Operations Director / Director of Nursing Children's
CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK
Monash Health
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Executive Summary
- Lead one of Victoria’s most comprehensive paediatric service networks, spanning emergency, intensive care, inpatient, ambulatory, and community services.
- Drive clinical and operational excellence across Monash Children’s Hospital and satellite sites, delivering complex, family‑centred paediatric care.
- Shape the future of children’s health services through collaborative leadership, innovation, and partnerships across multidisciplinary teams.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Monash Health is Victoria’s largest and most comprehensive health service, providing safe, high‑quality care across more than 40 locations to a rapidly growing and diverse population. Monash Children’s Hospital is a leading paediatric healthcare network, delivering specialised care across Clayton, Dandenong, and Casey Hospitals. It includes Victoria’s largest Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, paediatric intensive care, oncology, rehabilitation, and palliative care, as well as statewide referral services for complex and rare conditions. The service’s strong integration with adult care ensures seamless transition for young patients requiring long‑term multidisciplinary management. Recruitment for this role forms part of a recent broader organisational restructure at Monash Health, incorporating a more contemporary and future-fit leadership structure across all Divisions. This is a career-defining opportunity for an accomplished leader to make a significant impact within a complex and progressive health organisation.
THE ROLE
Reporting operationally to the Divisional Director, Surgery and Statewide Services, and professionally to the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, the Operations Director / Director of Nursing provides strategic and operational leadership across Monash Children’s Hospital and its associated services. This includes emergency and intensive care, inpatient and ambulatory programs, community child and family services, allied health, and clinical trials. The role is accountable for delivering safe, high‑quality, family‑centred care, achieving operational and financial objectives, and supporting innovation in service delivery. It also plays a key role in enhancing the profile of Monash Children’s as a leading paediatric centre nationally, fostering collaboration across medical, nursing, allied health, and research teams.
THE CANDIDATE
You are an accomplished senior nurse leader with substantial experience in paediatric care within complex, multi‑site health services. With current AHPRA registration as a Registered Nurse and extensive clinical leadership experience, you bring expertise in operational and professional governance, strategic planning, and financial management. You are an inclusive and collaborative leader who values family‑centred care, drives innovation, and fosters a high‑performance culture. Postgraduate qualifications in management, leadership, or health administration are essential (or you are actively working towards them).
For a confidential discussion about this role, you are welcome to contact Paul Leyden, Divisional Director, Surgery and Statewide Services on M: +61 (0)437 740 944
E: Paul.Leyden@monashhealth.org alternatively you can speak with Rhodie Miller, Principal Consultant at HardyGroup M: +61 (0)422 816 557
Please note: If you wish to apply for more than one vacancy at Monash Health, you will need to submit a separate application for each role via our portal.
Monash Health
Monash Health is Victoria’s largest and most comprehensive health service. For more than 170 years, Monash Health and its predecessors have provided safe, high-quality healthcare for people at every life stage.
With more than 24,000 employees, we provide care to south-eastern metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria from over 40 locations, via telehealth, within local communities and in people’s homes. Each year:
- We provide more than 3.8 million episodes of care to our community,
- More than 310,000 people are admitted to our hospitals,
- Close to 269,000 people receive care at our four emergency departments,
- We respond to more than 65,000 ambulance arrivals,
- We perform more than 82,000 surgical operations, and
- We birth more than 10,500 babies.
As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to a fair, non-discriminatory workplace that maximises the talent, potential and contribution of all.
Monash Health is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children, including those under the care and supervision of its services. Monash Health recognises the importance of, and its responsibility for, ensuring a safe and supportive environment which respects the rights of children and fosters their enrichment and wellbeing.
Monash Health’s approach to creating and maintaining a child safe environment is guided by the core belief that every child has access to world class care and support. Applicants must familiarise themselves with Monash Health’s Code of Conduct and Child Safety Policy available on our website.
Our Values
Integrity: Honesty, open and transparent, admit mistakes, maintains confidentiality, fairness, builds trust.
Compassion: Empathy, sensitivity, concern for others, interacts with dignity, tolerance, anticipates needs
Accountability: Understands roles, uses resources wisely, delivers on time, timely decision making, achieves stretch goals, takes responsibility for performance
Respect: Builds relationships, courteous, listens and understands, gives, and receives feedback, sensitivity and understanding, values difference and individual worth
Excellence: Supports creativity and innovation, proactive and solution-focused, seeks out opportunities, embraces quality improvement, professionalism
Information specific to the Children's portfolio
Monash Children’s Hospital is a network of paediatric healthcare services across three sites – our main campus in Clayton (co-located with Monash Medical Centre) and satellite sites at Dandenong and Casey Hospitals.
We have Victoria’s largest Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and provide leading paediatric services in rehabilitation, oncology, paediatric intensive care, and palliative care.
Monash Children’s Hospital is also the Victorian Referral Centre for many low-volume and high-complex cases. Our services are linked to an adult service, allowing us to provide transition-of-care as children grow older and move to an adult service.
The Operations Director / Director of Nursing will partner with the Program Medical Director Children's and together be accountable for leading and managing the operations of the portfolio.
The specific accountabilities will include the delivery of agreed service profiles, financial performance within budget and ensuring the highest levels of quality and safety. The delivery of these will be supported by managing risk, patient safety and clinical governance within the Program and ensuring that effective systems are in place to support a high standard of practice. A significant focus of the role is delivering on child and family centered care.
This role will be integral in setting the behavioural framework and culture of the site and will be responsible for the effective management of employees and their development, supporting clinicians to identify opportunities for new services and changes in the way we provide services.
Role Specification
Functions, responsibilities and accountabilities of the Operations Director / Director of Nursing Children's in addition to those on the overarching Operations Director / Director of Nursing position description
The Operations Director / Director of Nursing Children's, is responsible for the following specialities and services within this portfolio:
Emergency and Intensive Care
- Paediatric Emergency Department
- Paediatric Intensive Care Unit
- Clinical Nurse Consultants
Inpatient Units Operations
- Aviary
- Canopy
- Forest
- Lagoon
- Reef
- Casey Hospital Ward F
- Dandenong Hospital Children’s
Ambulatory Operations
- Monash Children’s at Home
- Early Parenting Centre
- Child and family community services
- Children’s Wellbeing Local
- Sleep Centre
- Neuro Diagnosis
- Diabetes Nurse Educators (DNE)
- Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service (VFPMS)
- Clinical Trials
Allied Health, Children’s
Customer Services and Admissions – Monash Children’s Hospital
In addition to the responsibilities and accountabilities required of an Operations Director/Director of Nursing position description, the role will also be responsible for:
- Working in partnership with the Program Medical Director and Children’s Leadership team to lead high performing Children's specialty units to provide safe and quality care with exemplary clinical outcomes and patient experience.
- Raising the profile of Monash Children’s Services across Victoria to establish itself as a leading Paediatric Centre in Australia.
Specific key result areas of the Operations Director / Director of Nursing Children's in addition to those on the overarching Operations Director position description
- Refer to overarching Operational Director / Director of Nursing position description for key selection criteria.
Specific key criteria for this position in addition to those on the overarching Operations Director / Director of Nursing position description
- Refer to overarching Operational Director position description for key selection criteria.
Site Base:
- Monash Children’s Hospital
- Casey Hospital
- Dandenong Hospital
- Monash Medical Centre
Division: Surgery and Statewide Services
Term: 5-year Health Executive Employment and Remuneration (HEER) contract
Please note: If applying for multiple vacancies at Monash Health, a separate application is required for each role via our portal. You may submit a single cover letter outlining the roles applied for, and reuse Selection Criteria responses where appropriate. Please also address any role-specific criteria, if applicable.
The closing date for applications is Friday, 15 August, 5pm
The reference number to include in your application is H25_5216
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, Aldie Zuñiga: M: +61 494 101 082 /
E: azuniga@hardygroupintl.com
Your application must include:
- 1.Cover letter addressed to the Divisional Director;
- 2.A written response addressing the selection criteria including role specific selection criteria (maximum 2 pages)
- 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 about this role, you are welcome to contact Paul Leyden, Divisional Director, Surgery and Statewide Services on
M: +61 (0)437 740 944 | E: Paul.Leyden@monashhealth.org alternatively you can speak with Rhodie Miller, HardyGroup Principal Consultant.
Rhodie Miller
HardyGroup Principal Consultant
M. +61 (0)422 816 557
E. rmiller@hardygroupintl.com
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