Careers at UniSC

• Office of the Chief Operating Officer, UniSC Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs
• Attractive remuneration, commensurate with skills and experience, plus 17% superannuation and car allowance
• Five-year, full-time, fixed-term appointment

The Opportunity

As our next Chief Operating Officer, you will join the UniSC Executive Committee at a pivotal time in our growth and transformation. This role places you at the heart of our strategy and operations, ensuring that the systems, services, and people supporting our core mission are aligned with UniSC’s Strategic Plan and future ambitions.

You will lead a diverse portfolio that includes University Planning, campus development, digital and technology services, people and culture and insights and analytics. Together, these areas underpin UniSC’s ability to deliver on its vision of being Australia’s premier regional university.

In this role, you will guide the transformation of our corporate and enabling services, creating future-ready systems and infrastructure that are efficient, sustainable, and responsive to change. You will champion a culture of service excellence, where students, staff, and partners experience professional services that are collaborative, innovative, and outcomes-focused.

As a visible and trusted member of the Executive Committee, you will shape UniSC’s long-term direction, ensuring that our operational planning, resource allocation, and workforce capability drive success across teaching, research, and community engagement. This is a role where strategic foresight meets practical impact, an opportunity to influence the future of higher education in Queensland and beyond.

For further information about the role, review the candidate information page: https://careers.usc.edu.au/chief-operating-officer

For more information on COO Portfolio, please visit us online: https://www.usc.edu.au/about/structure/executive/office-of-the-chief-operating-officer

You will

• Shape and deliver UniSC’s change agenda by leading a strategic, integrated approach to corporate, enabling services and planning that strengthens our regional, national and global positioning
• Ensure excellence and value in service delivery by leading the COO portfolio to provide contemporary, efficient and responsive services that enable academic achievement and student success across all campuses
• Drive transformation and sustainability through the development of simple, scalable and future-ready systems, processes and infrastructure that support our long-term growth and community impact.

About you

You are a strategic, values-driven leader who thrives on shaping organisations for long-term success through collaboration and inclusion. With deep executive experience in large, complex, or multi-site environments, you bring a track record of leading transformation, building high-performing and resilient teams, and delivering operational excellence that enables both academic and community impact. Your leadership style is people-first and collaborative, you inspire confidence, foster trust, and create the conditions where individuals and teams can thrive.

You combine strategic foresight with operational pragmatism, ensuring ambitious goals are translated into practical, scalable solutions. You navigate complexity with clarity and empathy, balancing resilience with care for the wellbeing of others. You are curious and creative in solving problems, and you engage openly with diverse perspectives to reach better outcomes. With strong financial and risk management capability, you communicate transparently and inclusively, ensuring stakeholders are informed and engaged.

Most importantly, you are motivated by purpose. You understand the unique role a university plays in transforming lives and communities, and you bring both the passion and humility to help UniSC deliver on its mission, creating opportunity, driving impact, and building a sustainable future for generations to come.

You will possess

• a postgraduate qualification in a relevant field, with a proven record of executive-level achievement in a large, complex, or multi-campus organisation, demonstrating ability to shape and co-deliver strategic priorities aligned with UniSC’s vision, mission and values;
• demonstrated ability to balance strategic foresight with operational pragmatism, including leading organisational transformation, advancing service excellence, and embedding sustainable and inclusive practices;
• strong understanding of the higher education sector (or comparable regulated environments), covering regulatory frameworks, funding models, and sector trends and challenges;
• proven experience leading major portfolios such as university planning, People & Culture, campus and capital development, digital transformation, ICT services, and insights & analytics;
• sound financial, risk, and resource management expertise, with experience developing innovative resourcing approaches, unlocking partnerships, and communicating outcomes clearly to diverse audiences;
• demonstrated ability to build a high-performing, inclusive, and engaged workforce, fostering wellbeing, cultural capability, diversity, and alignment with institutional values;
• exceptional stakeholder engagement, influencing, and communication skills, with the ability to listen deeply, build trust, and collaborate across government, industry, academic, community, and internal leadership; and
• strong evidence of innovative, people-centred approaches to complex challenges, particularly in embedding digital/data capability, sustainability, continuous improvement, and operational resilience.

How to apply

UniSC is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, women in STEM, First Nations Peoples, and individuals of diverse cultures, genders, abilities, and experiences. We value achievement relative to opportunity and encourage your commentary on your achievements in this context. For additional support during the application process, please contact us at unisc-careers@usc.edu.au or call +61 7 5430 2830.

Position description:  493689_Chief Operating Officer.pdf

Further candidate information: https://careers.usc.edu.au/chief-operating-officer

Applications for this position close midnight, Monday 13 October 2025.

Your completed application must include:

• Resume
• A cover letter not to exceed one page. This statement should outline your skills, knowledge and qualities that will make you a success at UniSC.
• A response to key selection criteria, answered within the digital application process.

Prospective candidates interested in applying for this position must demonstrate eligibility to work full-time in Australia. Employment sponsorship opportunities may be available for qualified candidates.

Discover UniSC

We're all about doing work that matters, connecting with great people, and being part of an incredible journey. We’re not the biggest university. But we’re growing every day, and doing big things. Like ground-breaking research, championing sustainability, producing gold-winning athletes and award-winning alumni.

We're one of the fastest growing universities in Australia, growing to over 2,000 people across 5 campuses in South East Queensland.

Teaching excellence is at the heart of what we do, and our commitment to sustainability is integrated into our teaching, research, and daily operations. Our research tackles the most pressing challenges of our time, with 13 research fields ranked well above world standard, characterised by evidence of outstanding performance according to the Excellence Research for Australia Rankings. At UniSC you will have the opportunity to contribute to the educational landscape for future generations. 

We foster a collaborative and supportive environment, encouraging continuous professional development and providing resources to enhance your career. We recognise and value the contributions of each team member to our culture and success. We're not afraid to be different, and we're looking for people who share our values and want to be part of a team that is working together to improve our local and global challenges.

Our Culture & Benefits:

• Our collaborative, passionate and welcoming culture is what really sets us apart.
• Modern teaching & research facilities.
• Professional development and career pathway opportunities.
• We are a proud recipient of the prestigious Athena SWAN Bronze Award, granted as part of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative.
• EAP, fitness passport & discounted private health.