Chief Information Officer

The Royal Children's Hospital; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 350,000 - 480,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Early learning centre childcare

Parkville location near public transit

Discounted on-site parking

Job summary

The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) is seeking a Chief Information Officer to develop and drive its digital and technology strategy. You will lead ICT functions and cybersecurity, shaping solutions that improve patient safety and clinical outcomes while guiding a ~45 FTE workforce and a significant ICT budget.

You will collaborate with clinical leaders to advance AI-enabled digital health initiatives and ensure governed adoption of emerging technologies across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated senior leadership experience in ICT or digital leadership roles.
• Experience leading large-scale digital transformation in complex health, government or regulated environments.
• Proven ability to deliver complex technology solutions within budgets and timelines.
• Strong understanding of cyber security frameworks and health data governance.

Responsibilities

• Set and drive RCH's Digital and ICT Strategy, aligned to the Strategic Plan.
• Govern and deliver the digital portfolio to realise measurable benefits.
• Lead cyber security and technology risk management.
• Partner with clinical leaders to co-design digital solutions including AI adoption.
• Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing digital and technology workforce.
• Represent RCH in government, research and industry forums to shape the digital agenda.

Skills

ICT leadership

Cyber security

Budget management

Vendor management

Stakeholder engagement

AI in healthcare

Education

IT/CS degree

MBA or health management desirable

Tools

EMR systems

Job description

We invite you to join the RCH and help turn our vision 'a world where all kids thrive' into a reality

The Hospital:

The Royal Children's Hospital's (RCH) Vision is "A world where all kids thrive".

RCH is a cornerstone member of the Melbourne Children's Campus, partnering with Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation.

RCH has cared for the children and young people of Victoria for more than 150 years since it was founded in 1870. A full range of paediatrics and adolescent health services are provided plus tertiary and quaternary care for the most critically ill and medically complex patients in Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW and other states around Australia and overseas. The Hospital has more than 6,000 staff, a budget of $850M, 12 wards and 350 beds. Annually, the RCH has 300,000+ Specialist Clinic appointments, 90,000+ Emergency Department presentations and 20,000 elective surgeries.

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact.

For further Information on RCH is available here .

About the Role:

• Permanent Full-Time
• Work for Australia's leading Children's Hospital
• Excellent employee benefits including salary packaging
• Join the Senior Leadership Team and shape the future of paediatric digital health

This is a Permanent Full-Time position at 80hrs per fortnight within the Digital & Allied Health Division, reporting to the Executive Director Digital Health & Chief Allied Health Officer. The role is based at the Parkville campus.

As Chief Information Officer, you will be a pivotal member of the Senior Leadership Team, developing and driving RCH's digital and technology strategy in alignment with our clinical and organisational objectives. You will be responsible for the planning, organisation and execution of all ICT functions and cybersecurity — from infrastructure and applications to the development of new technical solutions — and will champion the responsible and innovative use of technology to enhance patient safety, clinical outcomes, staff experience and operational efficiency.

RCH has made significant investments in digital health, including its Electronic Medical Record (EMR), virtual care and data and analytics platforms. You will join an experienced leadership team to make sure these investments deliver sustainable clinical and operational value — governing the technology portfolio with rigour, leading a workforce of approximately 45 FTE, managing a significant ICT budget, and driving the responsible adoption of emerging technologies such as AI and predictive analytics. The expected outcome is a coherent, financially sound technology strategy that positions RCH as a national leader in paediatric digital health.

Classification for this position is AO99 (Full-Time, FTE Base Salary in line with Award, plus superannuation).

What you'll achieve:

• Set and drive RCH's Digital and ICT Strategy, aligned to our Strategic Plan and Clinical Services Plan
• Govern and deliver the digital portfolio, realising measurable clinical, operational and financial benefits
• Lead cyber security and technology risk management, protecting patients, data and services
• Partner with clinical leaders to co-design digital solutions that improve patient safety and care, including the adoption of AI
• Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing digital and technology workforce
• Represent RCH in government, research and industry forums to shape the digital agenda

Your skills and experience:

• Tertiary qualification in Information Technology, Computer Science or a related discipline. Postgraduate qualifications in health management or business administration (MBA) are desirable.
• Minimum 5 years' senior leadership experience in ICT or digital leadership roles, including managing and developing high-performing teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale digital transformation in a complex health, government or similarly regulated environment, with proven change management and delivery of an enterprise digital portfolio. Hospital system implementation experience is highly regarded.
• Proven track record of delivering complex technology solutions within limited budgets and timelines, with strong budget management, vendor and contract management skills.
• Strong understanding of cyber security frameworks, health data governance and legislative compliance in the Australian health context.
• Good understanding of technologies used in the health sector (EMR, medical equipment, patient booking systems), and experience with shared, outsourced and in-house systems.
• Ability to build productive relationships with clinical staff, executives, boards and government stakeholders, and to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Desirable: paediatric, tertiary or academic medical centre experience; familiarity with Victorian Department of Health digital health programs; experience implementing AI or advanced analytics in a clinical setting; membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. CHIME, ACS, ACHI).

What we offer:

• Salary Packaging - Increase your take home pay!
• Early Learning Centre childcare
• Parkville location and close to public transport
• Discounted on-site car parking

Other requirements:

• Current National Criminal Record Check, or willing to obtain
• Valid Working with Children Check
• Compliance with RCHs "Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases" procedure

For more information about this position please contact Doug McCaskie, Executive Director Digital Health & Chief Allied Health Officer via email: ••••@rch.org.au

Why work at the RCH?

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact. We offer the opportunity to work in world-class facilities, surrounded by Royal Park and only a short tram trip from the heart of Melbourne city.

We also offer staff benefits such as discounted staff parking, salary packaging, and an award-winning health and wellbeing program.

The RCH is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse background, all members of the LGBTQI community and people with disability.

It is a requirement of your employment that you be vaccinated against Influenza annually for Category A and B roles, in compliance with any public health orders in place at the relevant time, unless you have a medical exception in line with those public health orders, which has been accepted by The Royal Children's Hospital. Applicants will be required to provide their Australian Government Immunisation History Statement, it is a requirement of the RCH to collect, record and hold vaccination information.

It is also a requirement of your employment that you comply with any direction given by The Royal Children's Hospital that you be vaccinated against, or prove immunity to, any other disease, unless you have a relevant exemption, and offers of employment are conditional on successful completion of background checks including reference checks.

Are you ready to join our team?

Applications close 26th of October 2026