The Deputy Director-General, Healthcare Purchasing and System Performance Division, provides strategic leadership to ensure the purchasing of clinical activities and services from service providers achieve whole-of-system outcomes that align with the Department of Health’s strategic objectives.

Reporting to the Director-General, and as a member of the Queensland Health Executive Leadership Team, the role leads the Department’s healthcare purchasing and system performance management agenda, which includes in excess of $15 billion dollars of healthcare activity. The role is responsible for establishing service agreements with Hospital and Health Services, leveraging information from across the Department, to implement healthcare purchasing decisions that achieve the strategic priorities of the State’s health system. The role is also responsible for leading performance management and remediation activities (where necessary) relating to the performance of healthcare service providers from which clinical activity has been purchased, in accordance with Queensland Health’s Performance Management Framework.

Leading the Division, which is the key conduit between the Department of Health and Hospital and Health Services, and with responsibility for facilitating continuous improvement of the State’s health system through strategic purchasing of clinical activity and performance management functions, the position maintains key relationships with senior clinical leaders, Hospital and Health Services, the private sector and across jurisdictions.

The Department of Health (the Department) has a diverse set of responsibilities, and a common purpose of providing highly effective health system leadership. The Department is responsible for the overall strategic leadership and direction of the public health system in Queensland. We strongly believe in the need to work with people that value the goals of our organisation and who will thrive in our workplace.

About Healthcare Purchasing and System Performance

Healthcare Purchasing and System Performance (HPSP) purchases public health and social services from service providers to optimise health gains, reduce inequalities, and maximise the health system's efficiency and effectiveness.

HPSP ensures health funding is used effectively to meet government priorities and achieve performance objectives outlined in agreements and contracts arising from purchasing decisions.

The division also has a role in collecting, processing, analysing and disseminating statistics on the health of Queenslanders and their use of health services, contributing to improved planning, monitoring and evaluation of health services, and in providing data to meet external reporting requirements.

The Division comprises the following key functional areas:

• Contracting and Performance—a central coordination point between the department and Hospital and Health Services regarding negotiating and managing service agreements, performance management and accountability.
• Purchasing and Funding—determining funding models underpinning purchasing decisions and developing funding strategies to ensure purchasing decisions maximise value.
• Surgery Connect—assisting HHSs to meet elective surgery wait list targets.
• Community Services Funding—providing advice on commissioning private, academic or non-government organisations to deliver community, health or human services on behalf of the government.
• System Performance—empowering decision makers to improve system performance through insights and performance reporting, and developing reporting and monitoring tools.
• Statistical Services—collecting, processing, analysing and disseminating statistics on the health of Queenslanders and their use of health services as well as developing statistical standards with Queensland Health.

Fulfil the responsibilities of this role in accordance with Queensland Public Service values outlined above.

• Adhere to defined service quality standards, health and safety policies and procedures relating to the work being undertaken to ensure high quality, safe services and workplaces.
• Provide strategic leadership and foster collaborative approaches within the Division and across the State’s health system to contribute to the achievement of the Department of Health’s strategic priorities.
• Determine future purchasing decisions of the Department, based on the strategic priorities established for the Queensland health system, to achieve the best clinical performance outcomes possible.
• Lead and oversee the development, implementation and evaluation of measurement and reporting mechanisms relating to the performance of the whole of Queensland’s health system, including setting, monitoring and reporting on performance standards and driving remedial action when performance does not meet required standards and expectations.
• Lead the negotiation of Service Delivery Agreements with Hospital and Health Services to ensure the level of agreed service is aligned with Department needs and the penalties for services that do not meet expected performance metrics are clearly articulated.
• Lead the development of Health Service Directives to ensure standards and policies promote the effective and efficient use of resources, support safe, high quality and consistent service delivery, and are in alignment with State policies, legislation and agreements.
• Manage the purchasing of new and innovative service models of care, grants and service agreements with third party providers to achieve required health outcomes.
• Represent and advocate on behalf of the Queensland health system in all State and Federal intra- and inter-governmental negotiations, particularly in relation to the impact of decisions on purchasing activities and potential funding model changes, to ensure the interests of the Queensland health system are considered.
• Develop and implement purchasing arrangements and other levers to drive access and clinical service improvements within and across Hospital and Health Services.
• Provide high level contract management of the service agreements between the System Manager and Hospital and Health Services as well as contracts with specified private healthcare providers to ensure service delivery meets agreed expectations.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate a performance framework to enable the Department of Health to monitor the performance of Hospital and Health Services in accordance with State and Federal performance requirements.
• Provide regular predictive analyses of key performance indicators and develop risk thresholds and response protocols to ensure service provider activities across the system are managed and governed in line with contractual agreements.
• Provide expert advice to the Director-General and the Executive Leadership Team on Hospital and Health Services’ and the System Manager’s performance, leveraging bespoke analytical findings based on key performance indicators, to identify potential risks and future service needs and to facilitate decision-making.
• Provide strategic leadership, advice and direction relating to system-wide funding, healthcare purchasing and health service provider performance management in Queensland, including acting as the spokesperson on matters of public interest that have a whole-of-State impact and representing Queensland on relevant national committees, to ensure the strategic objectives of the Department and State Government are achieved.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships and work collaboratively with Hospital and Health Services (including HHS Chairs, Boards and Chief Executives), government agencies and other key stakeholders to achieve successful implementation of Queensland’s priorities relating to the purchase of healthcare, funding models and performance management.
• Actively engage as part of the Executive Leadership Team, contributing to strategic decisions that advance the interests of the health system and maintaining an in-depth understanding of all Executive portfolios, to facilitate the delivery of all portfolio objectives and to achieve the Department’s strategic priorities.
• Ensure mechanisms are in place to monitor, analyse and evaluate the components of the Queensland health system’s organisational culture so that any cultural issues can be identified and addressed.
• Manage risks that are the responsibility of the Healthcare Purchasing and System Performance Division, including system-wide risks which require support from multiple stakeholders to mitigate or address.
• Ensure the operations of the Division are within budget, in accordance with Department of Health policy and whole-of-government requirements, and aligned to the values of the Queensland Public Service; provide leadership and direction to the team, foster and encourage a workplace environment that is outcomes focused and instil a culture of continuous improvement / learning through effective communication, training and flexible workforce management practices.
• Drive measurable outcomes to achieve health equity with First Nations people by implementing system level improvements to support the delivery of Queensland Health’s First Nations Health Equity Strategies. In partnership with the Chief First Nations Health Officer, lead the First Nations health equity agenda and actively engage across the health system to share accountability to achieve health equity for and with First Nations peoples.

View the full scope of these in the Position Description.

Whilst not mandatory, the Department of Health recognises the value that formal tertiary qualifications provide to potential employees. Accordingly, a relevant qualification would be well regarded.

The essential requirements for this role are:

• Excellent knowledge of contemporary, best-practice healthcare purchasing and performance management methods, including demonstrated experience in applying this knowledge in practical settings to commission clinical and related healthcare activity and use funding mechanisms to facilitate continuous improvement in health service delivery outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience working within a complex system or organisation with devolved accountabilities and responsibilities that require a detailed understanding of system leadership, risk management, strategic direction-setting and the challenges facing modern health care service delivery.
• Detailed understanding of all the elements of health service delivery (people, facilities, equipment, funding, technology) and the inter-relationships between those elements necessary to deliver quality health outcomes.
• Demonstrated extensive knowledge of health policy, healthcare purchasing, healthcare funding models, performance management frameworks at a health system level and/or supporting healthcare reform (particularly in relation to commissioning of services, best-practice healthcare purchasing techniques and managing performance of independent system components through formal agreements such as service delivery agreements).
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a collegial and collaborative member of a multi-disciplinary executive.

• Annual Budget: $491M
• Direct Reports: 5

The total remuneration package range is from $323,399 - $419,034.

• New Government
• New Director-General
• Changing Health Landscape
• Increased demand for health
• Increasing Queensland population
• Rise of chronic conditions with no new revenue pathways
• Difficulty in attracting and retaining health workforce

Reporting to: Director-General

Service Location: Brisbane

Classification: HES4

• It is a condition of employment for this role for the employee to be, and remain, vaccinated against the following vaccine preventable diseases during their employment (Health Employment Directive No. 01/16):
  • measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
  • varicella (chicken pox)
  • pertussis (whooping cough)
  • hepatitis B
  • tuberculosis
• It is a condition of employment for this role that the employee will work in a peer role in the Department annually in order to maintain a comprehensive understanding of the different initiatives and activities being undertaken and to facilitate and support other members of the Executive Leadership Team in the achievement of individual portfolio objectives as well as broader strategic priorities.

Role Description

Queensland Health website

Health Workforce Strategy

Department of Health Strategic Plan 2021-2025 (2024 update)

Department of Health annual report 2023-2024

The closing date for applications is Tuesday, 25 February 2025

The reference number to include in your application is H25_4986

Note: Please use the online platform to submit your application. It will not be accepted via email.

If you require assistance in submitting your application online, please get in touch with Executive Search Coordinator, Bradie Hammat: M: +61 (0)417 882 900 / E: [email protected]

Your application must include:

1. 1.Cover letter addressed to the Principal Consultant;
2. 2.A written response addressing the key selection criteria; and
3. 3.An up to date copy of your Curriculum Vitae.

It Is standard practice for HardyGroup to acknowledge receipt of your application no later than the next business day. We request that if you do not receive the acknowledgement, you contact the search coordinator listed above as soon as possible after the 24-hour business period and arrange to resend your application if necessary.

For a confidential discussion, please contact:

Sarah Buckler
​​HG Queensland State Manager

M. +61 (0)429 486 740
​​E. [email protected]

Paul Ingle
​​HG Chief Executive

M. +61 (0)402 796 125
​​E. [email protected]