Manager Research Ethics and Governance

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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) 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 Manager, Research Governance & Ethics provides steady, accountable leadership for a cross-skilled team responsible for ethics and governance review, committee support, operational clarity and institutional compliance. The role ensures that research conducted under Austin Health meets the highest standards of safety, integrity and regulatory assurance.

A regular day will see you:   

• Delivering timely, accurate and defensible ethics and governance reviews
• Leading a high-performing team with clear expectations, coaching and accountability
• Managing complex or escalated matters and applying sound judgment
• Ensuring complete, consistent and audit-ready committee operations
• Improving workflows, systems and documentation across the unit
• Supporting the organisation’s readiness for accreditation and compliance review
• Managing institutional escalation pathways and serving as the first filter for complexity

About you 

You are an experienced governance professional who thrives in structured, regulated environments. You bring steadiness, clarity and discipline to your work. You lead teams with accountability and care, enjoy improving systems, and have the maturity to make decisions under uncertainty. You communicate with precision and can work confidently with senior clinicians, HREC Chairs and executives.

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

• Extensive knowledge of the National Statement, Australian Code, privacy law and governance requirements.
• Demonstrated experience managing ethics/governance review processes in a complex research environment.
• Strong judgment in ambiguous or high-risk ethical and governance scenarios.
• Proven leadership experience in developing staff in a high-volume, high-risk domain.
• Demonstrated ability to improve workflows, including digital processes and document workflows.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills across clinicians, Chairs, researchers and executives.
• Experience preparing audit-ready documentation and identifying emerging risks.
• Ability to provide clear, timely governance guidance through enquiry channels.

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: Kate Khamly, Deputy Director Research Governance & Integrity at Kate.Khamly@austin.org.au

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

Application closing date: Monday 19 January 2026