Theme Heads

**The Opportunity**

As one of Australia’s biggest and most respected child health research institutes we are seeking four science leaders to help drive our new strategic plan, which aims to solve the biggest challenges facing children and families.

Research Reimagined 2025-2035 is an ambitious and bold plan revolving around three core pillars - focus, impact, thrive - and emphasises discovery-led science while at the same time pursuing research outcomes which have the most impact. Our vision is simple - happy, healthy kids.

As a member of the Science Leadership Committee, Theme Heads are responsible for the management of people within their respective theme, providing authentic direction and leadership to implement Institute-wide initiatives. This encompasses developing and executing Theme Strategies, the Research Model, and research challenges to achieve the Institute’s overarching strategic goals.

Theme Heads are senior leadership positions dedicated to advancing research strategy and excellence within a designated Theme and across the Institute. We are currently seeking interest from true Research leaders in the following research themes, to assist The Kids in meeting the highest research and ethical standards and ensuring research translates into improved health outcomes for children and families. Theme Heads will inspire our research professionals to reach their full potential. With strong operational and administrative support, the Theme Head leads the Theme’s Research Teams, promoting effective collaboration and guiding progress toward Theme objectives. Theme Heads are also responsible for fostering cross-team collaboration and supporting career development for staff and students at The Kids.

We seek leaders for the following research themes:

- ** Strong Beginnings**: Focuses on understanding and improving early childhood health and development to set the foundation for lifelong well-being. By addressing factors from pregnancy through early years, this theme aims to optimise health outcomes from the very start.
- ** Infectious Diseases**:Aims to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious diseases, with a strong focus on developing effective vaccines and improving immunity across populations. This theme addresses both emerging and persistent infections that impact children's health worldwide.
- ** Chronic Diseases**:Dedicated to preventing and managing chronic conditions in children, such as respiratory disease, diabetes, and cancer. This theme focuses on research to reduce the long-term impact of these conditions on quality of life and healthcare systems.
- ** Precision Health**:Utilises personalised approaches to healthcare, aiming to tailor prevention and treatment strategies based on genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. This theme strives to make healthcare more targeted and effective for each child’s unique needs.

These leaders will work alongside the existing leadership of the Wellbeing and Mental Health theme as well as the overarching theme of First Nations Health and Equity.

Some of the key responsibilities include:

- Lead the Theme in developing and delivering the Theme strategy, ensuring high-quality, high-impact research.
- Identify strategic research priorities and critical skills required to deliver the Theme strategy.
- Represent SLC through membership on relevant internal groups and committees
- Provide visible leadership, support and contribution to the Institute wide strategic direction
- Devise and deliver strategies to support research excellence
- Be a role model for effective and positive leadership which is ethical, inclusive, results driven and future oriented.

**About You**
- A higher degree by research in a relevant discipline (e.g. health, biomedical or social sciences).
- Demonstrated experience in research leadership, including setting strategic directions, managing research teams, maintaining organisational culture, and promoting the organisation externally.
- Demonstrated high-level research productivity in an area relevant to child health.
- Strategic understanding of the Australian health and health research sectors.
- Experience in the not-for-profit sector, specifically experience in health research organisations or university research.
- Capacity to initiate and lead organisational change.
- Excellent communication skills—specifically, an ability to articulate the Institute’s vision and values and communicate these with impact and conviction.
- Demonstrated financial management skills and commercial understanding.
- Demonstrable passion and vision for child health/wellbeing research.
- Demonstrated ability in establishing and maintaining productive relationships with a broad range of collaborators and strategic stakeholders.
- Excellent diplomacy, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.

***About Us**

The Kids Research Institute Australia is one of the country’s largest and most successful medical research institutes. Our team of