H25_5168

Executive Director People and Culture

Applications close: Wednesday 9th July 2025

Perform a critical role in providing leading statewide healthcare to women, babies, children and young people by shaping and fostering values-based leadership and consumer centred organisational culture
A rare opportunity to be part of a progressive and innovative leadership team at the forefront of an exciting transformation as we progress towards the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Live and work in one of the world’s most liveable cities with beautiful beaches, wine regions and cultural and sporting events.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) in South Australia is looking for an Executive Director People and Culture (EDP&C) to join the Executive team.

At the core of everything we do is our unwavering commitment to our purpose: To strengthen the health and wellbeing of future generations. WCHN puts consumers and community at the centre of everything and works in partnership with consumers, families, the community and other service providers to promote, maintain and restore the health of all consumers in our care.

The Network has a top performance rating and is South Australia’s leading provider of specialty care and health services for women, babies, children and young people, and their families. Services include Aboriginal Health Services, Child and Adolescent Mental health Service, Child and Family Health Service, Child Protection Service, 3D Health (Disability), Health and Recovery Trauma Safety Services (including Metropolitan Youth Service, Cedar Health Service and Yarrow Place Rape and Sexual Assault Service) and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The new Women’s and Children’s Hospital is currently being constructed with the first sod having been turned in April 2024. It is due for completion in 2030-2031.

At the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, we recognise that our greatest asset is our people. We are committed to fostering an environment where clinical, team and leadership capabilities are developed to the highest standards. We prioritise the continuous development of our staff, ensuring access to ongoing education, professional growth opportunities, and support for career advancement.

Our commitment extends beyond professional growth to the wellbeing of our staff. We understand that a healthy and supported workforce is crucial to delivering the best possible care to our patients and communities.

Through these efforts, we are building a skilled, highly engaged and well workforce that thrives within a culture of collaboration, respect, and compassion — ensuring that our staff not only excel in their roles but also feel valued and supported in their professional journey.

Adelaide is one of the world’s most liveable cities, perfectly positioned just a short drive from some of Australia’s most unique, globally-renowned regions, and South Australia is one of the more affordable places to live and work in Australia.

THE ROLE

The Executive Director, People and Culture (EDP&C) is an executive position reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and accountable for the strategic direction and leadership of the Network’s People and Culture function. The EDP&C leads a high-performing team with responsibility for ensuring that the Network’s operations are supported by outstanding human resource operations, management of health and safety risk and optimisation of workforce experience, development and culture. The EDP&C is instrumental in ensuring that the Network can attract, retain and develop outstanding talent now and into the future and supports the CEO to ensure that the Network has current capability and plans for future capability in order to deliver on the Network’s strategic purpose and priorities.

THE CANDIDATE

The perfect candidate for this role will demonstrate the broad range of skills, capabilities and attributes in the context of the role description and selection criteria, and in particular will be able to demonstrate:

A track record of leading responsive, innovative and agile People and Culture services at an enterprise level within a large and complex organisation, preferably within a health care setting;
Tertiary qualifications in a relevant field such as Human Resources, Organisational Psychology or other relevant discipline;
A strong commitment to Closing the Gap and Reconciliation actions and a culture which supports their implementation and a demonstrated knowledge of the context and needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, students and volunteers;
Innovative, strategic and systems thinking, resilience, adaptability and purpose;
High levels of credibility and the ability to influence, build and maintain great relationships and develop high trust including with clinicians;
Ability to be highly responsive and lead and navigate through ambiguous and complex issues in highly demanding circumstances both strategically and operationally;
Inspiring and engaging Leadership skills to role model and instil the values of Compassion, Respect, Equity, Accountability and Together for Excellence across the whole organization and drive cultural transformation; and
Ability to build strong and effective connections with stakeholders including the Department of Health and Wellbeing, other local health networks and unions