Program Director, Mental Health Program, Monash Health

About the role

Reporting operationally to the Chief Operating Officer or Deputy Chief Operating Officer and professionally to the Chief Medical Officer, the Program Director, in partnership with the General Manager/s is accountable for leading and managing high performing teams that deliver against the Program Quality and Business Improvement plan in alignment with the Monash Health Strategic plan.

The specific accountabilities will include the delivery of agreed service profiles, financial performance within budget and ensuring the highest levels of quality, safety, and patient experience. The delivery of these will be supported by managing risk, patient safety, clinical governance and patient experience within the Program and ensuring that effective systems are in place to support excellence in clinical practice.

The role is accountable for setting up the research and education program for medical staff including support for prevocational and vocational training, continuing professional development for senior medical staff and a thriving research culture within the Program.

This role will be integral in setting the behavioural framework and culture of the Program and responsible for setting clear performance expectations for medical staff and providing developmental support for meeting those expectations.

The Program Director will be a key member of the Program Executive and will represent the Program at organisation-wide meetings to ensure two-way information flow between the Executive and Clinical Units.

About the Mental Health Program

The Monash Health Mental Health Program provides inpatient and community-based services to people of any age with a mental illness and those with alcohol or other drug problems. The Early-in-Life Mental Health Service (ELMHS) provides care for children and youth up to 25 years of age; the Adult Mental Health Services for people up to 65 years; and the Aged Persons Mental Health Service for people over 65.  In addition, there are a range of specialist and all-age services – consultation-liaison psychiatry, primary care mental health, drug and alcohol services, psychiatric triage service, agile psychological medicine clinics, wellness, and recovery centre (for eating disorders), perinatal and infant psychiatry, gender dysphoria clinic and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Services are provided by a range of health professionals, working in multidisciplinary teams including counsellors/welfare workers, medical officers and registrars, mental health nurses, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and speech pathologists, supported by administrative and ancillary staff.  The catchment area for Monash Mental Health Services covers a wide area of south-east metropolitan Melbourne with a population of around one million people. Monash Health operates 106 beds in acute adult psychiatry, 20 child & adolescent beds, 40 acute aged person’s beds, 50 secure extended stay beds, 40 community residential rehabilitation beds, 50 prevention and recovery beds (medium stay, low security), 12 drug and alcohol withdrawal beds, and 10 dual disability community rehabilitation (transitional) beds.  These inpatient services are supported by an extensive community outreach program based on a recovery model of care.

Monash Health Mental Health prides itself in its postgraduate psychiatry training program, with over 50 trainee psychiatrists rotating through all stages and clinical areas of training.

About Monash Health

Monash Health is Victoria's largest public health service. We are proud to provide healthcare to one quarter of Melbourne's population, across the entire life-span from newborn and children, to adults, the elderly, their families and carers. More than 22,000 employees work at over 40 care locations across south eastern Melbourne, including Monash Medical Centre, Monash Children's Hospital, Moorabbin Hospital, Dandenong Hospital, Casey Hospital, Kingston Centre, Cranbourne Centre, and an extensive network of rehabilitation, aged care, community health and mental health facilities. For more information, please visit www.monashhealth.org

About You

To be successful within this role, you will have an extensive clinical, operational and leadership experience and a well-developed research profile. The ideal candidate will be a key driver of excellence in the medical professional practice, leadership, governance within the Program and more broadly across the health service.

What you need:

Medical Specialist/Consultant (Senior Medical staff):

• A medical qualification from a registered tertiary institution and Registration with the Medical Board of Australia (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) with a current annual practicing certificate is essential.


• Fellowship or membership of the appropriate College or Association within Australia as recognised by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) including maintenance of CPD and good standing as required by AHPRA for the maintenance of Specialist Registration.


• Higher research degree (MD, PhD) desirable


• All applicants must be awarded Scope of Clinical Practice by the Monash Health Credentialing committee.  Information presented for application will be presented to the committee during the selection process, and all appointments are subject to maintenance of SoP within the clinical services capability framework in the facilities in which clinical work is to be undertaken.  This process must be completed prior to offer of employment.


• Appointment to this position requires proof of qualification and if applicable registration or membership with the appropriate registration authority or association. Certified copies of the required information must be provided to the appropriate supervisor/manager, prior to the commencement of clinical duties.

Other Requirements:

• Current Drivers Licence


• All candidates will require Australian working rights.

What’s on offer?

• A generous competitive remuneration package is on offer, comprising base salary, employer contribution to superannuation (10%), continuous medical education support allowance ($28,442 p.a.), leave loading (17%), conference leave (2 weeks p.a.), private practice arrangements, clinical support time, professional indemnity cover.  


• Other employment benefits offered by our health service (if applicable) shift allowances, flexible working arrangements, travel allowances, access to corporate discounts, discounted staff car parking, staff wellness programs, professional development program, employee assistance program and attractive salary sacrificing options. 

Interested?

Confidential enquiries are welcome, contact Chief Medical Officer, Assoc Prof Anjali Dhulia on 0401 903 842.

Additional Information

Applications will only be accepted via the Monash Health online Mercury System only. Email applications will not be considered. 

Offers of employment can only be made once all required probity checks have been completed.  These include:

• reference checks. 


• a clear Police Check conducted within the last three months. 


• a current Victorian Employee Working with Children’s Check (or proof of payment for same); and 


• proof of immunisation. 

A request to conduct probity checks does not guarantee that an offer of employment will be made.

As part of our selection process, you may be invited by email to participate in an on-camera video interview.

To comply with Victorian Public Health directions, all employees working in the Public Health system must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are required to provide acceptable evidence of their vaccination status. To support your application, and to be compliant with any public health orders in place at the time of, and during, your employment, you will be required to upload evidence of full vaccination against COVID-19. Acceptable evidence is a copy of a Government Official Immunisation History Statement or Digital Certificate showing all vaccination dates. It is a requirement of Monash Health to collect, record and hold vaccination information. Offers of employment will only be made to candidates who can provide acceptable evidence that they meet full vaccination status.