experience with high-value research portfolios and digital transformation

•           Vision for data governance, AI-enabled compliance, and sector uplift

Qualifications:

PhD or postgraduate qualifications in law, research governance, public administration, or a related discipline.

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