Nurse Unit Manager

The Hospital:

The Royal Children's Hospital's (RCH) Vision is "A world where all kids thrive".

RCH is a cornerstone member of the Melbourne Children's Campus, partnering with Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation.

RCH has cared for the children and young people of Victoria for more than 150 years since it was founded in 1870. A full range of paediatrics and adolescent health services are provided plus tertiary and quaternary care for the most critically ill and medically complex patients in Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW and other states around Australia and overseas. The Hospital has more than 6,000 staff, a budget of $850M, 12 wards and 350 beds. Annually, the RCH has 300,000+ Specialist Clinic appointments, 90,000+ Emergency Department presentations and 20,000 elective surgeries.

The RCH is committed to the Child Safe Standards. 

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact.

For further Information on RCH is available here.

Nurse Unit Manager - Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU):

• Excellent employee benefits including salary packaging
• Hub of medical precinct in Parkville, Melbourne
• Pro-active and supportive leadership

About the Role:

The Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) effectively leads and manages a team in a designated ward, unit or service. The NUM is responsible for enabling a positive work environment and ensuring the delivery of high-quality patient and family centred care, that, contributes to the overall efficiency of the organisation. The NUM has overall governance of the operational, nursing, and performance management – financial, human, quality and safety and access.

Classification for this position will be NM12 (FTE base salary $142,828.4 per annum, plus superannuation).

What you'll achieve:

In partnership with the Medical Director, the successful applicant will lead the strategic vision for Rosella and Paediatric Intensive Care in Victoria over the next 3 years.

The successful applicant will:

• Provide management and clinical leadership to staff within PICU ensuring the delivery of exceptional patient and family care
• Implement key strategies to enhance patient safety that will contribute to optimal outcomes
• Lead collaborative partnerships involving families as active partners in care and where possible enabling the voice of the patient to be heard
• Align clinical practice with the standards set by the world Children's Hospital Australian commission on safety and quality
• Collaborate with the education team to enable a resilient workforce with continued opportunities for ongoing professional development
• Foster a culture of continuous quality improvement and build capability within the team to recognise and undertake improvement opportunities

About you:

You are a passionate Nurse leader ready to take the next step in your leadership journey. With a strong clinical background and a collaborative leadership style, you are committed to delivering excellent patient outcomes while supporting and inspiring your team.

Essential:

• Current registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
• (NMBA) administered though the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA)
• Demonstrated commitment to ongoing personal and professional development, as evidenced in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) record/Professional Practice Portfolio (PPP)
• Management / leadership experience

If this sounds like you, please click here to view the position description.

About the Department:

The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) provides urgent medical care to critically ill infants, children and adolescents from Tasmania, Victoria and southern New South Wales. RCH is the designated statewide major trauma centre for paediatrics and is a National Funded Centre for paediatric heart transplantation, liver transplantation, and paediatric lung transplant (in collaboration with Austin Health). The Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) in partnership with the Medical Director, PICU is responsible for the strategic direction of clinical services/care provision that determines the model of care and informs care that is evidence based and facilitates high quality, optimal child and family health outcomes. The NUM in collaboration with Deputy Unit Manager (DNUM) provides management of and clinical leadership to staff within PICU, fostering a positive supportive and reflective culture to drive nursing performance, opportunity, and career progression. The PICU leadership team (Director, NUM and DNUM) has the overarching responsibility for the ongoing financial sustainability and service delivery efficiencies by managing the budget, driving process improvements and implementation of strategic initiatives.

What we offer:

• Salary Packaging – Increase your take home pay
• Employee Assistance Program

Other requirements:

• Current National Criminal Record Check, or willing to obtain
• Valid Working with Children Check
• Compliance with RCHs "Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases" procedure

Application process:

To apply, you will need a resume and a tailored cover letter outlining your skills, experience, and suitability for the position in line with the requirements of the position description.

Shortlisting for this position will commence immediately. We encourage you to apply promptly as the advertisement may close early should a suitable applicant be sourced.

For more information about this position please contact Sheri Waldron, Director Clinical Operations, Ph:

Why work at the RCH?

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact. We offer the opportunity to work in world-class facilities, surrounded by Royal Park and only a short tram trip from the heart of Melbourne city.

We also offer discounted staff parking, salary packaging, and an award-winning health and wellbeing program.

The RCH is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse background, all members of the LGBTQI community and people with disability.

It is a requirement of your employment that you be vaccinated against Influenza annually for Category A and B roles, in compliance with any public health orders in place at the relevant time, unless you have a medical exception in line with those public health orders, which has been accepted by The Royal Children's Hospital.  Applicants will be required to provide their Australian Government Immunisation History Statement, it is a requirement of the RCH to collect, record and hold vaccination information.

It is also a requirement of your employment that you comply with any direction given by The Royal Children's Hospital that you be vaccinated against, or prove immunity to, any other disease, unless you have a relevant exemption, and offers of employment are conditional on successful completion of background checks including reference checks. 

Are you ready to join our team? 

 Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" button

Applications close 29 December, 2025.