The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) leads the delivery of contemporary, high-quality medical services across the Townsville Hospital and Health Service. The CMO is the single point of accountability for the professional leadership of more than 700 medical officers working for the organisation, including interns, registrars, staff specialists, and visiting medical officers.

As the professional lead for medical officers, the CMO is responsible for providing the direction and management necessary to ensure the successful delivery of operational performance objectives, strategic goals, and excellent patient outcomes.

Reporting directly to the Health Service Chief Executive and as an integral member of the Executive Management Team, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) contributes to the overall strategic direction of the health service and ensures medical services are aligned with strategic priorities, support excellent patient outcomes, and meet all legislative, professional and accreditation requirements.

Strategy Development and Implementation

Implements THHS vision and strategy through optimised medical professional services delivery, ensuring alignment with THHS plans, community and stakeholder needs and QLD Health priorities.

• Works collaboratively with the Executive to lead and guide strategies and actions that enable achievement of the THHS mission and its broader objectives.
• Leads the development of medical professional plans and strategies that drive achievement of the THHS Strategic Plan, clinical plans and THHS Service Agreement targets.
• Participates as a member of the Executive in the development, implementation and monitoring of service strategy, workforce and business plans and budget integrity.
• Effectively advocates for medical workforce priorities at the executive level, to the chief executive, and the board.

Medical Professional Performance

Leads delivery of patient-centred and effective and efficient medical professional services across the THHS to ensure optimised outcomes for patients, the community and key stakeholders.

• Leads medical services healthcare improvement initiatives that drive medical excellence and improve person-centred care.
• Provides oversight to the development and implementation of health service policies, procedures and protocols for the delivery of safe clinical services.
• Provides high quality THHS wide medical leadership and strategic direction for the medical workforce.
• Leads and manages the professional medical performance appraisal programs.
• Provides professional leadership of medical professionals in accordance with professional standards, codes of conduct and legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Accountable for medical professional evidence necessary for maintaining THHS accreditation status.
• Maintains own effectiveness through continuing professional development activities in leadership and management.

Organisational Effectiveness

Leads the provision of medical professional service delivery and resourcing efficiency and effectiveness to achieve THHS goals.

• Leads professional conduct and practice of medical workforce within legislative, regulatory, professional and ethical parameters to achieve organisational goals.
• Leads the development and implementation of health service policies, procedures and protocols to ensure the delivery of safe and quality medical professional services across the THHS.
• Provides professional leadership for the safe and effective implementation of new clinical technologies and medical service models within the THHS.
• Leads and ensures coordination, collation and analysis of quality improvement activities within Medical Education and Workforce Services (MEWS).
• Ensures credentialing, medical rostering and scopes of practice are effectively managed and optimised for the medical workforce.
• Provides professional leadership in the development of effective interdisciplinary models of care.
• Provides Executive sponsorship of major service development and redesign projects for the THHS.

Risk and Compliance Management

Embeds effective risk, compliance and governance frameworks and processes across all medical professional service delivery areas under role scope.

• Works collaboratively with other professional leads (nursing and midwifery, allied health) and the executive director of clinical governance to ensure effective clinical governance of services.
• Provides professional leadership of the clinical governance of the medical workforce of the THHS.
• Delivers expert advice on patient safety, quality and other clinical governance matters related to the medical workforce.
• Provides governance over Radiation Safety within the THHS in the role of Possession License Nominee.
• Provides expert assistance in the management of THHS medico-legal issues and administers relevant aspects of State and Commonwealth legislation that affects medical activities – ensuring that THHS is compliant with relevant instruments and directions.
• Ensures that overarching HHS medical profession risks to safety, quality and sustainable service delivery are effectively identified, treated and managed.

Workforce

Leads and drives effective medical profession workforce planning and service delivery modelling and drives a constructive, high performance and respectful workforce culture that reflects THHS values.

• Demonstrates and models THHS values in all interactions with key stakeholders, partners, direct reports and the broader workforce to build and ensure a positive culture.
• Promotes, fosters and role models a constructive, high performance and respectful culture that engages staff in the delivery of quality person-centred care.
• Plans, attracts, builds, and retains an exceptional medical workforce that delivers great care for patients and the achievement of objectives for the organisation.
• Builds leadership within the medical workforce through proactive talent identification, development and succession planning.
• Leads, supervises and manages staff in line with quality human resource management practices including employment equity, anti-discrimination, occupational health and safety and ethical behaviour and demonstrates commitment to their implementation.
• As an Executive member, provides visible leadership to medical staff and other staff throughout the THHS.

Relationships and Engagement

Engages effectively with others as an executive leader and ensures that a focus on staff, consumer and stakeholder engagement is maintained across all medical professional service delivery areas internally and externally.

• Builds productive relationships with key stakeholders throughout the wider health and hospital system
• Establishes and leverages productive relationships with the tertiary education sector, medical colleges, and other organisations to achieve medical education, training and research objectives of the THHS.
• Liaises with the media and other external agencies including, unions, medical staff association, other hospitals, general practice and regulators to ensure good working relationships are maintained and that the THHS maintains a positive external brand.
• Leads and ensures adequate coordination across the organisation in the pursuit of excellent care, including between support functions, diagnostics, medical officers, and the broader clinical workforce.
• Participates in and/or chairs relevant committees as are applicable to the position.
• Contribute to the resolution of patient complaints of a clinical nature.

• Qualified as a medical practitioner, qualifications in speciality areas and current registration and / or eligible for registration as a specialist with the Medical Board of Queensland.
• Appointment to this position requires proof of qualification and registration or membership with the appropriate registration authority or association. Certified copies of the required information must be provided to the appropriate supervisor/manager prior to commencement of clinical duties.
• License to operate a ‘C’ class motor vehicle

• A proven track record of exceptional leadership in complex clinical service environments.
• Evidenced ability to inspire, implement, and sustain clinical change and improvement programs.
• Demonstrated success in leading all aspects of medical administration, including the recruitment, credentialing, employment, development, health and wellbeing, and performance management of medical officers, medical research, education and training, safety and quality, and strategic planning.
• Highly developed communication, interpersonal and advocacy skills demonstrated by the ability to effectively engage, collaborate, and negotiate with other health professionals, professional bodies, and government agencies.
• Personal qualities consistent with our ICARE values of Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Engagement.
• A specialist qualification in a clinical discipline relevant to a large, complex tertiary health service organisation would be very well regarded.

Budget: Approx. $10M Operating Budget

Reports To: Reporting directly to the Health Service Chief Executive

Direct reports: 6 FTE direct reports with 762 indirect FTE within the HHS

The CMO leads a team of 6 FTE direct reports with professional responsibility for more than 700 medical officers, across the HHS.

The role oversees an operating budget of approximately $10 million and provides executive leadership for the governance, performance and capability of the medical workforce.

The CMO is accountable for ensuring medical services are safe, high‑quality and aligned with strategic and operational priorities, and for maintaining compliance with legislative, regulatory and accreditation requirements.

Remuneration will be determined under the Medical Officers (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement No. 7.

​Please Discuss with your HardyGroup Consultant

Service Location: Townsville

Term: Temporary Full-Time [5-year contract]

Classification: Medical Level 18 to 27 (dependent upon qualifications and experience)

Other Conditions

• Travel is a requirement of this position both within the HHS and throughout North Queensland which may include travel by small aircraft
• Some roles within Queensland Health are designated as Vaccination Preventable Disease (VPD) risk roles. This is a VPD risk role.

Work Health and Safety

Townsville HHS is committed to providing a safe workplace for all employees. This commitment includes a dedicated People Focussed Safety culture.

A People Focussed Safety culture commits to the health, safety and wellbeing of staff, volunteers and other persons, through the provision of a dynamic and comprehensive Health and Safety Management System (HSMS). The HSMS provides for proactive safety initiatives, early injury management practices with a strong focus on a safe and durable return to work.

The provision of a Health and Safety environment within Townsville HHS is everyone’s responsibility.

Safety and Quality

Relevant to the position, participate in the ongoing education, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of safety and quality initiatives set by The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to achieve a safe high-quality and sustainable health system, including compliance with the National Safety and Quality Health Services Standards.

For more information in regards to Work Health and Safety Accountabilities within the Townsville HHS please review Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 - Part 2, Health and Safety Duties.

Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD)

Health Care Workers in Queensland Health whose occupation poses a potential risk of exposure to blood or body fluids are required to provide evidence of vaccinations or proof that they are not susceptible (due to prior exposure to the disease and therefore have natural immunity) to the following VPD's Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella and Pertussis (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis containing vaccine) according to the Queensland Health Policy.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Worker Screening Check

As a Health Care worker in Queensland Health who engages in risk-assessed roles, you must hold a current disability check (Yellow Card or Yellow Card Exemption) or a NDIS worker screening check, in accordance with Part 5 of the Disability Services Act 2006 (Qld).

Blue Card Checks

Potential applicants are advised that the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act 2000 requires Queensland Health to seek a ‘working with children check’ from the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian prior to appointment to this position (5.1).

Health Equity and Racism

THHS has set out its actions and agreed key performance measures to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health and wellbeing outcomes. The Health Equity Strategy and Implementation Plan can be found at First Nations Health Equity Strategy 2022-2025 and Implementation Plan

Racism is a key structural determinant of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health inequity. Racism is not always conscious, explicit, or readily visible - often it is systemic. Systemic or institutional racism are forms of racism that are widely and deeply embedded in systems, laws, written or unwritten policies and well-established practices and beliefs that produce, condone, and perpetuate widespread unfair treatment, causing and/or contributing to inherited disadvantage.

It is expected that all THHS staff, including the incumbent of this role as a valuable member of the THHS workforce, contribute to the health equity agenda and meet the intent of supporting the defined six actions that specifically meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS), by actively supporting the elimination of racial discrimination and institutional racism; supporting increased access to health care; influencing the social, cultural and economic determinants of health; supporting the delivery of sustainable, culturally safe and responsive health services; and recognise the importance of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations to design, deliver, monitor and review the health and support services we provide.

Additional Information

• Pre-employment screening, including criminal history, aged care checks, and discipline history checks, may be undertaken on persons recommended for employment. Roles providing health, counselling and support services to children will require a ‘working with children check’ from the Blue Card Services Department of Justice and Attorney-General prior to appointment, unless otherwise exempt.
• Employees who are appointed to Queensland Health may be required to undertake a period of probation appropriate to the appointment. For further information, refer to Probation HR Policy B2.
• All relevant health professionals, who in the course of their duties formulate a reasonable suspicion that a child or youth has been abused or neglected in their home/community environment, have a legislative and a duty of care obligation to immediately report such concerns to Child Safety Services, Department of Communities.
• Applicants will be required to give a statement of their employment as a lobbyist within one (1) month of taking up the appointment. Details Lobbyist Disclosure.
• Applicants may be required to disclose any pre-existing illness or injury which may impact on their ability to perform the role. Details are available in section 571 of the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003.
• In accordance with Government requirements and Queensland Health’s commitment to a healthier workplace the Queensland Health Smoking Management Policy supports a smoke-free environment. Smoking is prohibited at all Queensland public hospitals and health facilities and for five (5) metres beyond their boundaries. Queensland Health employees may obtain assistance to quit smoking through staff program Quit Smoking for Life program. Information is available at Quit smoking.....for life!

Role Description

Townsville Hospital and Health Service website

THHS Executive

THHS Board

THHS Health Service Plan 2018-2028

THHS First Nations Health Equity Strategy 2022-2025

Leadership Competencies for Queensland

Townsville Hospital and Health Service Organisational Chart

The closing date for applications is Thursday, 9 April 2026.

The reference number to include in your application is H26_5474.

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, Sarah Prebble: M: +61 (0)430 219 787 / E: sprebble@hardygroupintl.com

Your application must include:

1. 1.Cover letter addressed to the Principal Consultant;
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2. 2.A written response addressing the key selection criteria; a maximum of 2 pages outlining your alignment with the key capabilities, knowledge and experience in the context of you achieving the key accountabilities / responsibilities as contained in 4. Selection Criteria
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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:

Ms Sarah Buckler PSM
​HardyGroup Principal Consultant

M. +61 (0)429 486 740

E. sbuckler@hardygroupintl.com