Associate Nurse Unit Manager - Palliative Care Unit

SA Health - Northern Adelaide Local Health Network; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

SA Health - Northern Adelaide Local Health Network invites applications for the Associate Nurse Unit Manager in the Palliative Care Unit at Modbury Hospital. This senior role provides day-to-day clinical leadership across the unit, guiding both patients and the nursing team through high-acuity end-of-life care within a compassionate, family-centred framework.

You will report to the Nurse Unit Manager and lead rostering, resource allocation, and escalation management while driving quality

Qualifications

• Registered nurse with NMBA registration or eligibility to practice.
• Experience in palliative care, oncology or related specialty.
• Proven ability to lead and support nursing teams in a clinical setting.
• Familiarity with SA Health nursing standards and clinical governance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Supervising and mentoring nursing staff to maintain safe, consistent, and compassionate care standards.
• Coordinating unit operations including rostering, resource allocation, and escalation management.
• Supporting quality improvement initiatives aligned with NALHN's palliative care model.
• Acting as a clinical resource and escalation point for complex symptom management and family communication.

Skills

Palliative care

Nursing leadership

Team mentoring

Clinical governance

Education

NMBA-registered nurse or eligible

Job description

Associate Nurse Unit Manager - Palliative Care Unit

• Northern Adelaide Local Health Network – Modbury Hospital – MODBURY SA 5092
• Salary: $109,637 - $117,215 p.a. plus Superannuation and Salary Sacrifice benefits– RN2A
• Ongoing Full-Time

About the Role:

Palliative care demands more than clinical skill — it requires presence, judgement, and the ability to lead a team through some of the most meaningful moments in a person's life. At Modbury Hospital within the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN), the Associate Nurse Unit Manager role in the Palliative Care Unit offers the opportunity to do exactly that, at a senior level, within a team genuinely committed to comfort, dignity, and family-centred care.

What You'll Be Leading

Reporting to the Nurse Unit Manager, you will provide day-to-day clinical leadership across the Palliative Care Unit, supporting both patients and the nursing team through high-acuity end-of-life care. Your key responsibilities will include:

• Supervising and mentoring nursing staff to maintain safe, consistent, and compassionate care standards
• Coordinating unit operations including rostering, resource allocation, and escalation management
• Supporting quality improvement initiatives aligned with NALHN's palliative care model
• Acting as a clinical resource and escalation point for complex symptom management and family communication

What You'll Bring

• Demonstrated experience in palliative care, oncology, or a related specialty
• Proven ability to lead and support nursing teams in a clinical setting
• Strong communication skills across multidisciplinary teams, patients, and families
• Familiarity with SA Health nursing standards and clinical governance frameworks
• A commitment to person-centred care that reflects NALHN's values of respect, integrity, and excellence

To be eligible for this position, you must be registered or eligible for registration as a Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and who holds, or who is eligible to hold, a current practicing certificate

About You:

In this role you will have strong interpersonal and communication skills which will enable you to successfully problem solve, resolve conflicts and negotiate, including the ability to engage in difficult conversations, whilst building and maintaining relationships. An ability to effectively manage multiple, diverse and competing priorities and demonstrated resilience within a stressful and complex environment is essential to this role.

You will be joining a dynamic and expanding Local Health Network that is committed to delivering contemporary, innovative and high-quality health services within modern facilities.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to a passionate, highly driven, dedicated and progressive team.

About Adelaide:

Adelaide is consistently recognised as a city that artfully combines its compact charm and world-class cuisine with picturesque nature escapes. Ranked one of the worlds “Most Liveable Cities” and “Most Beautiful Cities”, Adelaide provides something for everyone combining a wonderful mix of nature with nearby beaches, rolling hills and wildlife and culinary delights with fine dining restaurants, award-winning cafes, bustling food markets and booming boutique bars. Events like the LIV Golf, SANTOS Tour Down Under, Adelaide Fringe and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival add extra appeal to living here.

About Us:

The Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN) is a leading provider of public healthcare services in South Australia, and one of the largest employers in northern Adelaide.

NALHNserves over400,000 peoplein northern Adelaide with a comprehensive range of high-quality healthcare services, including emergency, surgical, obstetric, neonatal,paediatric, oncology, geriatric, palliative care and rehabilitation, and mental health care, as well as primary health care services with a focus on community health promotion and chronic disease management.

With a commitment for ongoing upgrades to our facilities and the introduction of new services, our priority is delivering exceptional health and wellbeing services that enhance the quality of life for our community.

Withover 7,500employees, NALHNemphasisesquality care and a supportive work environment guided by respect, integrity, and accountability. Our core values foster excellence, innovation, andequitablehealth outcomes.

At NALHN Everyone Has a Story, Everyone Matters, Everyone Contributes and Everyone Grows.

Our Local Health Network Sites and Services:

NALHN provides a range of hospital (inpatient), outpatient, community and home-based services across multiple sites in Adelaide’s north and north-eastern suburbs, including Aboriginal health, mental health, and GP services.

Lyell McEwin Hospital – the major hospital in northern Adelaide for emergency care, complex and multi-day surgery, medicine, obstetric, paediatrics and outpatient services.

Modbury Hospital – a general hospital with emergency care, elective surgery, medicine, outpatient and sub-acute services, rehabilitation, geriatric and palliative care.

Mental Health Services – adult and older persons mental health services and statewide forensic mental health services, across hospital and community settings.

Watto Purrunna Aboriginal Primary Health Care Services – provides culturally responsive primary healthcare services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in-hospital and across four community sites.

Primary Health Care Services – including GP Plus sites at Elizabeth, Modbury and Gilles Plains.

Benefits of working at NALHN:

From salary packaging to flexible working arrangements, a large range of opportunities for movement and career progression, you’ll find there are lots of benefits of working with Northern Adelaide Local Health Network.

Salary packaging is an option for saving money by paying for some of your everyday expenses from your salary before it is taxed.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants from interstate or overseas.

NALHN supports and fosters a culture in which employees feel they belong and feel safe at work. The culture aims to encourage all people to use their talents and to be valued and rewarded for their contributions.

SA Health is committed to providing an inclusive workplace that embraces diversity and inclusion for all employees. We strongly encourage applications from people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, culturally diverse backgrounds, members of the LGBTIQA+SB community and people who live with disability and/or neurodivergence.

We are committed to making workplace adjustments to provide a positive and supportive work environment. You are encouraged to let us know if you have any support or access requirements during the recruitment process and beyond to ensure you can perform at your best.

The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.

Appointment will be subject to a satisfactory Criminal History Check.

Immunisation Risk for this position is – Category A (direct contact with blood or body substances)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are encouraged to apply. Job Ref: 953359

Role Description and Further Information: