Client Services Director - Darwin

Carpentaria; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

12% super

Relocation assistance

Professional development

Vehicle provided with home garaging

Parking space

Mobile phone & laptop

Job summary

Carpentaria in Brisbane seeks a Director of Client Services to provide strategic and operational leadership for its disability service portfolio, including 24/7 SIL, Pathways and regional operations. You will translate strategy into high‑quality, person‑centred services and oversee safeguarding, risk management and participant outcomes.

The role requires substantial senior leadership experience in disability services, strong financial acumen, and the ability to lead dispersed teams while

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree or higher in a relevant human services discipline.
• Substantial senior leadership experience in disability services with knowledge of NDIS requirements.
• Experience managing multi-site disability service portfolios, including 24/7 residential or accommodation-based services.
• Proven capability in budgeting, occupancy and cost management within funded service environments.
• Strong knowledge of NDIS Practice Standards, safeguarding and risk frameworks.
• Ability to lead, coach and hold accountable multiple levels of operational management.
• Experience balancing participant outcomes, safeguarding, service continuity and financial performance.
• Structured reporting to the Executive and Board-level assurance.
• Sound commercial acumen and judgement under regulatory pressure.

Responsibilities

• Hold strategic and operational accountability for Carpentaria's disability service portfolio across the Northern Territory, including 24/7 SIL, complex and non-complex supports, Pathways and regional operations.
• Translate organisational strategy into person-centred, rights-based and consistently delivered services across the portfolio.
• Ensure operational stability, service continuity and strong performance across all programs and regional sites, including effective after-hours escalation and business continuity arrangements for 24/7 services.
• Drive financial performance and sustainable service delivery, including oversight of budgets, occupancy, participant funding utilisation, workforce costs and responsible growth.
• Maintain safeguarding integrity and provide executive oversight of participant safety, incident management, restrictive practices, complaints, reportable incidents and continuous quality improvement.
• Lead proactive risk management by identifying, escalating and addressing risks that could threaten participant safety, service continuity, regulatory compliance, financial sustainability or organisational reputation.
• Lead and develop the service management team, clarifying accountabilities and ensuring managers and teams work cohesively toward participant outcomes and organisational priorities.

Skills

Senior leadership

Disability services

Risk management

Budget management

Regulatory compliance

Governance reporting

People management

Education

Bachelor degree or higher in Disability, Human Services, Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, Allied Health, Community Services, Health Management or another relevant human services discipline

Job description

The Director of Client Services provides strategic and operational leadership for Carpentaria's disability service portfolio, which includes Supported Independent Living, Pathways and regional operations. In this role, you will translate organisational strategy into disciplined, high-quality service delivery.
As a senior leader, you will focus on portfolio performance, participant outcomes, safeguarding, risk management and leadership alignment. You will also provide executive oversight of service continuity and escalation arrangements across our 24/7 operations.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Hold strategic and operational accountability for Carpentaria's disability service portfolio across the Northern Territory, including 24/7 SIL, complex and non-complex supports, Pathways and regional operations.
• Translate organisational strategy into person-centred, rights-based and consistently delivered services across the portfolio.
• Ensure operational stability, service continuity and strong performance across all programs and regional sites, including effective after-hours escalation and business continuity arrangements for 24/7 services.
• Drive financial performance and sustainable service delivery, including oversight of budgets, occupancy, participant funding utilisation, workforce costs and responsible growth.
• Maintain safeguarding integrity and provide executive oversight of participant safety, incident management, restrictive practices, complaints, reportable incidents and continuous quality improvement.
• Lead proactive risk management by identifying, escalating and addressing risks that could threaten participant safety, service continuity, regulatory compliance, financial sustainability or organisational reputation.
• Lead and develop the service management team, clarifying accountabilities and ensuring managers and teams work cohesively toward participant outcomes and organisational priorities.

Essential Criteria

• Bachelor degree or higher in Disability, Human Services, Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, Allied Health, Community Services, Health Management or another relevant human services discipline.
• Substantial senior leadership experience in disability services, with demonstrated knowledge of contemporary disability practice, safeguarding and NDIS requirements.
• Demonstrated senior leadership experience managing geographically dispersed, multi-site disability service portfolios, including 24/7 residential or accommodation-based services for people with complex and non-complex support needs.
• Proven capability managing large operational budgets, financial performance, occupancy and cost ratios within funded service environments.
• Strong working knowledge of the NDIS Practice Standards, NDS Quality and Safeguards Commission requirements, incident management and reportable incidents, behaviour support and restrictive practices, the SCHADS Award and workforce cost drivers, and contemporary risk and safeguarding frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach and hold to account multiple layers of operational management responsible for large, dispersed and continuously operating workforces.
• Experience balancing participant outcomes and choice, safeguarding, service continuity, workforce sustainability, financial performance and responsible growth in complex service environments.
• Demonstrated capability in providing structured reporting to the Executive and contributing to Board-level assurance.
• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to interpret financial performance and implement corrective action.
• Sound judgement and decision-making, with the ability to perform effectively under regulatory and reputational pressure.
• Current Ochre Card, Criminal History Check, NDIS Worker Screening Clearance, NDIS Worker Orientation Module, First Aid & CPR Certificate and NT Driver Licence.

Preferred Criteria

• Experience operating in regional or remote service contexts.
• Experience leading both SIL and day program services, including services supporting people with high and complex support needs.
• MBA or postgraduate qualification in leadership, governance or health management.

Remuneration and benefits

A generous remuneration package is available for the successful candidate, including:

• Competitive executive base salary + 12% super
• Salary packaging available (through Paywise)
• Professional development and executive leadership funding
• A mobile phone and laptop
• Access to a fully serviced shared vehicle, for use in the execution of role and entitlement to full private use of the vehicle including home garaging
• An allocated underground parking space at the Harry’s Place precinct
• Relocation assistance (where applicable)

Contacts and further information

For further information please see the role profile - https://carpentaria.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Role-Profile-Director-of-Client-Services-1.pdf

For the position description please access https://carpentaria.org.au/wp-content/uploads/PD-Director-of-Client-Services-September-2026.pdf