The National Standards Program develops and maintains a suite of national safety and quality standards developed by the Commission, including the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards, Primary Health Care Standards, Cosmetic Surgery Standards, Digital Mental Health Standard. This includes the maintenance, review and improvement of these standards and the development of future editions.

In addition, the program develops and maintains the Australian Health Service Safety and Quality Accreditation Scheme, the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme and the National Diagnostic Imaging and Pathology Accreditation Schemes. This includes ongoing support and resource development of implementation resources, support for standards users, and coordination of accreditation assessment processes and data collection and reporting.

This position will lead a small team and work in collaboration with the Program Director to manage the delivery on standards and accreditation for the acute sector as part of the National Standards team’s commitments to:

Develop strategies, standards and tools to improve safety and quality in the acute sector

Develop implementation resources for the national safety and quality standards and communication strategies to generate engagement.

The position will also support the Director and assist with managing accreditation schemes and projects to support the implementation of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.

The primary focus of the next four years will be the development and support for implementation of the third edition of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.

Duties of the Manager will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Manage, and be accountable for, national safety and quality Standards, including for clinical trials, and developing program and project plans, timelines; production of project deliverables; monitoring and reporting; and providing recommendations about managing risk, identifying problems and proposing solutions.

Support the Director, National Standards to manage the NSQHS Standards work program and to coordinate the Commission’s development of a multi-year safety and quality program for national standards, including taking day-to-day lead on the development of safety and quality standards for healthcare providers.

Establish and maintain networks of key stakeholders to facilitate the work of the Commission in national safety and quality Standards development and maintenance.

Manage a small team to achieve the deliverables for this program.

Work collaboratively with healthcare organisations and providers, national agencies, expert groups, associations and professional bodies in the development of safety and quality standards and strategies.

Establish and manage project reference groups, and undertake project management activities including: planning and documenting projects, implementing, monitoring and reporting on progress, providing recommendations about managing risk, identifying problems and proposing possible solutions, reporting on project progress and outcomes; and managing project deliverables to completion.

Work effectively with the National Standards teams, other Commission program areas and national expert groups and agencies on projects relating to the acute sector.

Support the Commission’s National Standards Program work streams, managing risks, and identifying and resolving issues.

Provide secretariat support and participate in the work of expert working groups or workshops convened for the development of national arrangements for national standards projects, including the preparation of background papers, presentation and briefing papers.

Manage, as required, the commissioning of literature reviews, research and consultancies in support of these programs.

Prepare briefings and background papers on specific issues and project progress.

Collaborate with other teams across the Commission to ensure alignment with other work programs and strategic priorities.

The successful candidate will have:

Extensive experience in policy development or complex project management at a national or state/territory level.

In-depth understanding of the Australian healthcare system, including understanding of development and implementation of standards, accreditation schemes and other regulatory frameworks.

Strong analytical skills and conceptual ability, with the demonstrated capacity for strategic judgement.

Highly developed writing skills and secretariat skills including the preparation of policy papers, agenda and minutes.

Well-developed ability to communicate with influence and cultivate productive working relationships with stakeholders.

Demonstrated skills in leading and managing a team.

For further information, please refer to the position description and applicant pack available from the Commission’s website at: https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/careers .

To apply for this position, please complete and submit an application form through https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/careers and upload:

A CV summarising your relevant experience and qualifications

A two-page cover letter broadly addressing your suitability against both the position description and selection criteria.

PLEASE NOTE: To apply for this role, please apply through the Commission's website, not through SEEK. Only complete applications will be considered. Auto-generated applications will not be considered.

Candidates must be Australian citizens to be eligible to apply.

Please note: This position will be offered in a hybrid model of office based (Sydney) and working from home, where operationally feasible. A regular weekly presence in the office is required.

Questions about the role can be directed to Margaret Banks (02) 7232 5098.

Closing date for applications is 11.59pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) 12 October 2025.