Chief Executive Officer

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 

We are seeking to appoint a highly-motivated, focused and multi-skilled individual to lead the vision and strategic management of The Keira Institute of Health & Medical Research (The Keira Institute) in the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), on a permanent part-time basis (three days per week).

Reporting to The Keira Institute Board, the CEO is responsible for developing, implementing and achieving The Keira Institute's strategic and operational plans; ensuring such plans provide community impact and financial sustainability well into the future. The CEO provides clinical and research leadership and is accountable for the performance of The Keira Institute.

The CEO will be responsible for building the operations team and the culture to underpin growth, ensuring the overall leadership, vision and strategic management of The Keira Institute in partnership with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD). 

As the primary vehicle for research, The Keira Institute aims to enable the provision of superior health and medical research outcomes in priority areas for the Illawarra and Shoalhaven community. Critical to this leadership role will be the effective management of stakeholders.

The CEO is responsible for engaging with The Keira Institute Board to drive the development and financial sustainability of The Keira Institute, whilst delivering measurable outcomes for ISLHD clinical services and the community that it serves. 

The CEO is required to develop, implement, promote and evaluate the strategic direction, whilst developing partnerships with the community, philanthropy, academia and state and national bodies. The CEO will oversee and direct research efforts to achieve strategic research outcomes, including the development of significant projects and external funding sources.

The CEO is responsible for the direction, development and conduct of The Keira Institute’s research programs. This includes the leadership, mentoring and support of The Keira Institute’s affiliated researchers and staff. 

About us

The Keira Institute is seeking key staff to establish a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee by its key stakeholder, the ISLHD. While supported by ISLHD, The Keira Institute will operate independently under the direction of its Board.  Based in close proximity to The Wollongong Hospital, The Keira Institute’s headquarters provide coworking and collaboration spaces that foster partnerships between The Keira Institute staff, ISLHD clinicians and researchers and industry and community partners.

The Keira Institute provides research leadership in priority areas identified for the Illawarra and Shoalhaven communities, including: 

• Cancer;
• Cardiovascular and chronic diseases; and
• Mental health, dementia and ageing
• Regional, rural and remote research
• Research that aligns with other community, state and national priorities.

These priority areas seek to encourage interdisciplinary approaches and to foster collaborative research involving ISLHD clinicians, academia, industry and the community. Through such collaboration, The Keira Institute strives to promote translation of research findings to improve health outcomes in the community that it serves.

The Keira Institute aims to advance the individual and collective research performance of its affiliated researchers by providing:

• Research leadership, mentoring and support structures;
• Research infrastructure, facilities and equipment;
• Medical and coordination services to develop and support clinical research;
• Financial and general administration services; and
• Communications, promotions and fundraising services.

Research outcomes are monitored against a range of measures including international and national standing, clinical and local relevance, benefits to the services provided to the community by the ISLHD, research and philanthropic income, grant competitiveness, publications, number of clinicians participating in research etc., to ensure it achieves its own goals as well as the goals of its key stakeholders. A major objective is to help the ISLHD embed research activity within its services to support clinical innovation and better clinical practice.

About the role

The CEO will be responsible for: 

• Providing strong clinical research leadership for The Keira Institute to ensure that strategic goals and objectives are achieved within agreed fiscal parameters;
• Fostering and continually developing a collaborative environment that brings together researchers and clinicians in a recently established Institute;
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with new and existing key stakeholders to achieve The Keira Institute’s strategic goals;
• Building and maintaining a vibrant and exciting climate for clinician researchers, research students and operations staff; and
• Advancing The Keira Institute as a financially sustainable and independent Institute with growing revenue sources.

About you

Working closely with The Keira Institute Board, the CEO will be responsible for the direction, development and conduct of The Keira Institute’s research programs. This includes the leadership, mentoring and support of The Keira Institute’s affiliated researchers and staff.  

The successful candidate will possess and demonstrate the following skills and attributes: 

• Demonstrated outstanding strategic leadership skills;
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and mentoring abilities;
• An entrepreneurial and innovative outlook on research development;
• Engaging and inclusive style for leading and mentoring diverse teams and individuals;
• Energetic and a visionary with a desire to build and drive successful outcomes;
• A genuine commitment and passion for improving health services for people in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions;
• Demonstrated capacity for creative, strategic thinking around new ideas and opportunities;
• Entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to use initiative appropriately;
• Self-starter who is results driven;
• Decisiveness and soundness of judgement;
• Ability to tackle issues head on and lead courageously; and
• Accountability and ability to take responsibility.

Role requirements

The successful applicant will have and demonstrate the following qualifications and experience: 

• Relevant post-doctoral qualifications or clinical credentials in a relevant discipline;
• An outstanding health and medical research track record of international standing;
• Demonstrated strong track record of industry, government and funding body engagement that translates to funding success, especially competitive grant success;
• Demonstrated experience managing, leading and mentoring staff within multidisciplinary research and/or clinical practice settings;
• Demonstrated experience in overseeing resource allocation and a substantial budget in a research environment;
• Significant track record of achievement in organisational management, leadership and strategic development;
• Proven track record in management of complex stakeholder relationships.
• Demonstrated experience in making formal and informal presentations to professional bodies, philanthropists, patients and other stakeholders, including senior medical professionals and business professionals.
• Experience and understanding of processes for ensuring and monitoring accounts, financial records, management accounts and cashflow functions;
• Whole system change capability; and
• Demonstrated understanding of good governance practice and ability to work effectively with a Board.

Candidates must address the key points as specified above “About you” and “Role Requirements” in the application of employment. 

For further information about this role, please contact Zoe Yiannoulli at ***************@gmail.com.

• Seniority level
  Executive
• Employment type
  Part-time Permanent 
• Job function
  Management
• Industries
  Higher Education