Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health 

About the opportunity 

The University of Sydney is Australia’s premier University with an outstanding global reputation for academic and research excellence, and employs over 7,500 permanent staff supporting over 70,000 students.

The Faculty of Medicine and Health (FMH) is the largest faculty in the University and contains seven academic schools, including Sydney Medical School, and ten clinical schools across metropolitan and rural campuses. The faculty operates out of the University’s main campus at Camperdown as well as three hospital precincts - Western, Northern and Central – and campuses at Broken Hill, Dubbo & Orange and in the Northern Rivers. Each precinct is a centre of multi-professional and multi-disciplinary education and research. The clinical schools, including Westmead Clinical School, each have strong collaborative relationships with the health services within communities in which they are located.

We are seeking to appoint a distinguished academic as Head of Clinical School, Westmead Clinical School. Based within Westmead Hospital, the Westmead Clinical School (WCS) forms part of the FMH Western Precinct. The precinct hosts academics, staff and students from some of the faculty’s other academic and clinical schools, including the Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School and Sydney Dental School, together with the multifacility Westmead Research Hub, three medical research institutes (Westmead Institute for Medical Research, the Children’s Medical Research Institute and the Kids Research Institute) and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. WCS is affiliated with local primary care and community health services which support teaching in our community rotations. The precinct is home to many world-renowned research groups including in liver disease, infectious diseases, cardiac disease, kidney disease and diabetes research.

The Head of the Clinical School is a senior management position within Sydney Medical School and will be an inspiring academic leader with experience in with people, governance and in financial management. The successful applicant must also have a wide network of established relationships with key academic, industry and professional institutions, partners and stakeholders, that can be leveraged to enhance the standing of the school, faculty and University. The Head of Clinical School will play a pivotal role in developing the University’s contribution to the Westmead Precinct and, through the FMH Western Precinct, will need to work closely with the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) and Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (SCHN) who are key partners in the development and innovation of the Westmead Precinct.

The Head’s primary role is to implement faculty strategy including overseeing academic staff performance and career development, leadership of medical education and research training, facilitation of research collaborations by clinical school staff, community engagement and promotion of a positive safety culture. The successful candidate will be supported by the newly configured professional staff structure that allows a broader strategic role to be developed in partnership with WSLHD and SCHN. In addition, close working relationships with the WSLHD Director of Education based in the Research and Education Network and the Western NSW Primary Health Network are essential to co-design and integrate under-graduate and post-graduate medical education innovations, including education quality functions, academic career pathways, and innovative learning opportunities. The Head may be offered a clinical appointment in a specialist area of current strengths at Westmead Hospital (see Specialist Services) or in emerging areas of strength such as gene and cell therapy.

Term and remuneration

The initial appointment will be for 5 years with the opportunity for renewal subject to assessment of performance.

The successful candidate will be offered an attractive remuneration package.

How to apply

All applications must be submitted via the University of Sydney careers website. For more information on the position and how to apply, visit sydney.edu.au/recruitment and search by the reference number 1776/0120F.

Closing date: 11.30pm (AEDT) Sunday 1 March 2020

The University of Sydney is committed to diversity and social inclusion. Applications from people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; equity target groups including women, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTIQ; and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, are encouraged.

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

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