Director, Consumer Lived Experience Workforce

Victorian Government; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital

Mentoring and career development

Wellbeing program

Job summary

Austin Health is seeking a dynamic leader to champion lived experience within its Mental Health Division. You will contribute to strategic planning and advance consumer leadership across governance, operations, recruitment, and quality evaluation.

As a member of the executive team, you will drive collaboration with internal and external partners to place consumer voice at the centre of reforms and service delivery, delivering excellence in patient care.

Qualifications

• Direct personal lived experience as a consumer of Victorian Public Mental Health services.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications and/or extensive leadership experience in the mental health system.
• Well-developed understanding of contemporary trends in mental health services from a lived-experience perspective.

Responsibilities

• Oversee development of the lived experience voice across division activities including governance and workforce development.
• Collaborate with the executive team to centre lived experience in reforms and opportunities.
• Engage a wide range of stakeholders across internal and external partners.
• You’ll join a supportive team focused on best-practice consumer care and service outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

Communication skills

Strategic planning

Lived experience consumer

Education

Tertiary qualifications

Job description

If yes, please log in to the Austin Health careers website via ‘Employee Login’ using your network login details to search, view and apply for all career opportunities available.

• Are you a dynamic healthcare leader ready to make a meaningful impact?
• Do you have lived experience as a consumer of Victorian public mental health services?
• Full-time, fixed-term opportunity for 12 months
• Heidelberg location, with multiple public transport options to Austin Hospital

Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and statewide. We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our goal to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives.

About the Mental Health Division

The Mental Health Division (MHD) is committed to providing the highest levels of inpatient, residential, and community care in specialised environments for our patients. In realising their goals, the department will lead and excel in research, teaching and the use of person-centred evidence-based practice. The MHD provides services across all three Austin Health campuses, from the Emergency Department through to bed-based services and ongoing ambulatory care.

About the role

As a leader in the Mental Health Division, you will work collaboratively with a supportive team of professionals passionate about providing best‑practice care for consumers. As a member of the executive team, you will contribute to strategic planning and will champion the participation and leadership of people with lived experience at every level of the division.

A regular day will see you:

• Oversee the development of the lived experience voice in all Mental Health Division activities, including governance, operations, workforce business development, recruitment, quality and evaluation.
• Work in close collaboration with the MHD executive team to ensure responses to opportunities arising from the reforms place the lived experience voice at the centre, in keeping with the spirit of the reforms.
• Work with a large range of internal and external stakeholders, including internal corporate services and external community and clinical partners.
• You’ll join a friendly and supportive team who genuinely enjoy their work and the contribution they make.

About you

Bring your strategic vision and leadership expertise to drive innovation and deliver exceptional consumer care and service outcomes. You will have excellent communication skills and a strong commitment to excellence in patient care.

You’ll further have:

• Direct personal (lived) experience as a consumer with mental illness who has required treatment in the Victorian Public Mental Health system.
• Relevant Tertiary Qualifications and/or extensive experience in a leadership role as a Lived and Living Experience Worker (LLEW) within the mental health system.
• Well‑developed understanding of contemporary trends and issues regarding mental health services from a Lived Experience consumer perspective.
• Demonstrated substantial experience leading and supporting mental health services.

Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day. Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including:

• Greater take‑home pay through generous salary packaging, for living expenses, meals, and holiday accommodation.
• A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted fitness memberships and special offers on health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program.
• Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital, easy access via public transport and car parking options.
• Mentoring and career development opportunities.

Work with us!

We are committed to cultural safety and health equity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People. We celebrate, value, and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures, bodies, and abilities. We welcome and support applications from talented people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people with disability, neurodiverse people, LGBTQIA+ and people of all ages and cultures.

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check and if required, a Working With Children Check. Austin Health is a child safe organisation, committed to upholding the rights, safety, and wellbeing of children and young people in line with Child Safe Standards.If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, you are welcome to reach out to the hiring manager:Belinda Rickard, Director Mental Health at [e-mail]

Interested in finding out more about this opportunity? Read the position description for further details.

Applications close Friday 13 November 2026 at 11.59pm