Secretary
Department of Health
CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK
Tasmanian Government
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Tasmanian Government is seeking an exceptional public sector executive to lead the Department of Health with responsibilities for delivering access to quality health care services for Tasmanians.
The ideal candidate will be a proven strategic leader, able to shape the direction of the health system in Tasmania now and into the future. Candidates should be able to demonstrate outstanding leadership impact, preferably in a public health environment, or in a comparable role with scale, complexity, and diversity, and be ready to inspire and enable large scale system improvement and innovation.
The role will focus on key strategic priorities around Child Safeguarding Reform, Digital Health Transformation, Health Workforce Strategy and One Health Culture Reform. Importantly, the role will focus on securing a sustainable healthcare system that is patient-centric, and balanced and connected across acute, subacute, mental health and primary health sectors.
If you believe you have the passion, commitment and successful track record to lead system excellence and innovation, help unlock potential within the health system and create opportunities to improve healthcare in Tasmania, please contact us for more information.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
For a confidential discussion and to learn more about this exciting opportunity please contact:
Sarah Buckler, Principal Consultant, Executive Talent Solutions
M: +61 (0)429 486 740
E: sbuckler@hardygroupintl.com
Lynette Taylor, Executive Director, Search and Recruitment
M: +61 (0)431 293 861
To access the Candidate Information Pack, please visit:
Applications close: Sunday 25th August 2024
Department of Health Tasmania
Purpose:
Our Purpose is to CARE for the Health and wellbeing of all in Tasmania.
The Secretary embodies this purpose providing leadership to more than 16 000 staff, with healthcare delivered across 300-plus health sites and settings across the State.
What we do:
The Department of Health improves, promotes, protects, and maintains the health, safety and wellbeing of those in Tasmania through planning, managing, procuring and delivering high quality health services.
Our work covers a range of essential public services, including:
- public sector hospital and health support services, delivered through inpatient, outpatient, community health, residential aged care and in-home settings.
- pre-hospital emergency and medical care, health transport and medical retrieval services, delivered through Ambulance Tasmania.
- initiatives that work to improve and protect the health and wellbeing of all Tasmanians, such as those provided by Public Health Services.
Alongside our services to the community, our corporate support services provide:
- portfolio advice to the Minister for Health and Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
- strategic leadership and direction to service delivery areas.
- corporate support to service delivery areas.
- a framework of policies, processes, procedures and controls.
The key people in charge of the Department of Health (Tasmania) are:
- The Secretary
- Department heads.
Our Values
Compassion Accountability Respect Excellence
Having a set of Values that unites all of us, no matter where we work or what our role is across the state, allows us to bring this shared purpose to life when we come to work each day.
The Secretary role models these values for the rest of the agency through each and every interaction.
Our Commitment:
Respecting diversity is the foundation of everything that we do. This allows us to instill trust and collaborate through honest and fair communication and helps cultivate an environment of growth and innovation. We welcome applicants from key communities including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, LGBTIQA+ people, and people living with disabilities.
Our culture
Listen to interviews with our Executives at the One Health podcast.
Transcripts: Buzzsprout
Explore Stories about our Health colleagues
Department of Health Structure
Tasmania’s health system is comprised of the Tasmanian Health Service and the Department of Health, which are combined into one health service under one Executive. Although for the purposes of the Tasmanian Health Service Act 2018, the Tasmanian Health Service remains a separate legal entity, it forms part of the Department of Health in supporting the coordination, management, and delivery of health services.
The Secretary overseas all divisions:
- Office of Secretary
- Hospitals and Primary Care
- Finance and Business Support
- Information, Communication and Technology Services
- People and Culture
- Risk
- Community, Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Clinical Quality, Regulation and Accreditation
- Policy, Purchasing, Performance and Reform
- Infrastructure
As Secretary, you will drive a comprehensive strategic agenda to build and maintain a health system that meets the needs of Tasmanians now and in the future.
Our Healthcare Future
The Long Term Plan for Healthcare in Tasmania 2040 was released in June 2023 focusing on delivering a more connected health system. It is the blueprint for how we will achieve our vision that all Tasmanians are supported by a world class, innovative and integrated health system.
“All children and young people have the right to be safe and feel safe. Keeping children and young people safe is everyone’s responsibility. The Department is committed to strengthening how we provide services to children and young people. “
There is nothing more important than keeping children safe, and we are continuing to make positive changes within our health service to better protect the most vulnerable in our community
The Child Safety and Wellbeing Service (CSW Service) was established in late 2022 to lead the Department’s focus including::
- supporting the Department’s monitoring and response of child safeguarding issues.
- supporting work areas to foster a child safe organisation culture by providing the Department’s workers (including employees, students, volunteers, and contractors) with education and training in child safeguarding.
- providing advice to work areas to strengthen policies and protocols around child safeguarding; and engaging with young Tasmanians
The Department’s efforts to strengthen child safeguarding through the Framework is supported by an independent panel of national experts.
Further details:
The Department is investing $180 million over the next four years, and an anticipated $476 million over ten years, through the Digital Health Transformation: 2022 – 2032 Strategy, to transform the way healthcare is delivered across Tasmania.
This investment will see the launch of a new state-wide fully integrated care platform that will enable our hospitals, GPs, community health, allied health and other specialist providers to seamlessly communicate and share information with each other.
This digital transformation will deliver a range of benefits for patients, including access to convenient healthcare in local communities, improved communications about appointments, reduced waiting time for services, and less duplication of care and forms.
It will also prevent unnecessary hospital visits, helping to keep people out of hospital when they don’t need to be there.
It will also free up clinicians to spend more time on clinical activities and caring for patients, and less time on administrative tasks, and chasing up paperwork.
By linking public and private health services in one digitally connected network, we will transform patient experience, improve patient care, and ensure greater equity in health outcomes across Tasmania’s dispersed population.
Health Workforce 2040 is Tasmania’s first comprehensive health workforce strategy. The strategy supports the delivery of sustainable, high quality health services for all in Tasmania into the future, provided by a highly skilled, competent and flexible workforce of the right size and shape providing access to services across the state.
It comes at a time of increasing demand for health services in Tasmania driven by an ageing population, changing patterns of disease and increasing multi-morbidity, increasing patient expectations, and emerging technologies.
For many years, Tasmania has experienced challenges in attracting and retaining the health workforce required to support Tasmania’s health system. This difficulty is most felt in regional and rural communities and in some areas of practice like critical care and mental health.
Underpinning our Strategic Priorities and delivery of our child safeguarding reforms is our work to improve our culture through our One Health Culture Program. One Health is about building an inclusive working environment reflecting the diversity of our workforce and supports employees to work together to improve the health and wellbeing of Tasmanians. It also focuses on leadership and accountability, and engaging all staff to commit to our One Health values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence
Launched in December 2022, the One Health Culture Program Strategy undertakes activities in five key focus areas:
- Leadership accountability
- Building capability
- Workplace values and behaviours
- Health, safety and wellbeing
- Systems and processes
Our Department’s culture should be reflective of our diverse workforce and the broad range of services that we deliver to our diverse community, with the view of breaking down internal silos. We understand that cultural change is going to take time, however we are committed to creating an inclusive and respectful culture that is reflective of our people.
Role Specification
A Head of Agency in the Tasmanian public service is central to the effective and efficient operation of Government with state and national impact. It is a complex position with multiple dimensions and substantial accountabilities.
The Secretary is concurrently a principal portfolio adviser to Government and their Ministers, an organisation head and a leader.
Responsibilities lie beyond Agencies and portfolios, encompassing a wider leadership role in the Tasmanian public service. The Secretary is expected to contribute productively to genuine cross agency collaboration in the best interests of all in Tasmania.
An important element of this role is the need to manage significant and often conflicting pressures, respond in a highly politically sensitive environment and operated within very tight timeframes.
Draw upon your extensive experience, achievements and capability to lead transformational change.
The accountability is high. The reward knowing you are genuinely making a direct difference to your community is higher.
As the Secretary of the Department, you will be accountable for:
- Providing strategic leadership for policy and service delivery.
- Ensuring effective delivery of government reforms, particularly in response to child sexual abuse recommendations.
- Serving as the principal advisor to the Government on health, mental health, and Department operations.
- Developing risk management strategies and resolving complex issues.
- Leading change management initiatives within the Department.
- Managing relationships with stakeholders, including Ministers and other government bodies.
- Formulating and implementing strategies for organisational sustainability and service effectiveness.
- Collaborating with agency heads to advance major government policy priorities.
- Reporting to portfolio Ministers on policy and operational matters.
- Overseeing continuous improvement in service planning and performance.
- Exercising delegations mandated by statutes and regulations.
- Ensuring compliance with all policy and protocol requirements, including education and training mandates.
You will have demonstrated relevant policy expertise and proven strategic leadership and management skills along with the capacity to work collaboratively, encourage creativity and innovation, manage critical multi-agency projects, and to meet the highest contemporary work standards.
You will demonstrate:
- The ability to effectively manage change in a dynamic and diverse environment;
- High level strategic, conceptual, creative and analytical thinking skills;
- A positive and strong achievement orientation;
- Well-developed communication skills;
- The ability to inspire confidence, engender enthusiasm in others and unify disparate groups to work to a common purpose; and
- High levels of integrity and personal accountability.
1 Demonstrated Technical Knowledge and Ability
The ability to effectively lead a service delivery agency involved in public health.
Capabilities:
- High level of operational experience in leading a service delivery agency.
- Demonstrated capability in developing policy within a contemporary health sector.
- Excellent understanding of contemporary national and international trends in primary health care and human services
- Demonstrated ability leading resilience and recovery in the health sector.
2 Demonstrated Leadership Ability
The ability to effectively lead significant change and reform in a dynamic and demanding environment.
Capabilities:
- Acts as a change agent and inspires purpose and direction as one who can lead by example.
- Generates and maintains a shared strategic focus including team building.
- Uses judgement, intelligence, and common sense.
- Manages staff and enables risk taking and innovation in an environment of change.
- Manages effective relationships and maintains strong self-discipline.
- Demonstrates self, social and political awareness including through proactive action.
3 Strategic Analytical and Thinking Skills
High level strategic, conceptual, creative and analytical thinking skills
Capabilities:
- Thinks strategically, conceptually and analytically at the highest level.
- Develops innovative solutions within a complex political, social and multi-organisational environment.
- Astute judgment, sensitivity and awareness in identifying, managing and resolving stakeholder issues and concerns.
- Supports Ministers’ strategic policy requirements.
4 Strong Outcome Orientation
A positive record of and strong focus on achievements
Capabilities:
- Commits to highly reliable and consistent standards of performance
- Uses both personal and organisational performance measures
- Understand the needs and aspirations of clients and stakeholders, including Ministers and Ministers’ offices.
- Recognises opportunities, and brings them to realisation
- Manages ambiguity by dealing effectively with uncertain situations and incomplete information.
- Achieves closure and delivery
5 Influential Communication Skills
Well-developed communication skills
Capabilities:
- Communicates clearly in both written and oral modes
- Listens, understands and adapts to different audiences
- Negotiates coherently and persuasively
- Ability to articulate and promote a vision for the organisation
- Proven capability to negotiate excellent outcomes in dealings with the Commonwealth
6 Productive Working Relationships
The ability to inspire confidence, engender enthusiasm in others and unify disparate groups to work to a common purpose
Capabilities:
- Nurtures internal and external relationships and builds networks
- Facilitates co-operation, teams, and high-level autonomy
- Able to value and capitalize on the strengths of a diverse workforce
- Coaches, mentors and develops people
- Applies contemporary management practice and principles such as workplace diversity and occupational health and safety
7 Positive Personal Values
High levels of honesty, integrity and personal accountability
Capabilities:
- Balances risk-taking, innovation and courage with personal accountability
- Models professionalism, probity, and integrity
- Accepts improvement as a key personal and organisational driver
- Is adaptable, resilient and respectful
- Demonstrates a commitment to personal learning and development
Service Location: Hobart
Annual Budget: 3.1 Billion
Staffing: 16,000 FTE
Remuneration: The salary range for the position commences from $476,000 per annum.
Other conditions of employment include:
- Employer superannuation contributions of 11.5% of salary;
- Ability to salary sacrifice additional superannuation contributions;
- Official and private use of a fully maintained motor vehicle with private number plates;
- 20 working days annual recreation leave, and 20 working days personal (sick) leave per year of service; and
- Long service leave in accordance with the Long Service Leave (State Employees) Act 1994.
The Secretary works under an annual performance agreement with relevant portfolio Minister/s and the Premier.
The Secretary is appointed by the Premier under section 31 of the State Service Act 2000.
The successful applicant will be appointed on contract for a period of up to five-years.
Please view the link to the full Position Description here.
LIVING AND WORKING IN TASMANIA
Tasmania is an island state with thousands of years of cultural history and new arrivals who – like you – tend to be a bit more adventurous, a bit more curious, a bit more willing to say hello to a stranger, or to try something new.
In a loud and exhausting world, Tasmania is quiet. No matter where you live, you’re never far from nature: our wilderness, our mountains, our water.
Instead of commuting, you can create and turn your passion into your career.
Whatever you and your family pursue in Tasmania, you can pursue it meaningfully.
Tasmanians invented permaculture, green politics, and wave-piercing catamarans. Our mining equipment is safer, our whisky and cheese is more delicious, our museums and festivals are weirder, and our signature wine is pinot noir – the heartbreak grape.
From unordinary wildlife to street markets, perfect silence, trail shredding and rooftop dining, discover all of Tasmania’s personality.
In Tasmania, winter is when things get wild, weird and wonderful. Let your inhibitions drop with the mercury: savour slow-cooked feasts around blazing log fires, dance wildly at winter festivals and enchant your senses in alpine realms. From cosy seclusion to cold-water invigoration – the Off Season is open to just about anything.
Things get truly wild after dark in Tasmania. It's the best place in the world to witness the elusive Southern Lights, aka the Aurora Australis, which draw a colourful curtain across the sky, especially in winter. Close to shorelines, the brilliant blue glow of bioluminescence can light the sea just as brightly while, overhead, dark skies largely free of light pollution make for sparkling stargazing.
Tasmanian Regions
Tasmania has a temperate climate, deeply influenced by the Southern Ocean. It never gets too hot or too cold here, and both plants and wildlife find it a delicious place to live. We think you will too.
You can find a bit of snow in the Central Highlands and on top of our mountains. On the same day you might find yourself surfing on a sparsely populated beach, with a break for a delicious lunch in a charming town or city between high elevations and sea level, with locally-grown, regional cuisine.
For a relatively small place, you will notice differences between West Coast and East Coast Tasmania, between the North West, the North, and Southern Tasmania. What’s exciting is you can travel between our regions in a single weekend. If you’d like to extend your adventure across your new home, you can jump in an airplane for short flights to King Island for the most stunning round of golf of your life, or to Flinders Island, for a deeply rewarding cultural experience.
The word you most often hear about the distinctive nature of Tasmanian communities is 'connected'.
It’s never been easier to be digitally connected. Tasmania offers something more authentic, more human.
When you commit to this place something special happens. You experience it in business, in the arts, in social ventures, in public service, in our schools, and on our ovals.
In modern history, Tasmanians had to overcome unique obstacles. Isolation, and our relatively small population, encouraged cooperation and support.
You’ll feel it walking your dog or when you’re out for a morning run. You’ll feel it on the street as you buy your coffee. You’ll feel it at work and on the sidelines as your children compete. You’ll understand it when you need help, and when you have the opportunity to help someone else.
HOW TO APPLY
The closing date for applications is Sunday 25th August 2024
The reference number to include in your application is H24_4846
If you require assistance in submitting your application online, please get in touch with Executive Search Coordinator, Natasha Tirado: ntirado@hardygroupintl.com
Your application must include:
1. Cover letter addressed to the Executive Search Consultant;
2. A written response addressing the key selection criteria and
3. An up to date copy of your Curriculum Vitae
Note: Please use the online platform to submit your application. It will not be accepted via email.
Please see our written application guide here to help with your application.
For a confidential discussion, please contact:
Sarah Buckler
HardyGroup Executive Principal Consultant, Executive Talent Solutions
M. +61 (0) 429 486 740
E. sbuckler@hardygroupintl.com
Lynette Taylor
HardyGroup Executive Director, Search and Recruitment
M. +61 (0) 431 293 861
E. ltaylor@hardygroupintl.com
ABOUT US
HardyGroup’s (HG) mission is simple
Find and Grow Great Leaders - and we have been doing exactly that for more than 30 years in public and private health, primary, community and aged care as well as the broader public service.
Our synergistic business model of Executive Search and Recruitment integrated with Executive Leadership and Learning is our unique point of difference.
It ensures our clients can count on us for the lifecycle of their organisations leadership journey and why we are regarded as the leading trans-Tasman partner agency by clients.
When engaging HG you can be confident in a deeply personalised experience and service as nothing matters more to us than relationships and results.