Transformation Leader

The Chief Operating Officer will join UniSC's Executive Committee at a pivotal time in the university's growth and transformation. This role places you at the heart of the strategy and operations, ensuring that systems, services, and people supporting UniSC's core mission are aligned with the Strategic Plan and future ambitions.

You will lead a diverse portfolio that includes University Planning, campus development, digital and technology services, People and Culture, and insights and analytics. Together, these areas underpin UniSC's ability to deliver on its vision for creating a better tomorrow.

In this role, you will guide the transformation of corporate and enabling services, creating future-ready systems and infrastructure that are efficient, sustainable, and responsive to change. You will champion a culture of service excellence, where students, staff, and partners experience professional services that are collaborative, innovative, and outcomes-focused.

As a visible and trusted member of the Executive Committee, you will shape UniSC's long-term direction, ensuring that operational planning, resource allocation, and workforce capability drive success across teaching, research, and community engagement. This is a role where strategic foresight meets practical impact, an opportunity to influence the future of higher education in Queensland and beyond.

• Develop and implement a strategic approach to corporate and enabling services, strengthening UniSC's regional, national, and global positioning.
• Lead the COO portfolio to provide contemporary, efficient, and responsive services that enable academic achievement and student success across all campuses.
• Drive transformation and sustainability through the development of simple, scalable, and future-ready systems, processes, and infrastructure that support UniSC's long-term growth and community impact.

You are a strategic, values-driven leader who thrives on shaping organisations for long-term success through collaboration and inclusion. With deep executive experience in large, complex, or multi-site environments, you bring a track record of leading transformation, building high-performing and resilient teams, and delivering operational excellence that enables both academic and community impact.

You combine strategic foresight with operational pragmatism, ensuring ambitious goals are translated into practical, scalable solutions. You navigate complexity with clarity and empathy, balancing resilience with care for the wellbeing of others. You are curious and creative in solving problems, and you engage openly with diverse perspectives to reach better outcomes. With strong financial and risk management capability, you communicate transparently and inclusively, ensuring stakeholders are informed and engaged.

Most importantly, you are motivated by purpose. You understand the unique role a university plays in transforming lives and communities, and you bring both the passion and humility to help UniSC deliver on its mission, creating opportunity, driving impact, and building a sustainable future for generations to come.

• A postgraduate qualification in a relevant field, with a proven record of executive-level achievement in a large, complex, or multi-campus organisation, demonstrating ability to shape and co-deliver strategic priorities aligned with UniSC's vision, mission, and values.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic foresight with operational pragmatism, including leading organisational transformation, advancing service excellence, and embedding sustainable and inclusive practices.
• Strong understanding of the higher education sector (or comparable regulated environments), covering regulatory frameworks, funding models, and sector trends and challenges.
• Proven experience leading major portfolios such as university planning, People & Culture, campus and capital development, digital transformation, ICT services, and insights & analytics.
• Sound financial, risk, and resource management expertise, with experience developing innovative resourcing approaches, unlocking partnerships, and communicating outcomes clearly to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to build a high-performing, inclusive, and engaged workforce, fostering wellbeing, cultural capability, diversity, and alignment with institutional values.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement, influencing, and communication skills, with the ability to listen deeply, build trust, and collaborate across government, industry, academic, community, and internal leadership.
• Strong evidence of innovative, people-centred approaches to complex challenges, particularly in embedding digital/data capability, sustainability, continuous improvement, and operational resilience.

UniSC is committed to diversity and inclusion, encouraging applications from all backgrounds. We value achievement relative to opportunity and encourage commentary on achievements in this context.

Your completed application must include:

• Resume
• A cover letter not exceeding one page, outlining skills, knowledge, and qualities that make you a success at UniSC.
• A response to key selection criteria, answered within the digital application process.

Prospective candidates must demonstrate eligibility to work full-time in Australia.