Chief Operations Officer
University of New South Wales
Australia

• One of Australia’s leading research & teaching universities
• Vibrant campus life with a strong sense of community & inclusion
• Enjoy a career that makes a difference by collaborating & learning from the best

At UNSW, we pride ourselves on being a workplace where the best people come to do their best work.

The UNSW Institute of Health Engineering (IHealthE) has been created to support translation of disruptive medical technologies into commercial products and clinical pathways for everyday practice. IHealthE is supported through a generous philanthropic donation from the Tyree Foundation as well as from UNSW Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Medicine. Ultimately, IHealthE will increase UNSW’s contribution to social and economic impact through health innovation.

The COO of IHealthE will be responsible for the financial management, administrative operations and strategic development of new opportunities for commercialisation and revenue generation. 

About the role

• Level 10 TRP
• Fixed Term – 3 years
• Part time (35 hours)

The role of COO – reports to the Director, UNSW Institute of Health Engineering and manages the following direct reporting positions:

• Industry and Community Engagement Officer (ICEO) L8
• Admin Officer L6
• SCIMIT Manager (0.5 FTE) L8
• Regulatory Affairs Consultant (part-time)

Specific responsibilities for this role include:

• In collaboration with the Director, managing and leading the successful development and expansion of the UNSW IHealthE and developing a significant profile with the Federal, State and Local Governments, enabling UNSW to be the go-to research institution for translation of health technologies and medical research;
• Providing strategic and executive leadership by overseeing and guiding the development and implementation of strategy across the IHealthE network, ensuring alignment with overarching objectives of the UNSW IHealthE Governance Committees and diverse stakeholders’ requirements;
• Managing the infrastructure for IHealthE, including but not limited to administration staff, regulatory advisors, medical device translation experts, industry and community engagement officers, and various professional staff including electronics, software and fabrication prototyping teams;
• Developing a high profile for the Institute and the University, both internally and externally (both locally and internationally) through public comment and networking;
• Developing and implementing proposals to industry and government and the UNSW Management Board to achieve positive outcomes for the sector, in terms of policy and technology development and implementation;
• Identify and pursue opportunities for innovation and technology transfer between university, industry and government;
• Generating income through commissioned projects, grants consultancy, development of strategies for commercialisation and other sources of funding;
• Supporting research teams at UNSW in the writing and securing of competitive research grants, and industry and philanthropic funding;
• Raising the profile and credibility of UNSW IHealthE activities and staff, such that the Institute is recognised as a leader in the area of ‘integration of clinical professionals’, by providing support in developing and implementing proposals to industry, professional bodies, government and other stakeholders to advance Australia’s medical device industry growth;
• Creating and fostering medical and health technology sector research within UNSW through advising on resource management and co-ordinating the collaboration of expertise in areas of interest, especially to external stakeholders, current and prospective;
• Establish, develop and facilitate a significant and coordinated UNSW presence at major national and international health conferences and events, and attend events which contribute to the local health sector debate and raising UNSW profile;
• Securing representation of UNSW on influential international government and medical industry committees/boards/forums and participation in important strategic initiatives, including personally representing UNSW as appropriate;
• Deputising as the face of IHealthE in the Director’s absence;
• Providing effective and timely management of contractual obligations with collaborating Government agencies, companies, and other funding agencies;
• Managing and reporting on financials across operating units, monitoring budgets and expenditure, and developing financial strategies to meet the core requirements of IHealthE;
• Reporting on and conducting analysis of operations, key deliverables and outcomes to the IHealthE Management, Steering and End-User Advisory Committees and to other key stakeholders;
• Establishing and coordinating governance and control frameworks and processes across the network, ensuring compliance with relevant legislative and regulatory controls, and a safe working environment for all staff and partners;
• With the Director, provide oversight on the science, technology and engineering activities undertaken by IHealthE;
• Initiate and inspire activities in the innovation space, guiding start-ups, spin-outs as opportunities arise;
• Advise on aspects of Intellectual Property as relevant to the IHealthE ;
• Implementing the UNSW health and safety management system within their area of responsibility;
• Lead with and actively demonstrate the UNSW Values in Action: Our Behaviours and the UNSW Code of Conduct.

About the successful applicant
(Selection Criteria)

To be successful in this role you will have:

• Extensive management expertise and supporting experience, or postgraduate qualifications and extensive relevant experience;
• Extensive experience in building and managing relationships with government and industry, and raising the profile of an institution to stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgement and problem solving with the ability to resolve and address issues as they arise;
• Proven expertise in providing significant input to strategic and operational planning, and developing associated strategic papers and policy;
• Outstanding communication skills with the ability to develop and deliver effective communications, as well as the ability to write effective documents and present complex data to a broad audience;
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish and build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders;
• Demonstrated capacity to generate business and revenue streams in a research environment;
• A strong record in management, reporting and analysis, including project, contract, and financial management and business administration;
• Proven enthusiastic leadership by example in a values-led organisation, with the ability to motivate and train team members to establish priorities and manage competing deadlines for self and others ;
• Ability and capacity to direct and monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the safety management system;
• An understanding of and commitment to UNSW’s aims, objectives and values in action, together with relevant policies and guidelines.

You should systematically address the selection criteria listed within the position description in your application.

For informal queries, please see the below contact details. 

Otherwise, please apply online - applications will not be accepted if sent directly to the contact listed.

Contact:
Nikki Hayes
E: nikki.hayes@unsw.edu.au

Applications close: February 26^th, 2021 

Find out more about working at UNSW at www.unsw.edu.au

UNSW aspires to be the exemplar Australian university and employer of choice for people from diverse backgrounds. UNSW aims to ensure equality in recruitment, development, retention and promotion of staff and that no-one is disadvantaged on the basis of their gender, cultural background, disability, sexual orientation or identity or Indigenous heritage. We encourage everyone who meets the selection criteria to apply.

UNSW partners with Australia’s leading diversity organisations, networks, and campaigns. Please refer to UNSW’s diversity offerings for further information on our flexible work and leave options, and support for carers (childcare, parent rooms, parental leave).