Head of Rehabilitation

Sharp & Carter Brisbane Professional; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Sharp & Carter Brisbane Professional is seeking a senior leader to drive national rehabilitation and injury management strategies. You will design and roll out proactive programs, lead cross-site teams, and partner with insurers, providers and regulators to optimise return-to-work outcomes.

The role focuses on reducing claim costs, shortening durations and ensuring compliance across multiple jurisdictions, while maintaining high standards of employee care and support.

Qualifications

• 10+ years experience in workplace rehabilitation, injury management and return-to-work leadership.
• Advanced knowledge of workers' compensation legislation across multiple Australian jurisdictions.
• Proven ability to improve return-to-work outcomes and reduce claim costs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the national rehabilitation and injury management strategy.
• Drive continual improvement in injury management systems, processes and outcomes.
• Provide expert guidance to senior leaders on rehabilitation and workers' compensation matters.
• Lead complex, high-risk and high-cost claims to achieve optimal outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with state-based legislation and national standards.

Skills

Injury management

Return-to-work

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Education

Tertiary qualification in Rehabilitation/Occupational Health

Job description

The focus of this role is on achieving the best possible outcomes for injured employees while reducing the financial, operational and compliance impact of workplace injuries. Key responsibilities include designing and rolling out proactive injury management strategies, driving sustainable return-to-work outcomes, shortening claim durations and lowering costs, lifting rehabilitation performance, and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and regulatory obligations.

Key Deliverables

• Develop and lead the national rehabilitation and injury management strategy
• Establish a high-performance injury management framework aligned to business objectives
• Drive continual improvement in injury management systems, processes and outcomes
• Provide expert advice and guidance to senior leaders on rehabilitation, return-to-work and workers' compensation matters
• Build organisational capability in injury prevention, early intervention and work capacity management
• Drive measurable reductions in workers' compensation premiums and claims costs
• Identify and implement initiatives that reduce injury-related business disruption
• Analyse injury trends, claim performance and financial impacts to develop improvement strategies
• Prepare executive reporting on claim liabilities, cost trends, return-to-work performance and key risks
• Ensure rehabilitation programs deliver strong commercial outcomes while maintaining employee care and support
• Oversee the management of all workers' compensation claims nationally
• Drive reductions in claim costs, claim durations and lost time injuries
• Manage relationships with insurers, rehabilitation providers, legal representatives, medical practitioners and regulatory authorities
• Lead complex, high-risk and high-cost claims to achieve optimal outcomes
• Ensure robust governance and oversight of claim management activities
• Lead the development and implementation of effective return-to-work programs across all sites
• Promote early intervention strategies to maximise recovery and return-to-work outcomes
• Ensure compliance with all state-based workers' compensation, rehabilitation and return-to-work legislation
• Maintain national standards, policies and procedures for injury management and rehabilitation
• Monitor legislative changes and implement required organisational responses

Experience and Qualifications

• 10+ years experience in workplace rehabilitation, injury management and return-to-work leadership
• Relevant tertiary qualification in Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Exercise Physiology, Human Resources, Workplace Health & Safety or related discipline
• Advanced knowledge of workers' compensation legislation across multiple Australian jurisdictions
• Proven ability to improve return-to-work outcomes and reduce claim costs
• Strong stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills
• Demonstrated experience managing complex workers' compensation claims
• Experience leading geographically dispersed teams

Relocation support offered for interstate applicants.