Director, Graduate Futures

mq; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

17% Superannuation

Senior contract negotiable

Job summary

Macquarie University invites a dynamic leader to become Director, Graduate Futures, within the PVCE portfolio. Lead student employability, career readiness and global mobility, shaping programs that prepare graduates for work in AI-driven environments.

You will provide strategic and operational leadership across faculties, partnering with industry and exchange organisations, and guide university-wide initiatives to ensure robust, scalable experiential learning and global opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience in graduate employability or global mobility.
• Experience leading 20-30 staff.
• Strong understanding of AI and the future of work.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Graduate Futures function.
• Guide the Future Ready implementation across undergraduate courses.
• Support AI-ready graduates and enable work-integrated learning.
• Foster corporate and industry engagement and partnerships.
• Oversee inbound and outbound student exchange programs.
• Measure impact and drive continuous improvement.
• Lead and develop a team of about 25–30 staff.

Skills

Strategic leadership

People management

Stakeholder engagement

AI literacy

Curriculum development

Job description

Lead the Graduate Futures team providing programs and support to students across employability, career readiness and global mobility.

• Attractive senior contract negotiable including 17% superannuation
• Full-time, 5 year appointment (renewable)
• Macquarie University, Wallumattagal Campus, North Ryde

Shape graduate futures, build meaningful partnerships and create impact at scale

Macquarie University is seeking an outstanding leader to join us as Director, Graduate Futures within the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education (PVCE) portfolio. This is a rare opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping how Macquarie students transition from university into the world of work - locally, nationally, and globally.

Reporting to the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across student employability, career readiness, and global mobility, helping to ensure that every Macquarie graduate is equipped to thrive in workplaces increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. You will guide the University-wide implementation of the Future Ready transdisciplinary unit, oversee inbound and outbound student exchange programs, and build the partnerships and platforms that position Macquarie as a partner of choice for producing work-ready, future-focused graduates.

This is a position for someone who is energised by impact, collaboration, and innovation at scale.

About the Role

The Director, Graduate Futures provides strategic and operational leadership in the advancement of student employability, career readiness, and global mobility across all student cohorts and faculties. Partnering closely with faculty stakeholders, industry partners, and exchange organisations, you will help ensure that work integrated learning, global experience, and employability preparedness are accessible, impactful, and coherent across the full student lifecycle.

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic Leadership: Provide visionary, best-practice guidance and strategic direction for the Graduate Futures function, keeping its programs aligned with the University's broader goals - including its commitments to graduate employability, AI-readiness, and student mobility.
• Future Ready Implementation: Guide the University-wide implementation of the transdisciplinary Future Ready unit across all undergraduate courses, partnering with faculty education leaders, curriculum teams, and the broader PVCE portfolio to enable consistent, high-quality, and scalable delivery.
• AI-Ready Graduates: Work with faculty partners and industry to help graduates navigate, critically evaluate, and effectively use AI tools in professional contexts, and to prepare them for labour market transitions driven by automation and technological change.
• Corporate and Industry Engagement: Foster a culture of partner stewardship, represent Macquarie in relevant industry forums, and act as a credible institutional voice on graduate capability and the future of work.
• Student Exchange and Global Mobility: Provide strategic oversight of inbound and outbound student exchange programs, keeping these well-integrated with broader employability and curriculum strategies and accessible to diverse student cohorts.
• Impact and Evaluation: Measure, analyse, and assess the real-world impact of programs and services on graduate outcomes, using evidence to inform continuous improvement and responsiveness to employer and market needs.
• People Leadership: Guide, mentor, develop, and motivate a team of approximately 25-30 staff to deliver high-quality, accessible, and valued programs, and to help build a collaborative, high-achieving culture.

About Us

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) is the Chief Academic Officer of the University and holds overall responsibility for the planning, quality, and delivery of education to Macquarie's undergraduate and postgraduate students. The PVCE provides senior leadership in developing and implementing strategies that advance educational excellence, student access, widening participation, academic success, graduate outcomes, and the Macquarie University College.

You will be joining a dynamic portfolio at the heart of Macquarie's academic mission, partnering with Faculty education leaders, industry and exchange partners, Student Services teams, and a range of internal and external stakeholders.

About You (Selection Criteria)

You are a strategic, commercially aware, and people-centred leader with deep expertise in graduate employability, careers, work integrated learning, and/or global mobility. You bring a well-developed understanding of the future of work, including the impact of AI and emerging technologies on graduate skills demand, and you are skilled at translating that understanding into programs that genuinely improve outcomes for st