Ethics, Integrity & Governance Advisor

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• Fixed-Term Full-time (12 months, parental leave backfill)

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 (DIU) is Austin Health’s central research office, responsible for research strategy, governance, capability and institutional reform. DIU provides enterprise oversight of research ethics, governance, integrity, systems and compliance, ensuring all research under the Austin Health banner meets the highest standards of safety, integrity and regulatory assurance. It partners with clinicians, researchers, funders and external bodies to create a future-ready, accountable research environment.

About the role

The Ethics, Integrity & Governance Advisor provides first-line ethics and governance advice and ensures research submissions move efficiently and compliantly through established review processes.

This is a structured execution role. The Advisor applies established frameworks to routine and moderately complex matters within defined authority, and escalates complex, ambiguous or higher-risk issues in accordance with established pathways.

Success in this role looks like predictable submission turnaround times, reduced avoidable rework prior to committee review, and complete, audit-ready governance records.

A regular day will see you:

• Delivering accurate, policy-aligned first-line ethics and governance advice within defined service timeframes
• Applying established ethical and governance frameworks to routine and moderately complex matters within agreed decision authority
• Identifying gaps, inconsistencies and compliance risks in submissions prior to committee review to reduce avoidable rework
• Escalating complex, ambiguous, precedent-setting or higher-risk matters early and in accordance with defined escalation pathways
• Conducting structured compliance checks against regulatory and institutional requirements before progressing applications
• Progressing applications through established review workflows in a predictable, timely and documented manner
• Drafting clear, accurate and defensible outcome correspondence aligned strictly to committee decisions
• Maintaining complete, contemporaneous and audit-ready records within electronic governance systems
• Preparing high-quality documentation that supports reliable, defensible and regulator-ready committee processes
• Protecting the integrity of governance documentation, records and decision trails
• Monitoring workflow progress and proactively following up to ensure deadlines and service standards are met
• Identifying recurring issues or workflow friction and raising structured improvement recommendations through appropriate channels
• Supporting research training administration and maintaining accurate participation and compliance records

About you

You are structured, calm and precise. You thrive in environments where precision matters, standards are clear and processes must be followed consistently. You are comfortable applying established frameworks and understand that good governance is not improvisational; it is disciplined, documented and consistent.

You will further:

• Apply policy accurately and without overreach
• Know when to decide and when to escalate
• Write clearly and concisely
• Manage deadlines and competing priorities with composure
• Maintain attention to detail under operational pressure
• Communicate professionally with researchers and senior stakeholders
• You may come from a hospital, university or regulated environment, with experience in research governance, ethics review or research administration.

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. 
• The opportunity to contribute to a maturing, high-quality research governance system
• Exposure to complex ethical and regulatory environments
• A clear reporting line and structured expectations
• A team committed to transparency, integrity and continuous improvement
• A role with tangible impact on research quality, safety and defensibility

If you value clear standards, defined accountability and work that strengthens institutional integrity, this role will suit you.

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: Belinda Dimovski, Manager Research Ethics and Governance, Belinda.DIMOVSKI@austin.org.au.

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

Application closing date: Monday 13 April 2026