Executive Dean, Faculty of Health Southern Cross University (SCU) is seeking an outstanding academic leader to shape the next phase of growth and impact as Executive Dean, Faculty of Health. This is a rare opportunity for a leader who can inspire excellence, foster a values‑driven culture, and lead a high‑performing and collaborative academic community.
As Executive Dean, you will lead a Faculty with strong momentum and significant potential. The role will focus on accelerating the Faculty’s next phase of expansion, deepening partnerships with industry, health services and communities, and positioning the Faculty as a national leader in health education and research.
The Opportunity The Faculty of Health at SCU is ambitious, outward‑looking and committed to advancing health education, research and community engagement. Accredited programmes span nursing, midwifery, allied health, naturopathy, social work and health sciences, supported by extensive clinical placements, health clinics, laboratories and two established research centres.
As Executive Dean, you will work closely with the Deputy Vice‑Chancellor Academic, Vice‑Chancellor and the Executive Leadership Team to set and advance the Faculty’s academic vision. You will lead with purpose, championing a culture of collaboration, inclusivity and high performance while ensuring teaching excellence, impactful research and community engagement remain at the core of everything we do.
Key Challenges and Priorities
Accelerating Faculty growth and expansion: Identify and progress strategic opportunities to expand the Faculty’s programmes, research activity, clinical services and partnerships aligned to workforce demand, community need and the University’s broader strategy.
Sustaining research momentum: Build on recent growth in research income and performance by sharpening the Faculty’s research agenda, strengthening research capability across disciplines and supporting emerging and mid‑career academics, and enabling interdisciplinary and translational research.
Leading a diverse academic portfolio: Provide strong academic leadership across a broad disciplinary base, recognising the distinct cultures, accreditation requirements and workforce dynamics within nursing, midwifery, allied health and health sciences.
Deepening strategic partnerships: Strengthen engagement with health services, government and industry partners to secure high‑quality clinical placements, expand clinic‑based education and services, enable research translation and support sustainable programme growth.
Leading a complex academic enterprise: Provide strong oversight of the Faculty’s health clinics, laboratories, science‑based facilities and workforce. Ensure robust governance, financial stewardship, safety and risk management and regulatory compliance across complex clinical and professional environments.
Positioning the Faculty for sustainable growth: Identify and progress strategic national and international opportunities, while aligning growth with capability, workforce needs and the University’s strategic priorities.
Leading culture and values: Model and embed SCU’s values, fostering an inclusive, collaborative and high‑performing culture where staff and students feel supported, empowered and motivated to succeed.
About You You will be an internationally recognised academic leader, at Professor level, with experience leading a large School, Faculty or equivalent academic unit in a complex higher education or health‑related environment.
You will also possess the mindset and capability to lead a large and complex enterprise. You will be comfortable managing significant budgets, infrastructure, partnerships and workforce considerations, and will bring the commercial insight required to grow programmes, build sustainable partnerships and deliver long‑term impact.
A strong record of research leadership, including building research capability, securing competitive funding and delivering impactful outcomes.
Demonstrated experience leading and managing a substantial academic enterprise, including financial oversight, workforce leadership and operational complexity.
The commercial and strategic acumen to identify and pursue opportunities for growth, including new programmes, partnerships, markets and clinical services.
A deep commitment to excellence in teaching and learning, supporting scholarship in education and creating academic career pathways that recognise both education and research.
Demonstrated success in external engagement, including developing strategic partnerships with health services, government and industry in regional, national and international contexts and acting as an effective ambassador for your Faculty and institution.
An authentic, transparent and inclusive leadership style, with the ability to inspire trust, foster collaboration and enable high performance across a diverse academic community. A commitment to leading culture and embedding values across the Faculty, ensuring staff feel supported, engaged and empowered.
The agility to move between strategic, external‑facing work and operational detail, and the willingness to actively engage in the day‑to‑day realities of a large and complex Faculty.
Why Southern Cross University? SCU offers a distinctive leadership environment: regionally embedded, globally connected, and driven by a clear social purpose. The University is bold in ambition, values collaboration, and supports leaders who are prepared to lead with authenticity and impact.
The Faculty of Health is a cornerstone of SCU’s future, holding significant physical infrastructure, expanding clinical services and playing a critical role in community engagement across the three main campuses: Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour and Lismore.
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