Human Ethics Committee Member

**Reference Number**:4139

**Category**:Management & Administration

**Department**:Discovery & Innovation

**_Are you a current Austin Health employee?_**

Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and statewide. We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our goal to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives.

**About the Discovery & Innovation Unit**

The Discovery & Innovation Unit (DIU) provides strategic leadership, governance, and operational support for all research conducted at Austin Health. The DIU ensures that research is conducted to the highest standards of ethics, scientific integrity, and regulatory compliance, enabling innovation that benefits patients and the broader community.

The Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) plays a central role in safeguarding the welfare, rights, and dignity of participants involved in research. Operating in line with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research and the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, the HREC reviews and monitors research to ensure ethical acceptability and compliance with relevant law and policy.

**About the role**

As the HREC - Community Care member, you will provide pastoral and community care expertise to ensure that research proposals consider participant welfare from a holistic perspective, including cultural, emotional, spiritual, and community needs. You will play a key role in safeguarding dignity, respect, and wellbeing in research, particularly for vulnerable or marginalised groups.

A regular day will see you:

- Attend scheduled HREC meetings and contribute actively to deliberations.
- Assess participant-facing materials to ensure they are sensitive, respectful, and appropriate for diverse communities.
- Provide advice on the cultural, emotional, and spiritual implications of research participation.
- Maintain confidentiality and manage conflicts of interest appropriately.

**About you**

You will be someone with experience in pastoral or community care who can bring an independent, holistic perspective to the committee.

To be successful in this role you’ll bring with you:
You will be someone with experience in pastoral or community care who can bring an independent, holistic perspective to the committee. Specifically, you will have:

- Current experience performing a pastoral care role in the community (religious or non-religious forms of support).
- Ability to represent community perspectives and highlight the broader human and cultural impact of research.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Commitment to attending meetings regularly and contributing constructively to deliberations.
- Commitment to the ethical values of respect, research merit and integrity, justice, and beneficence.
- Desirable_
- Experience providing pastoral/community care to diverse communities, including but not limited to:

- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Culturally and linguistically diverse groups
- LGBTIQA+ communities
- Previous participation on a research, governance, or ethics committee.

**Our benefits**

Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day. Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including:

- Greater take-home pay through generous salary packaging, for living expenses, meals, and holiday accommodation.
- A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted fitness memberships and special offers on health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program.
- Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital, easy access via public transport and car parking options.
- Mentoring and career development opportunities.

**Work with us**

**Interested in finding out more about this opportunity? Read the**position description**for further details.**

**Application closing date: Monday 20 October 2025