Advanced Divisional Nursing Director, Division of Paediatric Medicine
Women's and Children's
Health Network
CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK
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The Women's and Children's Health Network acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of Country throughout South Australia. We acknowledge and respect their ongoing and deep spiritual connection and relationship to land, air, sea, waters, community and country. We pay our respect their Elders past, present and emerging.
Executive Summary
- Lead one of Australia’s largest and most complex paediatric nursing portfolios, spanning 26 statewide services across acute, critical, ambulatory and virtual models of care.
- Play a pivotal leadership role in shaping services and workforce models for South Australia’s new Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the future of paediatric care delivery.
- Drive significant transformation, service redesign and innovation across hospital, home-based and virtual care services at a time of substantial opportunity and change.
- Join a highly collaborative executive environment committed to excellence in clinical care, innovation, research and improving outcomes for children, young people and their families.
The Opportunity
The Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) is South Australia's leading provider of specialist health services for women, babies, children and young people. It delivers statewide hospital and community services, education and training, research, and highly specialised programs that influence paediatric care across the State and beyond.
Based in Adelaide, the Advanced Divisional Nursing Director, Division of Paediatric Medicine, leads nursing services across a remarkably diverse portfolio encompassing critical care, emergency medicine, oncology, adolescent services, hospital in the home, and an expanding range of virtual and community-based models of care.
This is an exceptional opportunity to shape the future of paediatric healthcare delivery at a pivotal time. WCHN is preparing for the transition to the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital while simultaneously redesigning services to deliver more integrated, contemporary and accessible care closer to home.
The Role
Operating within a co-directorship model alongside the Clinical Director, the Advanced Divisional Nursing Director provides strategic and operational leadership for the Division of Paediatric Medicine. Reporting operationally to the Chief Operating Officer and professionally to the Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery, the role is accountable for setting strategic direction, strengthening clinical governance, leading service transformation and driving a culture of safety, quality and continuous improvement.
The role ensures the safe, efficient and effective delivery of services across multiple paediatric specialty areas and is responsible for leading day-to-day operations, optimising workforce and resource utilisation, managing performance and risk, and driving improvements in service delivery and patient outcomes.
The role also provides leadership across workforce planning, organisational redesign, service integration and performance improvement initiatives. Key priorities include building leadership capability, enhancing efficiencies, embedding robust systems and processes, progressing innovative models of care and ensuring the division is well positioned for future service delivery requirements associated with the new Women's and Children's Hospital.
The Candidate
WCHN is seeking an accomplished nursing leader who combines strategic thinking with operational credibility and a genuine passion for paediatric healthcare. The successful candidate will bring experience leading complex clinical services and demonstrated capability in organisational transformation, workforce leadership and service improvement.
You will be an authentic and visible leader with excellent communication skills, sound judgement and the confidence to make timely decisions while empowering others. Experience in paediatrics or children's services will be highly regarded, together with an ability to navigate complexity, build trusted relationships, foster stability and create high-performing teams. Most importantly, you will be energised by the opportunity to lead meaningful change and shape the future of statewide paediatric services in South Australia.
For a confidential discussion, please get in touch with:
Janine Hammat
HardyGroup Principal Consultant
M. +61 (0)488 555 858
E. jhammat@hardygroupintl.com
Women's and Children's Health Network
About Women's and Children's Health Network
The Women’s & Children’s Health Network (WCHN) is South Australia’s largest specialist facility for women’s and children’s health. We are the leading provider of care for children with acute and chronic conditions in South Australia, and the State's largest maternity and obstetric service. We also provide important community-based services. At the core of everything we do is our unwavering commitment to our purpose: To strengthen the health and wellbeing of future generations. WCHN puts consumers and community at the centre of everything we do.
The WCHN strives to inspire and engage our people to realise their full potential, investing in continuous learning opportunities that empower individuals to grow, innovate and lead with confidence. By fostering a culture of mentorship, collaboration and skill building we ensure our leaders are equipped to inspire teams, drive meaningful change and create lasting impact.
The WCHN works in partnership with clients, families, the community and other service providers to promote, maintain and restore the health of all patients in our care.
WCHN puts consumers and community at the centre of everything we do to ensure that we:
- provide outstanding care and service
- enhance our culture and leadership
- design and deliver a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital
- strengthen partnerships and expand innovation
- inspire others, share specialist knowledge and deliver excellence through research, education and learning
- deliver an integrated WCHN.
The Women’s and Children’s Health Network includes the following health services:
- Women’s and Children’s Hospital
- Aboriginal Health Division
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
- Child and Family Health Service
- Child Protection Service
- 3D Health Service
- Health and Recovery Trauma Safety Services
OUR MISSION, VISION AND VALUES
At the Women's and Children's Health Network, our story starts with our consumers and communities who are at the centre of everything that we do.
Vision: Healthy communities where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.
Purpose: To strengthen the health and wellbeing of future generations.
Values: Compassion, Respect, Equity, Accountability, Together for Excellence – CREATE.
ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE
The Women's and Children's Health Network is one of 10 publicly funded South Australian Local Health Networks delivering hospital and community-based services.
The WCHN is led and managed by the Chief Executive Officer, Rebecca Graham, who reports to the WCHN Governing Board. The Governing Board is responsible and accountable to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing.
WCHN's Executive structure includes both strategic and clinical leadership positions, and has been designed to ensure that the WCHN is able to successfully respond to the objectives of the Government's health agenda.
STRATEGY 2026
Role Specification
The Advanced Divisional Nursing Director DPM uses their clinical knowledge and experience to provide strategic and operational leadership, governance, and direction for the Division of Paediatric Medicine. This role balances and integrates strategic and operational perspectives across the division.
Under a co-directorship model, the Advanced Divisional Nursing Director, DPM pro-actively and visibly works with the Medical Director DPM to lead the strategic direction and implementation of strategies to achieve an integrated service, built around an enhanced service delivery model to deliver the contemporary, consistent, and high-quality care and services expected by all stakeholders. This will involve the development of new organisational and clinical models to provide care that is responsive and accessible to the needs of the client population. This role is accountable for the development and implementation of strong clinical governance and the design and establishment of a strengthened operating framework and structure to deliver improved clinical outcomes. The co-directors will maintain and improve the capability and cultural literacy of the staff In Paediatric Medicine and ensure the engagement of clinicians in service planning, the development of strong safety and quality systems and a positive learning environment.
The Advanced Divisional Nursing Director DPM provides corporate management and corporate professional nursing advice, leadership and management for the Division of Paediatric Medicine and is part of the Nursing and Midwifery leadership team for WCHN. This includes responsibility for nursing staff engagement, and assurance of nursing input into key decision-making on all activities focused on improving the performance and culture of Paediatric Medicine. The Advanced Divisional Nursing Director, DPM will act as a role model for nursing staff and lead the design and implementation of a comprehensive nursing workforce strategy to create a heightened sense of professional identity and accountability. This will include the development of clear position specifications, recruitment and retention initiatives, supervision, and performance arrangements, as well as orientation and professional development initiatives to attract and retain talented nursing staff.
Consistent with their overall responsibility for clinical governance of the Service, the Advanced Divisional Nursing Director DPM will work with Medical Director DPM in the design and implementation of an effective consumer and community engagement strategy, including the active participation of individuals with lived experience. This will include creating a focus on culturally informed care, cultural safety of paediatric services, and the development of culturally safe feedback mechanisms for Aboriginal women and their families.
The Advanced Divisional Nursing Director DPM has an important leadership role in ensuring the best use of resources, including human, financial, ICT and physical so that they support and enable the highest standards of service quality.
Leadership
- Contributing constructively as a member of the wider WCHN Executive Team.
- Participating in the development of strategic directions and implementation of network wide strategies.
- Setting the clinical direction and philosophy of care for Paediatric Medicine, in alignment with National and State policy, standards and legislation.
- Establishing a robust clinical governance framework to ensure the service meets high clinical standards and provides contemporary evidence-based treatment and care.
- Building a culture which is consumer and carer centred, and where Paediatric Medicine clinicians are highly engaged and proud of their service.
- Developing and implementing communication and education strategies to support the model of care, and its clinical governance.
- Defining the role contribution expected of each position and clinical team within the service.
- Establishing quality systems which ensure that there is a continuing focus on improvement, innovation, and clinical outcomes.
- Ensuring the existence of risk management strategies by encouraging the systematic identification, assessment and treatment of risks which impact clinical care.
- Shaping and informing the development of state-wide Paediatric Services.
- Ensuring consumer complaints are promptly and appropriately addressed.
Ensures the provision of professional high quality health care aimed at improving patient care/ client health outcomes.
- Strategic leadership is provided for innovations, change process, and coordinated responses to emerging service and workforce needs.
- Ensuring effective consultation and participation mechanisms and partnerships are in place with external and internal service providers.
- Ensuring consistency of clinical practice in relation to service-wide protocols and guiding principles of care.
- Expanding therapeutic models to support clinical care and service delivery.
- Co-ordinating and supporting Unit Heads and other nursing staff to provide appropriate committee structures and to monitor and provide monthly reports on clinical activities.
- Leading team participation in service planning and development through liaising and negotiating with other health care professionals, community groups and agencies.
- Participating in, and leading interdisciplinary committees.
- Nursing practice is responsive and coordinated to ensure provision of high-quality care in response to health service needs.
- Contemporary information and research evidence is integrated with personal knowledge and experience to support executive level decision making.
- Corporate administrative and risk management frameworks are implemented within span of responsibility and control.
- Developing and implementing standardised processes for assessment, management and escalation of clinical risk and educate staff in these processes.
Ensure the efficient and effective management of the nursing service
- Contribute and implement the corporate nursing and midwifery professional frameworks established by the Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery.
- Financial budgeting and management is undertaken with a culture of due diligence.
- Information systems are developed and guided to manage practice and inform decision making.
- Human resource systems including processes and standards of nursing staff recruitment, performance, development, and retention is overseen.
- Healthy work environments, respectful relationships, and a learning culture across the span of appointment is established and led.
Encourage and foster a positive culture and safe work environment.
- A team environment, which promotes positivity, learning and development, safety and welfare of employees, acknowledges cultural and personal differences and encourages creativity, innovation and honesty.
- Establishes and maintains productive working relationships.
- Communication processes effectively deal with challenging behaviours and resolves conflict.
- Team members demonstrate a positive approach and commitment to client centred service.
- Direct reports are supported, led and coordinated through team development, coaching and performance management processes.
- Change management processes are supported and implemented.
Accountability for the financial management and performance of the Division of Paediatric Medicine
- Establishment, coordination and monitoring of effective financial management to maximise efficiencies and service provisions.
- Ensure financial management complies with local WCHN, SA Health policies and procedures and financial statutory requirements.
- Take a lead in developing cost containment strategies.
- Provide sound leadership and management of the assigned resources.
- Facilitate the cost centre managers to review variations to expected performance.
Professional expertise is achieved through the maintenance of ongoing professional development and continuing education.
- A contemporary professional practice portfolio and / or updated Curriculum Vitae is held with supporting evidence commensurate with the level of autonomy, decision making authority and influence of recommendations expected of the role.
- Successful attainment of professional competencies to a standard agreed at annual performance development review.
Implement and coordinate quality management across the Division in line with WCHN risk management framework and nursing/midwifery professional practice framework.
- Existing practices and policies are continuously reviewed to reduce inconsistencies.
- Divisional processes are implemented in line with corporate processes to support understanding of the WCHN risk management framework, including the investigation of complaints, incidents, and accidents.
- Processes for quality improvement and continuity of care are implemented and coordinated within span of control and in accordance with WCHN corporate risk management and Midwifery and Nursing professional practice frameworks.
ESSENTIAL
- Registered or eligible for registration as a Nurse by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and who holds, or who is eligible to hold, a current practicing certificate.
DESIRABLE
- Tertiary qualification/s relevant to the role and practice setting
- Post graduate studies relevant to the role and practice setting
- Membership of relevant professional body
ESSENTIAL
Personal Abilities/Aptitudes/Skills:
- Effective leadership skills including highly developed skills in communication, problem solving, conflict resolution and negotiation.
- Proven ability to perform effectively under pressure and prioritise workloads.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a service including resource management.
- Demonstrated flexibility, innovation and creativity which can be applied to the hospital setting, particularly in regards to the provision of nursing and service.
Experience
- Registered Nurses with at least 5 years post registration experience
- Strategic leadership capability, with proven experience in achieving transformational outcomes within complex clinical environments.
- Demonstrated knowledge of contemporary issues and leading best practice in their field and the ability to translate this into practice across a complex system of care.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and implement contemporary, evidence-based model of care and to assure its safety and quality through a strong system of clinical governance.
- Demonstrated expertise in the development of partnerships and engagement of a diverse constituency to create and sustain integrated care and seamless pathways for consumers and their careers.
- Demonstrated management expertise, including the ability to set clear directions and create a culture of performance and cohesive team functioning.
- Experience in leading services or organisations through times of extensive change
- Demonstrated expertise in the development and implementation of strategies which are consistent with a Learning Organisation.
- Demonstrated commitment to closing the gap and inequities in the health and long-term wellbeing of infants, children, young people, and women, particularly those who are at most risk.
- Demonstrated leadership and management of large numbers of staff including those from various multidisciplinary backgrounds.
Knowledge
- Of and understanding of Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (South Australia) Act 2010
- Understanding of the requirements of the Nurses and Midwives Act 2009
- Knowledge of contemporary nursing and health care issues
- Comprehensive understanding of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) National Competencies for the Midwife and Codes of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Midwives in Australia 2008
- Comprehensive understanding of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) National Competencies for the Registered and Enrolled Nurse and Codes of Conduct and Ethics for Nurses in Australia 2008
- Knowledge and understanding of the Commissioner for Public Employment Code of Conduct for Public Employees
- Knowledge of the principles and practice of Work Health and Safety, Equal Opportunity, the Public Sector Act 2009 Code of Ethics and diversity appropriate to the requirements of the position.
- Knowledge of Quality Improvement Systems as applied to a hospital setting.
DESIRABLE
Personal Abilities/Aptitudes/Skills:
- Technological skills relevant to area of practice
- Ability to analyse complex data
- Ability to contribute to the achievement of best practice by facilitating the development and application of relevant research findings
Experience
- Experience in facilitation of health research and applying beneficial results to the area of practice
Knowledge
- Knowledge of the SA Public Health system
Direct Reports
- RNs Level 5.2, 5.1, 4 and 3
- ASO6 Business Manager
- All other non-medical and non-nursing staff delegated to the Business Manager
Internal
- Works in a co-director model with the Divisional Clinical Director Paediatric Medicine to lead the strategic direction of the division.
- Operationally reports to the Chief Operating Officer
- Professionally reports to the Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery
- Maintains close collaborative working relationships with all Nursing/Midwifery Directors and Divisional Medical Directors.
- Accountable for the operational and professional line management of all Level 3, 4 and 5.1 Registered Nurses within the span of the position.
- Professionally responsible for other senior nursing positions within the organisation as designated and all Registered and Enrolled Nurses within the DPM as delegated to the L3, 4 and 5.1 RN’s.
- Maintains cooperative and productive working relationships with all members of the health care team.
External
- Patients/parents/carers and families
- Key stakeholder relationships including the Department of Health and Ageing, other SA Health Networks, General Practice, Primary Health Care Networks, other community managed organisations, state government entities (e.g., DECD, DCSI) and Universities / Research Institutes.
Major challenges associated with the role include:
- Coordinating and managing a Division or functional service during significant change in the SA Health system
- Keeping up to date with professional standards of practice, implementing and monitoring evidence based practice and quality management initiatives consistent with organisational policies
- Keeping professionally up to date with research and nursing technological advances
- Accepting responsibility for the maintenance of own knowledge and professional competence and contemporary practices
Base salary $176,010 in accordance with the Nursing / Midwifery (SAPS) Enterprise Agreement 2022
Additional benefits:
- Relocation support - Read more here
Service Location: SA - North Adelaide, Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Classification: RN L5.3
- It is mandatory that no person, whether or not already working in SA Health, may be appointed to a position in SA Health unless they have provided a satisfactory current Criminal and Relevant History Screening, as required by the SA Health Criminal and Relevant History Screening Policy Directive.
- For appointment in a Prescribed Position under the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act (2016), a current Working with Children Check (WWCC) is required from the Department for Human Services Screening Unit and must be renewed every 5 years from the date of issue.
- For ‘Risk Assessed Roles’ under the NDIS Worker Screening Rules 2018, the individual’s NDIS Worker Check must be renewed every 5 years from the data of issue (or are required to be compliant with transitional arrangement for South Australia).
- Failure to renew required criminal history screenings prior to nominated expiry will require your absence by way of approved leave until a renewal is obtained.
- A satisfactory National Police Certificate (NPC) assessment is required.
- Appointment is subject to immunisation risk category requirements (see page 1 of role description). There may be ongoing immunisation requirements that must be met.
- As a state-wide service, WCHN employees may be required to undertake work at various locations in metropolitan Adelaide and provide outreach to other parts of South Australia (the latter in consultation with the incumbent of the role).
- This Role Description provides an indication of the type of duties you will be engaged to perform. You may be lawfully directed to perform any duties that a person with your skills and abilities would reasonably be expected to perform.
- Depending on work requirements the incumbent may be transferred to other locations across SA Health to perform work appropriate to classification, skills, and capabilities either on a permanent or temporary basis subject to relevant provisions of the Public Sector Act 2009 for Public Sector employees or the SA Health (Health Care Act) Human Resources Manual for Health Care Act employees.
- The incumbent may be required to participate in Counter Disaster activities including attendance, as required, at training programs and exercises to develop the necessary skills required to participate in responses in the event of a disaster and/or major incident.
- Rostered over 5 days; with no fixed hours of duty.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 22 July 2026
The reference number to include in your application is H26_5529
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 via bhammat@hardygroupintl.com / +61 (0)417 882 900
Your application must include:
- 1.Cover letter addressed to the Principal Consultant;
- 2.A written response addressing the key selection criteria; and
- 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:
Janine Hammat
HardyGroup Principal Consultant
M. +61 (0)488 555 858
E. jhammat@hardygroupintl.com
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