Clinical Director – Women’s, Children’s and Families in Geelong

Lead one of Australia’s largest and most comprehensive regional Women’s, Children’s and Families services, serving a population of more than 370,000 people. Play a pivotal leadership role in the clinical commissioning and integration of the new Barwon Women’s and Children’s facility, shaping the future of care across the region. Partner with an experienced executive team to drive clinical excellence, innovation, quality, safety and service performance across a diverse and complex healthcare environment.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Barwon Health is seeking an outstanding clinical leader to join its executive leadership team as Clinical Director, Women’s, Children’s and Families. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and working in partnership with the Co-Director, this influential role provides the opportunity to lead a large and strategically important directorate delivering women’s, paediatric, neonatal and family-focused services across acute, community and specialist care settings. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the future direction of healthcare in one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions. The successful candidate will play a key role in the commissioning of the new Barwon Women’s and Children’s facility, ensuring the successful integration of expanded services and new models of care that will enhance access, quality and outcomes for patients and families across the Barwon South West region.

THE ROLE

The Clinical Director will provide strategic, clinical and operational leadership across the Women’s, Children’s and Families Directorate, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and patient-centred services. The role is responsible for service planning, budget management, workforce leadership, clinical governance, quality and safety performance, and achieving organisational objectives. Leading in partnership with Heads of Unit and multidisciplinary teams, the Clinical Director will foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation and continuous improvement. The position will oversee service redesign, workforce development, risk management and operational performance while supporting research, education and clinical excellence across the Directorate. The role requires extensive engagement with clinicians, executives, government stakeholders, community partners and external health providers, providing visible leadership and influencing system-wide outcomes.

THE CANDIDATE

The successful candidate will be a fellowship-qualified medical specialist with substantial senior leadership experience within a complex tertiary healthcare environment. They will bring deep expertise in women’s, paediatric, neonatal and/or family health services, alongside a strong understanding of contemporary healthcare delivery, clinical governance and public health systems. An accomplished people leader, they will have demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams, driving organisational performance, managing significant operational budgets and delivering strategic change. Candidates will possess highly developed stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships, influence diverse groups and unify teams around a shared vision. Most importantly, they will be a values-driven leader with a commitment to clinical excellence, innovation, patient-centred care and fostering a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture.