Associate Director, Student Wellbeing

Australian Catholic University; North Sydney Council; On-site; AUD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

17% employer superannuation

Salary packaging

Generous leave provisions

Job summary

Australian Catholic University in North Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne is seeking a senior leader to provide strategic direction across a nationally delivered student wellbeing portfolio.

The Associate Director will report to the Director, Student Experience and Enhancement and will oversee a broad range of services including counselling, medical centres, accessibility, housing, safeguarding and related wellbeing initiatives.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline is required.
• Clinical or regulated professional background will be highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across the student wellbeing portfolio nationally.
• Lead National Managers and multidisciplinary professional teams.
• Drive the implementation of ACU's Student Wellbeing Framework.
• Oversee governance, safeguarding, accessibility, safety and regulatory compliance.
• Embed evidence-informed approaches to measuring wellbeing and service impact.
• Build a collaborative, high-performing, student-centred culture across teams.
• Partner with the university and external stakeholders to strengthen support pathways.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Governance

Risk management

Evidence-informed

Multidisciplinary teams

Leadership experience

Education

Postgraduate qualification

Clinical/regulatory background

Job description

Australian Catholic University – North Sydney NSW

1d ago , from Australian Catholic University

• Provide strategic leadership across our student wellbeing portfolio nationally
• Support student flourishing academically, personally and socially
• ACU offers 17% employer superannuation, salary packaging and generous leave provisions
• Full time, senior manager role (five years), based at our Brisbane, North Sydney or Melbourne campus

We are seeking an accomplished and values-led senior leader to provide strategic leadership across our nationally delivered student wellbeing portfolio. Reporting to the Director, Student Experience and Enhancement, the Associate Director, Student Wellbeing will play a pivotal role in shaping an integrated, evidence-informed and student-centred approach to wellbeing, safety and support across ACU's campuses.

This is a significant leadership opportunity to strengthen the quality, consistency and impact of services that support students to flourish academically, personally and socially. The role leads a diverse portfolio including counselling, medical centres, access and disability, student accommodation, safeguarding, student care, gender-based violence prevention and response, and related wellbeing services.

The successful candidate will lead National Managers and multidisciplinary professional teams, provide senior advice on student wellbeing risks and service performance, and drive the implementation of ACU's university-wide Student Wellbeing Framework. You will ensure services are clinically governed, compliant, inclusive, risk-informed and aligned with ACU's Mission, Vision 2033 and commitment to whole-person education.

Key priorities include:

• Leading the development and delivery of integrated, nationally consistent student wellbeing services.
• Providing strategic leadership across clinical governance, professional standards, safeguarding, accessibility, student safety and regulatory compliance.
• Embedding evidence-informed approaches to measuring student wellbeing, evaluating service effectiveness and improving outcomes.
• Building a collaborative, high-performing and student-centred culture across multidisciplinary teams.
• Partnering across the university and with external stakeholders to strengthen support pathways, risk management and service innovation.

We are seeking a senior leader with substantial experience in a large and complex organisation, ideally with experience leading multidisciplinary wellbeing, health, clinical, care or support services. You will bring strong judgement, high-level stakeholder skills and demonstrated capability in service integration, governance, risk management, continuous improvement and leading through complexity. A postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline is required, and a clinical or regulated professional background will be highly regarded.

At ACU, our Mission informs everything we do. We are committed to fostering thriving communities, respecting the dignity of the human person, and supporting students to succeed through compassionate, ethical and high-quality services. This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the wellbeing, safety and success of students across a national university community.

Contact:

General enquiries can be sent to John Burdick, Director, Student Experience and Enhancement at: ************@acu.edu.au

Applications close: 25-OCT-2026 at 11:59pm AUS Eastern Standard Time

Preferred candidates will be required to complete mandatory pre-employment declarations and background checks, including those related to gender-based violence and foreign interference, in line with ACU's compliance requirements.

Candidates must hold Australian work rights to apply for this position. For permanent/continuing roles, applicants must have permanent work rights. For further information visit Immigration and Citizenship(homeaffairs.gov.au)

Your Privacy of personal information is maintained in accordance with ACU policy. For more details visit: www.acu.edu.au/careers

ACU is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace culture that values diversity and enables our people to reach their potential. This is underpinned by our mission and values, grounded in our respect for all people and the advancement of the common good. In line with our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion we welcome candidates from all backgrounds and lived experiences. ACU is recognised as a Veteran Employment Supporter and veterans are encouraged to apply. ACU offers support for candidates that may require adjustments through the recruitment process. Please contact ***********@acu.edu.au to discuss your requirements in confidence.

About ACU:

Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a publicly funded university whose teaching, research and service is shaped by the vision of flourishing lives, thriving communities, and a more ethical future for our world. ACU has more than 2,500 staff and 34,000 students across eight campuses: Ballarat, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, North Sydney, Strathfield, Blacktown and Rome.

ACU draws on the Catholic intellectual tradition which values human reason and welcomes everyone regardless of their faith, cultural tradition or circumstances. ACU invites all staff - both academic and professional - to embrace, and to support in ways meaningful to them, its mission to respect the dignity of every human person, to seek knowledge and to advance the common good.

ACU does not accept candidate applications submitted by external recruitment agencies through the ACU careers website.