Description
Executive Director
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is looking for a visionary and collaborative leader to fill the role of Executive Director for our Research Quality and Advice branch.
This senior role is responsible for driving initiatives that strengthen the research ecosystem and enhance public confidence in health and medical research. You will also lead work to translate the latest research evidence into health policy and clinical practice and ultimately drive improvements in health outcomes for the Australian community.
This is an opportunity for a motivated individual to be a part of NHMRC’s Executive team and provide strategic leadership to the agency.
About the role
The ideal candidate will demonstrate strategic leadership, a forward-looking mindset, and personal drive and integrity. You will have sound judgement in navigating complex and sensitive environments, balancing risk with opportunity. You will demonstrate the practice of values-based leadership that nurtures a high-performing, agile and psychologically safe workplace where people are empowered to deliver their best work. You will bring a commitment to maintaining a culture that values integrity, excellence, innovation, collaboration, inclusion and transparency.
In this role, you will cultivate trusted partnerships across government, engage effectively with the community, researchers and research organisations, and lead initiatives that enhance research quality, integrity, equity and evidence-informed decision making. You will work effectively with a range of expert advisory committees with diverse membership, including NHMRC’s Council, and expert committees in public health, Indigenous health, ethics and research integrity.
You will lead expert teams to deliver high-quality outcomes, including complex and sometimes highly technical advice and development of guidelines. You will champion innovation and future readiness, embracing new technologies and data stewardship to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery and enhance outcomes. While deep technical expertise is not required, you must demonstrate the capability to quickly acquire and apply knowledge, and to lead expert teams to deliver high-quality outcomes.
As a small agency, you will contribute directly to the agency’s senior leadership team, including strategic planning, risk oversight and management, audit and assurance, and whole of agency performance monitoring and reporting.
NHMRC values diversity and inclusion in leadership, encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, First Nations peoples, LGBTIQA+ individuals, mature age applicants, and culturally diverse communities. We especially encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with disabilities to apply. Your diverse experiences, perspectives and cultural backgrounds are invaluable in strengthening our ability support high-quality health and medical research outcomes.
Further information
Refer to the Candidate Handbook for a complete overview of the role and its core requirements by going to National Health and Medical Research Council - Jobs List - Current Vacancies
Location of role
The role is available in either Canberra or Melbourne.
Salary
$194,404 to $240,005 per annum plus 15.4% superannuation.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a position at NHMRC, you must be an Australian citizen. If successful, you will be required to obtain and maintain a Negative Vetting 1 security clearance and you will also be required to undertake a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check.
Applications close
11.30PM AEDT, Sunday, 7 December 2025.
