Director Service and Financial Optimisation chez Svha

Job Description:

• Lead a high-profile executive portfolio that directly shapes the future sustainability of a leading health service

• Operate in a values-driven organisation committed to excellence, compassion, justice and integrity

• Join a supportive and collaborative leadership team that values innovation, agility and continuous improvement

• Two-year fixed term opportunity

About the Role

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, with dotted lines to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, this role provides strategic leadership in driving initiatives that strengthen the sustainability and resilience of St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.

You will be responsible for embedding accountability, ensuring financial targets are realised, and delivering measurable service improvements across the organisation. With executive visibility and influence, this role offers the opportunity to lead transformation at scale.

Key impact areas include:

• Strategic Project Leadership – Oversee complex optimisation initiatives from concept to delivery

• Service and Financial Optimisation – Identify efficiencies and embed sustainable solutions

• Executive Advisory – Provide high-quality, evidence-based insights to inform strategic decision-making

• Stakeholder Engagement – Build trust and alignment across executives, clinicians, and business leaders

• Organisational Capability Uplift – Strengthen performance, accountability, and continuous improvement

Your Contribution

We are seeking an accomplished senior leader who thrives in a challenging and rewarding environment and is motivated by driving meaningful organisational outcomes. You will bring:

• Proven adaptive leadership with the ability to navigate complexity and uncertainty

• Strategic and systemic thinking, anticipating future challenges and opportunities

• A record of achievement in senior leadership, delivering performance and transformation outcomes

• Strong capacity to influence, negotiate and align stakeholders at all levels

• Demonstrated experience leading workplace change and capability uplift

• Specialised knowledge or extensive experience in health service management across multiple disciplines

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, translating complexity into actionable strategies

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in health, finance, or management (postgraduate desirable)
  • Professional membership - Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or Certified Financial Analyst (CFA)
   

What We Offer

• A focus on wellbeing, including regular programs and employee assistance services

• Access to Fitness Passport – with a wide choice of fitness facilities

• Salary Packaging to maximise your take-home pay

• Discounts and promotions through our Foundation

• Professional development opportunities to support your career growth

• A culture of continuous improvement and innovation

• A vibrant Fitzroy location – CBD at your doorstep, close to public transport and some of Melbourne’s best cafes

Working at St Vincent’s

St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (SVHM) is a leading teaching, research and tertiary health service. We deliver a diverse range of adult clinical services and are driven by our values of Compassion, Justice, Integrity and Excellence.

We are committed to fostering a workplace that reflects the community we serve, where diversity and inclusion are celebrated.

How To Apply
Please submit your application via the Apply button, include your resume and a brief cover letter outlining your experience and suitability. We will be assessing applications as they are received and may close the advert earlier than the listed closing date.

Important: As a healthcare provider, SVHA has a duty of care under Work Health and Safety legislation to eliminate or control risks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Successful applicants may be required to provide evidence of immunisation (including influenza and COVID-19 vaccination).

Please see below for Position Description

KEY POSITION DETAILS
Job Title: Director Service and Financial Optimisation
Reports to: Chief Financial Officer
Program: CFO
Department: Finance
Industrial Agreement: HSUA

Classification: Grade8
Risk Category: B

LOCAL WORK ENVIRONMENT
Primarily located at the Fitzroy campus, the Finance Department consists of Financial Accounting, Accounts Payable, Revenue Services, Finance Systems and Business Partnering (Finance Business Partners and Analysts).
The Director of Service and Financial Optimisation reports directly to the CFO and leads the Finance Business Partner team, working closely with both finance colleagues and clinical directorates. This position plays a critical role in driving service efficiency, financial performance, and value-based decision-making across the organisation.
The Finance team is a friendly, driven, and hard-working group that builds strong relationships with senior executives and contributes significantly to organisational strategy.

POSITION PURPOSE
Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer with dotted lines to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, the Director Service and Financial Optimisation is a strategic leadership role responsible for overseeing and driving the operationalisation of initiatives and projects that improve the sustainability and resilience of the organisation and its service offerings.
The Director will work across the organisation to enhance accountability, coordination, and support for Executive and business owners to identify, develop and implement opportunities for operational efficiency and ensure agreed plans to achieve financial targets are realised.
In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, the Director Service and Financial Optimisation will lead and provide reporting to the Executive on this broad program of work.

POSITION DUTIES
Strategic Project Leadership
• Lead and manage the delivery of strategic optimisation projects from end-to-end, including project scoping, stakeholder engagement, risk assessment, and reporting.
• Work independently to initiate projects, engage appropriate resources (internal and external), and ensure alignment with strategic goals.
• Establish clear project structures, governance arrangements, and performance tracking tools to ensure effective delivery.
• Embed change through effective change management, ensuring sustainability of outcomes and clear benefit realisation.

Service and Financial Optimisation
• Identify opportunities to enhance service efficiency, reduce waste, and improve financial outcomes across clinical and non-clinical areas.
• Collaborate with clinical and operational leaders to design and implement financial sustainability strategies that align with organisational priorities.
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of optimisation activities, including reporting on financial and operational outcomes to executive leadership.

Strategic Analysis and Executive Advice
• Provide high-quality, data-informed strategic advice to the CFO and wider executive team on service performance, cost-efficiency, and financial sustainability opportunities.
• Develop and present detailed business cases, options papers, and recommendations to inform decision-making by executive leadership.
• Translate complex financial and operational data into actionable insights and communicate them clearly to stakeholders across varying levels of financial literacy.
Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration
• Build strong working relationships with clinical leaders, operational managers, finance teams, and other corporate functions to identify and deliver shared optimisation goals.
• Influence without direct authority by building credibility, trust, and alignment with stakeholders across the organisation.
• Facilitate joint problem-solving, resolve competing priorities, and ensure shared accountability for agreed improvement initiatives.
• Navigate complex operating environments to build consensus, resolve conflicts, and align competing priorities.

Organisational Alignment and Capability Uplift
• Promote a culture of financial responsibility and service efficiency by supporting leaders to identify and implement local improvements.
• Support capability-building across the organisation in relation to cost awareness, service design, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure alignment of optimisation activities with broader organisational strategies, government performance targets, and patient care objectives.

INCUMBENT OBLIGATIONS
General
• Perform the duties of the position to the best of their ability and to a standard acceptable to SVHM
• Comply with and ensure all those in the area they manage, comply with all SVHM requirements policies, procedures, by laws and directions
• Ensure all those in the area they manage, only access confidential information held by SVHM when this is necessary for business purposes, maintaining the confidentiality of that information once accessed
• Display adaptability and flexibility to meet the changing operational needs of the business
• Maintain skills and knowledge necessary to safely and skilfully undertake duties
• Take personal responsibility for the quality and safety of work performed
• Recognise the relationship between clinical and non-clinical functions in the achievement of optimal safety and quality care
• Take all necessary care and precautions in the performance of duties
• Participate in risk management and continuous quality improvement activities as part of day-to-day work

Health and Safety
• Ensure all health and safety related policies, procedures and directions are complied with in the area they manage
• Report incidents and accidents and collaborate with management to resolve safety issues
• Ensure all in the area they manage undertake annual Fire and Emergency Training and comply with fire and emergency procedures
• Ensure all those in the area they manage, treat others with respect, behaving professionally and in accordance with the SVHM Code of Conduct and undertaking annual Workplace Culture and Equity Training
• Conduct regular safety audits with Health and Safety Representatives and implement required improvements
• Minimise WorkCover costs by actively assisting the return to work of any employee injured in the area they manage.
• As required, comply with fit-testing and PPE requirements
• Participate in reporting and analysis of safety and quality data including risks or hazards,
• Report any hazards, near misses and incidents (regardless of whether an injury occurred or not) into Riskman
• Identify and report any variance to expected standard and minimising the risk of adverse outcomes
Human Resource Management
• Ensure that workforce planning is regularly undertaken and implemented to provide for the ongoing resource needs of the area they manage.
• Ensure recruitment and working practices comply with applicable Enterprise Bargaining Agreement and cost effectively support delivery of quality service.
• Ensure new employees are properly inducted to their local work environment and attend the General Hospital Orientation program.
• Ensure all those who work in the area managed, undertake an annual performance review and are developed to reach their full potential.
• Maintaining skills and knowledge necessary to safely and skilfully undertake duties.
• Ensure leave is rostered fairly and that employees in the area managed, regularly take leave and do not accumulate excessive leave except where a plan is in place as to when that leave will be taken
• Actively manage individual and team performance to maximise performance and minimise workplace problems and conflict
• Continuously seek individual and team improvement and take responsibility for the introduction of any changes required to bring about such improvements
Financial management
• Participate in the development of the annual budget allocation for the area managed
• Monitor EFT and expenditure to ensure spending remains within budget allocation
• Ensure decision making remains within delegated authority

INCUMBENT CAPABILIITY REQUIREMENTS (Level 5)

The incumbent of this position will be expected to possess the following core capabilities:

• Capability

• Demonstrated behaviour

• Personal

• Personal effectiveness

• Instigates and inspires the pursuit of excellence

• Learning Agility

• Thinks expansively and makes connections between disparate ideas

• Outcomes

• Patient/Resident centred

• Transforms and improves health care by aligning programs and services to needs

• Innovation and Improvement

• Champions innovation and leads transformational change

• Strategy

• Driving Results

• Establishes and drives organisation wide strategy and vision

• Organisational Acumen

• Positions the organisation for long term sustainability

• People

• Working with and Managing others

• Empowers staff to lead and create a high performance culture

• Collaboration

• Forms partnerships and networks for long term benefit
   

SELECTION CRITERIA
ESSENTIAL REGISTRATION, LICENSE OR QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
• Tertiary qualifications in a health, finance, or management discipline.
• Professional membership - Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or Certified Financial Analyst (CFA)

OTHER ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
• Demonstrated adaptive leadership capability including experience operating with broad scope in environments of complexity and uncertainty.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and systemically, anticipating future challenges and opportunities.
• Proven capacity to influence, align to common goals and effectively negotiate at all levels,
• A record of achievement in leading services to deliver stated performance objectives.
• Experience leading workplace change.
• Specialised knowledge or extensive experience in health service management across a variety of disciplines.
• Knowledge of contemporary health services and service delivery objectives.
• Extensive experience leading and delivering complex strategies, projects and business plans.
• Experience developing and leading communications and engagement strategies that ensure clear and timely communication and meaningful engagement in complex stakeholder environments.
• Proven flexible and collaborative working style.
• Strong research and analytical skills in interpreting service needs, local conditions and achievability of results.
• Engaging and compelling communication style.
• Ability to work autonomously and operate with credibility and authority in different settings.
• Highly organised, with a proactive, problem-solving approach.
• Proficient in Office 365 suite.

OTHER NON-ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
• Post graduate qualifications.

Vaccination requirement
Category A
Vaccination is required for this category of health care worker. Healthcare workers within this category have the potential to transmit Vaccine Preventable Diseases to vulnerable patients most at risk of mortality and morbidity from these diseases within SVHM.
This includes employees with direct physical contact with patients/clients, deceased persons, blood, body substances or infectious material or surfaces/equipment that might contain these or contact that would allow acquisition and/or transmission of a specific infectious disease by respiratory means. This includes laboratory workers.
Required
Category B
Vaccination is recommended for this category of HCW. This includes individuals who do not work with the risk of exposure to blood or body substances, their normal work location is not in a clinical area (e.g. chef, administrative staff) and only attends the clinical area for short periods of time. Essentially, these individuals have no greater level of risk than that of the general community.
Recommended

PRE-EXISTING INJURY
Prior to any person being appointed to this position it will be required that they disclose full details of any pre-existing injuries or disease that might be affected by employment in this position.

NDIS Clearance:
This is a ‘Risk Assessed Role’ (as defined by the National Disability Insurance Scheme NDIS). Regardless of frequency, you will be subject to periodic NDIS Worker Screening Checks every five years at your own cost. ‘Risk Assessed Roles’ are defined as (a) key personnel as defined in the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013; (b) any role that directly delivers a set of specified supports or services in the NDIS (Practice Standards – Worker Screening) Rules 2018; (c) any role where normal duties are likely to require ‘more than incidental contact’ with people with disability. The designation of ‘Risk Assessed Roles’ are subject to change, please refer to NDIS Practice Standards for further information.

Closing Date:

Reconciliation Action Plan:

At St Vincent's we acknowledge the importance of creating a work environment that is welcoming, safe, equitable and inclusive for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Employees. As part of our Commitment to Reconciliation and Closing the Gap in employment related outcomes, we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

For further information, visit https://www.svha.org.au/about-us/reconciliation or get in contact at [email protected]

View Reconciliation Action Plan

Code of Conduct:

View Code of Conduct