Psychiatrist of Old Age

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• Opportunity for a Psychiatrist of Old Age to join the Mental Health Division from January 2026
• Lead and support the new community Older Adult mental health team
• Ongoing, part time position (28 hours per week) located in Heidelberg 

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 Mental Health Division

The Mental Health Division (MHD) is committed to providing the highest levels of inpatient, residential, and community care in specialized environments for our patients. The MHD provides services on all three campuses of Austin Health, from the Emergency Department to bed-based services and ongoing ambulatory care.

About the role 

The Psychiatrist of Old Age (POA) will provide primary and secondary consultations, supervise a full-time psychiatry registrar, and lead the development of a contemporary model of care for service delivery alongside the operational partner.

The POA will ensure that services provided by their team are of the highest standard, emphasising excellence in service, care, staff performance, cost efficiency, research and education within a comprehensive clinical governance framework.

A regular day will see you:   

• Lead the development and implementation of a model of care for the new community Older Adult Mental Health team, aligned with best practice, service needs and legislative requirements.
• Deliver comprehensive psychiatric assessments and interventions for older adults in a community setting.
• Provide primary consultations to consumers and secondary consultations to other clinicians and services.

• Supervise and mentor a full-time psychiatry registrar, including oversight of clinical work, education, and professional development.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team members to ensure integrated and person-centred care.

About you 

This role is a senior medical position and carries with it the professional responsibilities of clinical leadership, teaching and training as well as administrative requirements. 

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

• Registration as a Medical Practitioner in the State of Victoria holding a Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) or equivalent post graduate specialist qualification

• Subspecialty training or significant experience in Psychiatry of Old Age (POA) e.g. RANCZP Certificate POA (including enrolled), Faculty membership POA
• Demonstrated clinical expertise in the assessment and management of older adults with complex mental health needs.
• Knowledge of Aged Care frameworks
• Experience in supervising JMOs and contributing to their education and development.
• Proven ability to lead service development and implement models of care.

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 Victoria Harpwood, Clinical Director, Adult and Older Adult Mental Health Service (AOAMHS) at Victoria.Harpwood@austin.org.au

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

Application closing date: Friday 5 December 2025