Service Medical Director - Monash Newborn

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About the Service

Monash Newborn provides neonatal services to support over 9,000 births a year and is responsible for the provision of neonatal services for Monash Health within the Monash Children’s Hospital Clayton, Dandenong and Casey campuses, functioning together as a single integrated service with a hierarchy of complexity. About 4,500 babies are born each year at Clayton to a selected high-risk maternity population, while lower risk mothers are managed at Dandenong and Casey Hospitals, which have about 2,500 births at each site each year respectively.

The neonatal nursery in Monash Children’s Hospital has a combined neonatal intensive care and special care capacity of 64 cots. Supported by a comprehensive range of paediatric specialty services at Monash Children’s, the neonatal service is able to provide the full range of medical and surgical care of the newborn with the exception only of ECMO and cardiac surgery. The volume and breadth of the service offers outstanding opportunities for clinical training and research.

Monash Newborn’s Clayton site is currently staffed by 12 consultant neonatal paediatricians, 12 fellows and 15 registrars and is accredited by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians to provide the maximum period of 2 years advanced training in Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine. In addition to their clinical duties all Monash Newborn’s senior medical staff have individual portfolios of administrative responsibility as determined by the Director. The nursery has dedicated equipment for ultrasound and echocardiography.

Monash Newborn’s neonatal nurseries on the Dandenong and Casey campuses currently have a total of 6 beds and 20 beds respectively. The nursery at Casey has the capacity for future increase in capability from a level 4 neonatal service to a level 5. Dandenong Special Care nursery is a level 3 neonatal service. Staffed by general paediatricians, the Dandenong and Casey nurseries both have 24 hour registrar cover. Providing step-down care to many NICU graduates, both nurseries play a crucial role in the delivery of tertiary perinatal services by Monash Health.

About the Role

The Service Medical Director is the most senior medical leader for the Newborn Service, responsible for strategic leadership, clinical governance, innovation, and workforce excellence. You will drive improvements in quality, safety, research, and patient outcomes while continuing to provide clinical care in your specialty.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership and participate in clinical service delivery and on-call rosters.
• Lead service innovation and model of care improvement across multiple sites.
• Oversee clinical governance, accreditation, and workforce capability.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to shape strategy, research, and education initiatives.

The Service Director – Monash Newborn role is 0.5 EFT (with the potential to be negotiated up to 1.0 EFT)

About You

You are an experienced medical leader with a commitment to excellence in newborn care, service development, and patient outcomes. You bring strong clinical credentials, leadership capability, and a passion for innovation and high-performing teams.

What you need:

• Registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
• Appropriate health professional tertiary qualifications
• Fellowship of the relevant medical specialty college and registration as a specialist medical practitioner (or equivalent).
• Desirable: Higher research degree (MS, PhD)
• Proven leadership and management experience in a large multi-disciplinary environment.
• Desirable: Postgraduate qualifications in Health Services Management, Management or Business.
• Working with Children's Certificate
• Membership with RACS and ASOHNS

What we offer:

• Salary packaging
• Onsite discounted staff parking
• Discounted banking (BankVic)
• Onsite Gym
• Access to professional development courses and seminars

We recognise the value of equal employment opportunity. We are committed to patient safety, promoting fairness, equity and diversity in the workplace and to Child Safe Standards. At Monash Health we are relentless in our pursuit of excellence and work to our six guiding principles and our five ICare values.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted via the Monash Health online EHub system. For information including how to apply and probity check requirements, please click here for the ‘Application Guide’ 

Applications will be screened upon receipt and selection activity may commence prior to the closing date. 

For a confidential conversation, contact Prof Ryan Hodges, Program Medical Director via Ryan.Hodges@monashhealth.org or contact (03) 8572 3920