Human Ethics Committee Member - Lay

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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) provides strategic leadership, governance, and operational support for all research conducted at Austin Health. The DIU ensures that research is conducted to the highest standards of ethics, scientific integrity, and regulatory compliance, enabling innovation that benefits patients and the broader community.

The Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) plays a central role in safeguarding the welfare, rights, and dignity of participants involved in research. Operating in line with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research and the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, the HREC reviews and monitors research to ensure ethical acceptability and compliance with relevant law and policy.

About the role 

As the HREC – Lay member, you will provide an independent community perspective to ensure that research proposals are accessible, understandable, and respectful to participants and the wider public. Lay members help the HREC consider whether research is communicated in clear terms and is aligned with community expectations, particularly in participant-facing materials such as consent forms and information sheets.

A regular day will see you:   

• Attend scheduled HREC meetings and contribute actively to deliberations.
• Review research applications and provide a layperson’s perspective on ethical acceptability.
• Review participant information and consent documents to ensure they are understandable to people without specialist knowledge.
• Ensure feedback is relevant to the National Statement and other applicable guidelines.
• Maintain confidentiality and manage conflicts of interest appropriately.

About you 

You will be someone who brings an independent voice and a strong sense of community representation to the committee.

To be successful in this role you’ll bring with you:

• No current affiliation with Austin Health.
• Not currently engaged in medical, scientific, legal, or academic work.
• Ability to read and comment on complex documents from a lay perspective.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Commitment to attending meetings regularly and contributing constructively to deliberations.
• Commitment to the ethical values of respect, research merit and integrity, justice, and beneficence.

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: Keely Bumsted O'Brien, Deputy Director Strategy and Capability, Discovery and Innovation Unit at Keely.BumstedO'Brien@austin.org.au

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

Application closing date: Tuesday 28 October 2025