Associate Director Operations / COO

University of Melbourne; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 250,000 - 380,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

17% superannuation

Salary packaging

Health and wellbeing programs

Discounted services

Professional development opportunities

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

The University of Melbourne seeks a strategic Chief Operating Officer to lead MACSYS, an ARC Centre of Excellence spanning five universities. You will establish governance, reporting and financial frameworks, and drive integrated planning across partners to support sustainable funding and high-impact outcomes.

You will guide ARC mid-term review preparations, shape strategy, and align distributed teams while ensuring stability and effective operations across the Centre.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience with governance focus.
• Proven ability to manage complex multi-institution arrangements.
• Strong strategic planning and organizational improvement.
• Experience in financial stewardship and multi-account budgeting.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior strategic leadership, setting long-term operational direction and delegating day-to-day delivery to professional staff.
• Develop and implement integrated resource, workforce and infrastructure strategies that support multi-institutional objectives.
• Design governance, reporting and assurance frameworks, including ARC mid-term review processes.
• Oversee financial management across multiple ARC accounts and funding allocations.
• Mobilise and align distributed teams and set clear expectations.

Skills

Senior leadership experience

Governance experience

Strategic planning

Financial stewardship

Communication

Education

Tertiary qualification

Tools

Governance frameworks

Job description

Role type: Full-time 1.0 FTE; Fixed-term 3-years, with opportunity to extend

Faculty: Science

School/Department: Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems (MACSYS)

Salary: A competitive remuneration package will be offered, plus 17% super

Strategic COO leadership for ARC Centre / deliver stable governance and systems across five universities / mobilise empowered teams

Take the lead in shaping MACSYS' long-term strategy and secure its long-term funding.

Investing in you – 17% superannuation, benefits package including salary packaging, health and wellbeing programs, discounted services, and professional development opportunities.

• Strategic COO leadership for ARC Centre / deliver stable governance and systems across five universities / mobilise empowered teams
• Take the lead in shaping MACSYS' long-term strategy and secure its long-term funding.
• Investing in you – 17% superannuation, benefits package including salary packaging, health and wellbeing programs, discounted services, and professional development opportunities.

The University of Melbourne

We take pride in our people, who all contribute to our mission tobenefitsociety through the transformative impact of education and research. Discover more via our website.

Your next career opportunity

You will be the strategic operational leader for MACSYS, providing stability,visionand integrated planning.You will design and embed governance, reporting and financial frameworks across five universities and multiple partners.You will lead preparation for the ARC mid-term review, shaping future funding and Centre-wide performance expectations.

Whatyou willdeliver

• Provide senior strategic leadership, setting long-term operational direction and delegating day-to-day delivery to professional staff.
• Develop and implement integrated resource, workforce and infrastructure strategies that support sustainable, multi-institutional Centre objectives.
• Design governance, reporting and assurance frameworks, including systems for ARC mid-term review, annual meetings, events and performance.
• Assure clear and compliant financial management, overseeing multiple ARC accounts, compliance processes and strategic funding allocations across nodes.
• Mobilise and align distributed teams, setting clear expectations, empoweringstaffandstrengtheningappropriate roleboundaries and support.

You maybe a great fitifyou

• Bring a relevant tertiary qualification, extensive senior leadership experience and commitment to stable, long-term organisational stewardship.
• Demonstrate deep experience in governance, board-level reporting and navigating complex politics across multiple funders and partners.
• Lead strategic planning and organisational improvement, designing systems and frameworks rather than focusing on transactional operations.
• Excel in financial stewardship, managing complex funding arrangements, compliance rules and multi-account budgets within tight timeframes.
• Communicate clearly, delegate effectively and build trust with academics, professional staff and senior external stakeholders.
• Adapt comfortably to diverse institutional cultures, balancing competing interests and making evidence-based, pragmatic decisions.

For furtherinformationplease refer to the attached Candidate Information Pack.

What we offer you!

We offer the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community and enjoy a comprehensive range of benefits to support your success and sense offulfilment, including:

• Build future financial security with 17% superannuation.
• Supportive flexible work arrangements underpinned by our commitment to inclusion and well-being.
• Career development opportunities, including access to a range of tailored programs, such as Academic Women in Leadership, and learning platforms including LinkedIn Learning.
• Progressive, considerate leave provisions to empower your work-life balance and well-being, including leading parental leave, gender affirmation leave and cultural leave.
• Salary packaging and access to a range of discounted services including Bupa health insurance, and access to unique cultural and recreational benefits such as discounts for the Melbourne Theatre Company.
• Health and well-being services including a leading Employee Assistance Program.

For more information check out our benefits page!

Your newteam

MACSYS is an Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence uniting five universities and partners across research,trainingand innovation. The Centre advances mathematical,statisticaland computational foundations for modern biological and biomedical science and biotechnology.You will join a dedicated, collaborative community with strong professional support, ready tobenefitfrom sustained strategic leadership.In this role, you will bring stability, cleargovernanceand systems, enabling staff to focus on their strengths while you steer multi-institutional complexity and strategic priorities.

Be Yourself

The University of Melbourne is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a child-safe organisation. The diversity of our community enriches us all, and we are committed to creating an inclusive and fair workplace where everyone is valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. Discover more about Diversity and Inclusion atUniMelb.

We'recommitted to a barrier-free recruitment process and ongoing workplace support, providing adjustments throughout. We warmly encourage applications from people with disabilities. Learn more about how we support an accessible recruitment process.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants

We aspire to be the University of choice for Indigenous Australians.Visitour Indigenous staff page to learn more aboutour investment and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

Indigenous applicants are encouraged to connect with our Indigenous Employment & Development team at ***email_hidden***

Want to know more?

• For queries related to this specific position, contact Professor Jennifer Flegg as per the position description.
• For questions related to our recruitment process email Emily Haagensen at *************@unimelb.edu.au
• For recruitment adjustments contact Susan Bradley on [phone] ***or at *************@unimelb.edu.au(subject: 'Recruitment Adjustments').

Applications close:Sunday 4 October 202611:55 PM;Melbourne time zone.

Position Description: Candidate Information Pack - JR-018409 Associate Director Operations COO.pdf