Dean (People and Resources)

01 Flinders University; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

On-campus health services

Gym and childcare facilities on campus

Job summary

Flinders University seeks a Dean (People and Resources) to lead workforce planning, organisational capability and resource management within the College of Medicine and Public Health. The role reports to the Executive Dean and sits on the College Executive Team.

The successful candidate will shape staffing strategy, drive performance and lead change initiatives across a research-intensive environment, with emphasis on excellence and community impact.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent qualification.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Experience in strategic workforce planning and leading change.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of workforce strategies aligned to University priorities.
• Oversee staffing, succession planning and resource allocation frameworks.
• Support staff attraction, retention and development and advise on complex people-related matters.

Skills

Senior leadership

Strategic workforce planning

Data analysis

Change management

Communication

Collaboration

Executive leadership

Education

PhD or equivalent

Job description

Position Details

Full-time Position (36.75 hours per week) | Fixed Term for 5 years Senior Manager Salary + 17% superannuation | Salary packaging options + additional benefits at negotiation stage Location: Bedford Park / Kaurna Country View Candidate Brochure View Position Description College of Medicine and Public Health (CMPH) | Who We Proudly Are Since 1966, Flinders University has been at the forefront of innovation in Australian higher education, shaping the future through bold ideas, pioneering research, and transformative learning experiences. With campuses across South Australia and the Northern Territory, Flinders is committed to changing lives through education, research and community impact. At the College of Medicine and Public Health, we deliver clinical, population and lab-based research, integrated teaching programs and high-quality clinical services. Our footprint reaches from our world class teaching hospital at the Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia to multiple rural clinical locations across South Australia to Darwin in the Northern Territory. Our research and teaching equip the next generation of leaders and innovators with the skill, commitment, and vision to protect vulnerable communities and truly advance health outcomes. It is at the heart of everything we do.

Who We Proudly Are

Since 1966, Flinders University has been at the forefront of innovation in Australian higher education, shaping the future through bold ideas, pioneering research, and transformative learning experiences. With campuses across South Australia and the Northern Territory, Flinders is committed to changing lives through education, research and community impact.

About this Exclusive Opportunity

Flinders University warmly invites applications for an outstanding academic leader to serve as Dean (People and Resources). This is a terrific opportunity to shape the workforce, capability and resource strategy of a complex and high performing College during a significant period of strategic transformation and growth. As a key member of the College Executive Team and trusted advisor to the Vice-President and Executive Dean, the Dean (People and Resources) provides strategic leadership across academic workforce planning, organisational capability, performance, and resource management. The role is critical to ensuring the College has the people, structures and resources required to achieve its ambitions in research excellence, educational quality and community impact.

Key Responsibilities

Leading the development and implementation of workforce strategies aligned to University priorities, driving academic staffing and succession planning, overseeing workload and resource allocation frameworks, and fostering an environment where academic excellence, innovation and collaboration can thrive.

The Dean (People and Resources) will play a pivotal role in staff attraction, retention and development, while providing expert leadership and advice on complex people-related matters, organisational effectiveness and performance outcomes.

This position makes a significant contribution to the University’s strategic plan to changing 10 million lives, Every One Matters, by 2035 through directly correlating to the Value of ‘Excellence’.

This role ensures the College attracts, develops and supports outstanding academic talent while driving high performance across its people and operations, enabling outstanding educational and research outcomes.

Who you Are and What You Will Bring

The successful candidate will possess a PhD or equivalent qualification and an outstanding record of academic achievement consistent with the expectations of a leading university. You will bring substantial senior leadership experience within complex organisational environments and demonstrated success in strategic workforce planning, organisational development and leading change. You will have a proven ability to translate strategy into operational outcomes, analyse and interpret complex data to inform decision-making, and build strong relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.

Exceptional communication, negotiation and influencing skills are essential, together with a collaborative leadership style and a demonstrated commitment to fostering inclusive, high-performing cultures.

Highly regarded candidates will also bring experience in leading at scale, developing innovative workforce solutions, and contributing strategically at executive level within a research-intensive, care and education-focused environment.

Life at Flinders | Why Join Us

They say know your place. We say you’ve found it right here. Flinders University was founded on the belief that learning should open minds, celebrate individuality and give people the freedom to pursue their own point of view. That spirit lives on in our community of thinkers, doers and changemakers who challenge convention, and each other, to shape what comes next.

Rising to a challenge is nothing new for Flinders. During our first 60 years, we’ve navigated revolutionary changes in social and cultural norms, and have responded to transformative economic, environmental and technological developments. Through it all, we’ve continued to deliver for our students and community, innovating in learning and research to prepare graduates for the changing world they help create.

Reaching beyond the limits of buildings, borders, and backgrounds, ours is an inclusive culture that believes absolutely in equality and opportunity for all. We don’t just accommodate differences; we embrace and celebrate them. So, why work at Flinders?

• Senior Manager Salary + 17% superannuation
• Salary packaging options + additional benefits at negotiation stage
• Ranked in the top 2% of universities worldwide for research, where ninety percent of Flinders research has been ranked at ‘world standard or above’ by Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA).
• Awarded the AHEIA Higher Education Award for Workplace Culture Excellence due to our commitment to wellbeing through our Thriving@Flinders staff wellbeing program.
• We embrace diversity and promote equity and inclusion for all students and staff, as shown through our three SAGE Cygnet Awards.
• Recognised as a Veteran Employer of Choice.
• Genuine flexible working arrangements.
• Vibrant campus life and amenities including on campus health care services, gym and childcare centre (Bedford Park, South Australia).
• Our Commitment to Reconciliation and Indigenous Employment: Flinders University is proud to be an organisation that is committed to our Reconciliation Action Plan and Indigenous Workforce Strategy.
• Our vision is to be a preferred employer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• We are committed to progressing Indigenous advancement in education, research, employment, and wellbeing, and strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for all Flinders vacancies.

Prescribed Conditions for Employment

Appointment to this role is conditional on the completion of required pre-employment checks and declarations, each of which must be satisfactory to the University. These include: Flinders University will require a current completed Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check and Gender Based Violence Declaration which is satisfactory to the University. The contract of Employment is conditional upon the receipt of these completed compliance checks. A disclosable outcome will not automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration. Each case will be assessed on its individual merits and relevance to the inherent requirements of the role. Staff working in a health care setting are strongly recommended to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in line with the SA Health policy.

Disability and Inclusion

Flinders University is committed to providing an environment where staff with disability are valued, supported and encouraged to participate fully and independently in the life of the University.

Diversity Statement

At Flinders we embrace and celebrate diversity and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

Flinders. Fearless. Flinders University is a globally focused, locally engaged institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching, learning and research. Students are at the heart of Flinders – we’re focused on supporting their exceptional learning experience and equipping them with the skills to succeed in life beyond study. Our touchstone is that university life is enjoyable and enriching for all students, and our campuses are energising places for our staff.

Reconciliation and Indigenous Workforce Strategy

Please see here for our Reconciliation Action Plan

Please see here for our Indigenous Workforce Strategy