Senior Program Officer

• Full time fixed term 1 year contract with possible extension
• A chance to work with the MRFF funded AUS HEARTS project- adapting and implementing an evidence-based approach to blood pressure management in regional and remote NSW
• Base Salary starting from $108,557**+ 17% superannuation

About the opportunity

The university is seeking to employ a Senior Project manager ( HEO 7)to join Dr Niamh Chapman, Senior Research Fellow and team in the MRFF funded multidisciplinary research project - AUS HEARTS. The AUS HEARTS project will adapt and implement the World Health Organization’s HEARTS approach, which has been successfully used in over 30 countries, to the unique context of regional and rural Australia. The project will focus on Western NSW, where hypertension rates are 10% higher than the national average.

The primary goal of the AUS HEARTS project is to improve the detection and management of hypertension to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in rural communities. By providing a simple and standardized approach for busy primary care clinics, the project aims to ensure that more people receive effective treatment for high blood pressure.

The AUS HEARTS project is committed to improving cardiovascular health in regional and rural areas through community collaboration, team-based care, and strategic partnerships. It involves working closely with local communities and health services to adapt the HEARTS program to their specific needs, using multidisciplinary healthcare teams to identify and manage high blood pressure. The project includes a broad network of investigators and partner organisations like the Royal Flying Doctors Service, local pharmacies and general practices, and several national peak bodies to implement HEARTS and evaluate how effective this approach is for managing hypertension in regional Australia. As the Senior project manager, the incumbent will be responsible for leading and managing the complexities of the project from initiation to completion, ensuring they are delivered on time, within scope, and on budget.

The incumbent will be located within the Susan Wakil Building located on the Camperdown campus and travel to regional and remote communities within Australia will be involved.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• Oversee the planning and delivery of all project phases, from concept through to implementation and evaluation
• establish and maintain project governance and reporting frameworks, monitoring performance against milestones, managing risks, ensuring compliance, and adapting the project plans as required
• drive stakeholder engagement and collaboration across a complex national network of clinical teams, partnerships, health providers, community organisations, and government bodies
• contribute to funding strategies, including supporting budget planning and monitoring, reporting to stakeholders, and supporting grant applications and business development opportunities
• stakeholder management and communication: acting as the main point of contact for stakeholders, providing regular updates, and managing expectations.
• risk management: identifying potential risks and developing mitigation strategies.
• provide high-level leadership and coordination across multidisciplinary project teams, including recruitment and management of staff and contractors, performance development, and cross-team planning with communications, digital, and research units.

About you

• Minimum 5 years of project management experience, with at least 2 years in a senior role
• Proven track record of delivering complex projects successfully
• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Exposure to a research intense environment
• PHD in relevant field – health, Sciences medical
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement abilities
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Asana, Jira).
• PMP, PRINCE2, or similar certification is highly desirable
• Proven ability to manage large-scale, multi-stream projects in clinical or research settings, with advanced skills in project planning, governance, risk management, and delivering high-quality outcomes within complex health or university environments
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to build productive partnerships across clinical teams, digital developers, government bodies, and community organisations, and to exercise sound judgement, discretion, and leadership
• Proven experience in working with regional and/or diverse communities including culturally and linguistically diverse and Indigenous communities.

Sponsorship / work rights forAustralia**

Work Rights: you must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this employment to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.

Pre-employment checks

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all r