Executive Director

EXCITING NEW ROLE

About the Position

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Executive Director South East Region will provide both strategic vision and operational leadership. This role is responsible for delivering an integrated service model underpinned by a strong model of care within a defined region. The scope of this role is residential aged care, home care, retirement living, Allied Health, and Disability. The focus is balancing financial sustainability and the workforce experience with exceptional client outcomes. As a values laden leader and change-maker, you will play a pivotal role in building our brand, strengthening organisational reputation, and ensuring our communities continue to thrive.

As a strong leader you will:

• Lead Person-Centred Care Excellence: Implement mecwacare's Model of Care as the foundation for high-quality, person-centred services that prioritise safety, dignity, wellbeing, and quality of life fostering a culture of compassion, accountability, and service excellence.
• Strengthen Clinical Governance and Compliance: Provide strategic oversight of care models, risk, and quality systems to ensure full compliance with Aged Care Quality Standards, NDIS Practice Standards, and all relevant regulatory frameworks.
• Drive Growth and Impact: Expand our client base and service offering through innovative business development, referral partnerships, and diversification strategies, building long-term sustainability and increasing regional impact.
• Develop Organisational and Workforce Capability: Build strong leadership capability and workforce resilience, supporting succession planning and nurturing a high-performing culture grounded in human-centred care, innovation, and continuous learning.

This is a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of purpose, impact and great care outcomes for the older person.

Key capabilities:

You are an accomplished, values-driven executive leader with a deep commitment to improving the lives of older Australians and vulnerable people. With extensive senior leadership experience in aged care, health, or other complex service organisations, you bring strategic vision, commercial acumen, and a strong track record of delivering meaningful outcomes in highly regulated environments.

Your leadership experience includes:

• Strategic Direction & Sector Leadership: Proven success in developing and executing long-term strategies that drive growth, innovation, service quality, and financial sustainability.
• Governance & Compliance Excellence: Deep understanding of aged care funding models, regulatory frameworks, and quality standards, with the capability to ensure robust clinical governance, risk management, and audit readiness.
• Board Engagement & Influence: Expertise in preparing high-quality reporting and insights that support effective decision-making, combined with the ability to build trusted relationships across Boards, regulators, government, and sector partners.
• People Leadership & Culture: A demonstrated ability to lead high-performing teams, embed values-based leadership, and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Change Leadership & Transformation: Strong track record of navigating policy reform, delivering complex transformation programs, and positioning organisations for future success in dynamic environments.

Personally, you are resilient, strategic, and adaptable, a confident communicator and trusted leader who inspires confidence, builds partnerships, and delivers results. Above all, you are driven by purpose and share mecwacare's commitment to person-centred care, dignity, and quality of life.

About You:

• Extensive senior leadership experience in aged care, health, or complex service organisations.
• Values laden highly ethical leader
• Possessing the intellect to deal with complexity and resilience to deal with ambiguity
• A resilient, commercially astute leader who thrives in high-pressure, fast-changing environments.
• Known for challenging the status quo with confidence and crafting innovative, business-aligned people strategies.
• Trusted adviser to senior leaders, with an ability to Influence at the highest levels.
• Experienced in inspiring and leading high-performing purpose-led teams with the rights and experience of the older person front and centre of all they do.

About the Organisation

mecwacare is a proudly not-for-profit, non-denominational charitable organisation that has supported Victorians for more than 65 years.  Guided by our values and driven by our purpose, we deliver residential aged care, community and in-home care, disability support services and retirement living villages across metropolitan Melbourne and reginal Victoria.

Founded in 1959 as the Malvern Elderly Citizens Welfare Association (MECWA) by a dedicated group of local volunteers, we became mecwacare in 2007 to reflect our growth into a leading provider of aged care and disability services.  Today, we continue to honour our heritage while innovating to meet the needs of the people and communities we serve.

To Apply:

Click apply and submit your CV and a two-page letter addressing the "Key Capabilities." The successful candidate will have to have sufficient work rights in Australia and provide/undergo a satisfactory Police Check.

If you have any other questions, please contact Nyree Thomas on or

Application closing date: 10 Nov 2025