Manager, Mental Health Policy

Location: Melbourne | CBD

Job type: Full time

Organisation: Department of Health

**Salary**: $134,593 - $180,115

Occupation: Policy

Reference: VG/1824395

The Department of Health plays a critical role in the Victorian health system and is responsible for shaping it to meet the health needs of all Victorians. We’re focused on supporting Victorians to be as healthy as they can; whether through alerting them to seasonal risks like thunderstorm asthma, notifying them of contact with communicable diseases, safeguarding their drinking water, developing the best health, wellbeing and care facilities in the world, being at the forefront of mental health and wellbeing treatment or accelerating medical research. It’s all part of the way we partner with the community to help every individual lead a healthy life.

**About the role**:

- Reporting to the Director Policy, Equity and Prevention, the Manager Mental Health Policy will lead a team who maintain oversight of priority mental health and wellbeing policy challenges including:

- Management of intergovernmental relations
- Leading and coordinating responses to new and emerging issues and risks relating to mental health and wellbeing policy.
- Designing and overseeing the development of key strategic initiatives (e.g. Victorian eating disorder strategy, Victoria's strategy towards elimination of seclusion and restraint).
- Provides leadership and guidance in working with the Commonwealth on key mental health and AOD policy agreements and ensures that mechanisms are in place to oversee and manage Victorian mental health priorities across the state-Commonwealth and Whole of Victorian Government (WoVG) levels.
- Responsible for supporting several key recommendations following the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System. Projects include the strategy toward the elimination of seclusion and restrain, the state's new eating disorders strategy, and other strategic reform projects.
- Operates in a complex and demanding environment, requiring capacity to exercise sound judgement, liaise effectively with senior executives and build relationships with key people, particularly working in partnership with people with lived and living experience of mental health concerns and their carers, families and supporters, as well as people who work in the mental health and wellbeing system, service providers, academics, researchers and other experts.

**About us**:
At the Victorian Department of Health we want a future where Victorians are the healthiest people in the world. A Victoria where our children and people thrive, our workplaces are productive and safe, and our communities are more connected.

We see it as our job to support Victorians to stay healthy and safe. And to deliver a world-class healthcare system that ensures every single Victorian can access safe, quality care that leads to better health outcomes for all.

**How you'll make a difference**:

- Lead the development of strategic policy positions and briefing products for Victorian representatives at ministerial and senior official intergovernmental forums in the mental health and wellbeing portfolio, to achieve government and departmental objectives and contribute to relevant committee and governance processes.
- Effectively supervise and provide leadership to a team of employees by:

- leading and supporting individuals to achieve their potential and contribution to organisational goals and outcomes
- modelling behaviours integral to good people management and departmental values
- where relevant, managing and monitoring specific improvement objectives in annual improvement plans relating to the area of responsibility
- pro-actively building and maintaining positive relationships with peers and stakeholders across the organisation.
- Provide high quality strategic policy advice, options and recommendations to senior management and government based on comprehensive research and analysis.
- Forge strong connections across the department and with other stakeholders to share information and facilitate a partnership approach to managing intergovernmental issues in the mental health and wellbeing portfolio.
- Work with internal stakeholders on the development of policy initiatives and negotiation of intergovernmental agreements to ensure they achieve the government's strategic outcomes for the Victorian mental health and wellbeing system.
- Represent the department on key stakeholder committees and groups concerned with achieving government and departmental objectives and contribute to relevant committee and governance processes.
- Develop policy initiatives that meet government and departmental objectives within resourcing, timeline and budget parameters.

**Suitable applicants will be able to demonstrate**:

- A tertiary qualification in fields related to public policy, public administration or public health would be desirable. Alternatively, the suitable applicant will have equivalent professional