Role Brief
The Director of Mental Health is accountable for the operational delivery, clinical governance, and quality assurance of all mental health services delivered across counsellor, psychotherapist, and psychologist pathways. This includes 24/7 access, stepped-care models, and evidence-based interventions.
The role ensures services are delivered safely, consistently, efficiently, and at scale, meeting regulatory requirements, client expectations, and measurable outcomes. By owning operational clinical delivery, this role enables the Clinical Director to focus on executive-level strategy, innovation, and growth.
Responsibilities
Service Implementation & Oversight
Lead the operational implementation of approved mental health pathways across counsellors, psychotherapists, and psychologists.
Partner with the Director of Operations to ensure appropriate policies, procedures, SOPs, training frameworks, and workforce capability are in place to support 24/7, high-volume service delivery.
Define, monitor, and report on KPIs, SLAs, and quality metrics aligned with clinical best practice and client requirements.
Work with finance and operations to ensure cost-effective resource allocation, budget discipline, and sustainable service delivery, balancing quality, access, efficiency, and scalability.
Clinical Governance & Compliance
Act as the primary clinical representative in client clinical governance forums.
Lead or contribute to internal and external governance structures, including audits, committees, and boards.
Ensure all pathways comply with regulatory, licensing, accreditation, and audit requirements, as well as evidence-based and international best-practice standards.
Oversee clinical escalations, complaints, and incidents, ensuring timely investigation, root-cause analysis, risk mitigation, and dissemination of learning.
Analyse safeguarding incidents, clinical risk events, and population-level presentations to inform pathway refinement, risk controls, and service improvement.
Outcomes & Quality Assurance
Set measurable outcomes and performance targets across all pathways.
Establish systems to collect, analyse, and report on clinical outcomes, patient experience, and service quality and safety indicators.
Conduct routine service evaluation, including clinical audits, stakeholder feedback, and outcome and utilisation reviews.
Lead continuous quality improvement initiatives and oversee clinical risk management and quality assurance frameworks.
Stakeholder & Client Management
Build and maintain strong relationships with clinical and operational stakeholders in insurance, education, and corporate environments.
Provide timely, accurate, and transparent reporting to clients, internal leadership, and governance bodies.
Represent the organisation in external governance, oversight, and review meetings.
Support the Clinical Director and Chief Clinical Officer with client presentations, reports, and clinical insights for regulators, funders, and partners.
Team Leadership & Collaboration
Provide leadership to mental health clinical staff across all services, including 24/7 counsellor, psychotherapist, and psychologist teams.
Lead, mentor, and develop clinicians and clinical leaders to foster clinical excellence, accountability, and learning.
Work closely with operations to ensure workforce planning, training, and supervision frameworks support service demand, quality, and staff wellbeing.
Strategic Implementation
Translate Clinical Director priorities into actionable implementation plans with clear timelines and defined KPIs and SLAs.
Identify emerging risks, gaps, and trends in mental health service delivery and advise on strategic and resourcing responses.
Drive operational excellence by improving processes to enhance quality, cost-effectiveness, and client and patient experience.
Requirements
Essential
Registered and qualified mental health professional with current Australian registration (AHPRA or relevant regulatory body).
Significant senior clinical leadership experience within mental health service delivery.
Demonstrated expertise in: Stepped care models, Evidence-based psychological interventions, Clinical governance and risk management frameworks
Proven experience leading large-scale, mixed-discipline mental health services, including 24/7 models.
Strong track record managing: Clinical escalations and complaints, Multidisciplinary teams, Budgets, resources, KPIs, and SLAs
Experience engaging with clients in insurance, education, corporate, or enterprise environments.
Preferred
Practising, registered Psychologist, preferably: Clinical Psychologist, or Psychologist with doctoral-level qualification (PhD or Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent).
Demonstrated track record of senior leadership in: 24/7 mental health service delivery, Crisis, escalation, and safeguarding oversight
Experience working across: EAP, Medicare Better Access, PHN-commissioned or stepped care services
Strong familiarity with: NICE-aligned models adapted to the Australian context, recovery-oriented and trauma-informed practice
Desirable
Strategic thinker with strong operational execution capability
Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
Strong people leadership and team development skills
High standards of integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism
Collaborative, pragmatic, and outcomes-focused
Data-driven with a commitment to continuous improvement
Apply for this job
About Us
Spectrum.Life is a whole-of-health digital partner that guides organisations and their people to thrive, delivering clinically backed digital health, mental health and wellbeing solutions.
Our HealthTech delivers digital transformation for Insurers, Educators and Employers through Co-creation or seamlessly integrated out-of-the-box solutions, that decrease digital fragmentation and engage, empower, and transform their people's lives.
Established in 2018 by Stuart McGoldrick and Stephen Costello, Spectrum.Life provides services internationally to over 7.2m insurance members, 3,000 corporate clients, 60 universities and 650,000 university students. Spectrum.Life currently employs over 350 people.
Our vision is to change and save as many lives as possible.