Southern Cross University

Southern Cross University | Gold Coast, Lismore and Coffs Harbour Southern Cross University (SCU) is seeking an outstanding academic leader to shape the next phase of growth and impact as Executive Dean, Faculty of Health. This is a rare opportunity for a leader who can inspire excellence, foster a values-driven culture, and lead a high-performing and collaborative academic community. As Executive Dean, you will lead a Faculty with strong momentum and significant potential. The role will focus on accelerating the Faculty’s next phase of expansion, deepening partnerships with industry health services and communities, and positioning the Faculty as a national leader in health education and research. Importantly, the role extends beyond traditional academic leadership. The Faculty of Health represents a significant and complex enterprise within the University, encompassing a large workforce, extensive clinical infrastructure, multiple accredited programs, and strong external partnerships. The Executive Dean will therefore bring both academic credibility and the commercial acumen required to lead and grow a substantial academic business. The Opportunity The Faculty of Health at SCU is ambitious, outward‑looking and committed to advancing health education, research and community engagement. Accredited programs span nursing, midwifery, allied health, naturopathy, social work and health sciences, supported by extensive clinical placements, health clinics, laboratories and two established research centres. As Executive Dean, you will work closely with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic (DVCA), Vice-Chancellor and the Executive Leadership Team to set and advance the Faculty’s academic vision. You will lead with purpose, championing a culture of collaboration, inclusivity and high performance, while ensuring teaching excellence, impactful research, and community engagement remain at the core of everything we do. Key Challenges and Priorities This role requires a highly effective leader who can navigate complexity and ambiguity, inspire teams and lead culture, while also bringing a strong sense of commercial discipline and strategic focus. Key priorities for the role include: Accelerating Faculty growth and expansion: Identify and progress strategic opportunities to expand the Faculty’s programs, research activity, clinical services and partnerships in ways that are aligned to workforce demand, community need and the University’s broader strategy. Sustaining research momentum: Building on recent growth in research income and performance by sharpening the Faculty’s research agenda, strengthening research capability across disciplines and supporting emerging and mid‑career academics, and enabling interdisciplinary and translational research. Leading a diverse academic portfolio: Provide strong academic leadership across a broad disciplinary base, recognising the distinct cultures, accreditation requirements and workforce dynamics within nursing, midwifery, allied health and health sciences. Deepening strategic partnerships - Strengthen engagement with health services, government and industry partners to secure high-quality clinical placements, expand clinic based education and services, enable research translation and support sustainable program growth. Leading a complex academic enterprise: Provide strong oversight of the Faculty’s health clinics, laboratories, science‑based facilities and workforce. Ensure robust governance, financial stewardship, safety and risk management and regulatory compliance across complex clinical and professional environments. Positioning the Faculty for sustainable growth: Identify and progress strategic national and international opportunities, while aligning growth with capability, workforce needs and the Universities strategic priorities. Leading culture and values: Model and embed SCU’s values, fostering an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing culture where staff and students feel supported, empowered and motivated to succeed. About You You will be an internationally recognised academic leader, at Professor level, with experience leading a large School, Faculty, or equivalent academic unit in a complex higher education or health-related environment. Equally important, you will bring the mindset and capability to lead a large and complex enterprise. You will be comfortable managing significant budgets, infrastructure, partnerships and workforce considerations, and will bring the commercial insight required to grow programs, build sustainable partnerships and deliver long term impact. You will bring: A strong record of research leadership, including building research capability, securing competitive funding and delivering impactful outcomes. Demonstrated experience leading and managing a substantial academic enterprise, including financial oversight, workforce leadership and operational complexity. The commercial and strategic acumen to identify and pursue opportunities for growth, including new programs, partnerships, markets and clinical services. A deep commitment to excellence in teaching and learning, supporting scholarship in education and creating academic career pathways that recognise both education and research. Demonstrated success in external engagement, including developing strategic partnerships with health services, government and industry in regional, national and international contexts and acting as an effective ambassador for your Faculty and institution. An authentic, transparent and inclusive leadership style, with the ability to inspire trust, foster collaboration, and enable high performance across a diverse academic community. A commitment to leading culture and embedding values across the Faculty, ensuring staff feel supported, engaged and empowered. The agility to move between strategic, external‑facing work and operational detail, and the willingness to actively engage in the day to day realities of a large and complex Faculty. Why Southern Cross University? SCU offers a distinctive leadership environment: regionally embedded, globally connected, and driven by a clear social purpose. The University is bold in ambition, values collaboration, and supports leaders who are prepared to lead with authenticity and impact. The Faculty of Health is a cornerstone of SCU’s future, holding significant physical infrastructure, expanding clinical services, and playing a critical role in community engagement across the three main campuses (Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour, and Lismore). How to Apply Southern Cross University welcomes applications from Australian and international candidates. Confidential discussions are encouraged. Please contact Dr Courtenay Atwell at scuexecdean@kornferry.com to request a copy of the candidate brochure. Applications are due by Wednesday 8th April and should include a brief cover letter and copy of your CV.

Shape the future of education by leading and empowering tomorrow’s Mathematics educators Join a collaborative community where your unique strengths are valued Contribute to research improving maths education Be Bold. Belong. Be More. At Southern Cross University, we do things differently, and so can you. A career with us is more than you might expect. Yes, it’s about the heart, connectedness and community you’d hope for in a regional university. But there’s also so much more. Our game changing Southern Cross Model brings a deeper, focused learning experience and our research is deeply connected to our regions, making a difference on a global scale. This is your chance to help us build something new and meaningful for our students, our communities and your career. To drive change, make a real impact, and thrive in a place as unique as you. You can be good anywhere. Here, you can be great. Your opportunity Southern Cross University’s Faculty of Education is a vibrant and collaborative community committed to transforming education through innovative research, student-centred teaching and meaningful engagement. The Faculty prepares future teachers across early childhood, primary and secondary education and is recognised for its strengths in sustainability, creativity and transdisciplinary learning. As a Lecturer in Education (Mathematics), you will specialise in mathematics education within Initial Teacher Education programs, with a strong focus on preparing future primary teachers to confidently teach mathematics in schools. You will join a supportive academic team dedicated to developing and delivering high-quality curriculum that integrates theory, practice and professional experience, ensuring graduates are classroom-ready. This role provides the opportunity to contribute to a strong and growing research culture in mathematics education while advancing your own academic profile. You will make an impact by: Delivering high-quality, student-centred teaching by designing and delivering engaging curriculum that incorporates innovative learning technologies, flexible delivery modes and best-practice educational approaches in line with University policies. Contributing to the Faculty’s research priorities through publications, collaborations and supervision of Honours and HDR students. Building partnerships with schools, community organisations and professional bodies to strengthen student learning and graduate employability. What you will bring You are an educator and researcher committed to improving mathematics teaching and learning in primary education. You are passionate about preparing future teachers and understand the practical realities of classroom teaching, professional experience and school partnerships. You value collaboration, student-centred learning and research-informed practice. To succeed in this role, you will also need: A PhD or Professional Doctorate in Mathematics Education or a closely related education discipline, and an initial teacher education qualification. Demonstrated excellence in tertiary teaching, including contemporary, research-informed approaches in Mathematics Education. A developing or established research profile, including peer-reviewed publications and experience supervising research students. Evidence of engagement in professional, community or discipline-based networks supporting Mathematics Education. While not essential, applicants with a cross-disciplinary teaching background or experience working across related learning areas or expertise in professional experience and school-based placements will be considered favourably. If this isn’t part of your career history but you feel you would excel in the role, we still encourage you to apply. Why Southern Cross University SCU is proudly a regional university, young, small and vibrant. That means you’ll find more exposure, opportunity and ownership - to grow, achieve and build a career that means more. And you’ll do it alongside passionate people and leaders who go the extra mile to help you succeed. A career with us is about more than just work. It’s about place, community and the life you want to live. With three main campuses at the Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour and the Northern Rivers region of NSW, we’re integral to all these wonderful communities. Find your place and be more in this beautiful part of the world. Your opportunity is: Full-time, continuing (permanent) Located at either Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Gold Coast, QLD 4225, or Lismore, NSW 2480. Relocation assistance is available, making it easier to join our regional communities. ACAD Level B. The base salary ranges from $114,482- $135,392 per annum, plus 17% employer’s contribution to superannuation. The total remuneration package is up to $158,408. You will enjoy a range of perks designed to support your wellbeing, growth and work-life balance. For more information on our benefits and what it’s like to work at SCU, visit Why work at Southern Cross University? Be more with Southern Cross University today Southern Cross University values potential as much as experience. If you do not meet all the listed requirements but are excited about the role and confident you can contribute, we encourage you to apply or reach out for more information. Name: Dr David Turner, Chair of Primary Education, Faculty of Education Phone: 0427472113 Email: david.turner@scu.edu.au Applications close 11.30pm AEDT, 6 April 2026. Eligible applicants must have Australian or New Zealand citizenship, Australian permanent residency or current working rights in Australia for the entire duration of the appointment. Employer visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Applicants must apply online and attach a CV and cover letter responding to the selection criteria within the position description. Information to support you prepare your application is available on our website. Southern Cross University celebrates the rich diversity of our regions and international community. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and values people of all backgrounds. We encourage applications from people of all genders, ethnicities, ages, languages, sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. We are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process to ensure every candidate can fully participate. For any support through the recruitment process, reach out to jobs@scu.edu.au. Position description How to apply: Start your application by clicking the "begin" button. Login to an existing account or reset your password Preview Application Form By choosing to continue, you agree to the Privacy Notice. Show Privacy Notice