Careers at UniSC

• Graduate Research, Sunshine Coast Campus, Sippy Downs
• Senior Staff appointment, remuneration commensurate with skills and experience, plus up to 17% employer superannuation
• Full-time, Fixed-term 5-year appointment

The Opportunity

Are you ready to lead transformative growth in graduate research and researcher development at one of Australia’s fastest-growing universities? UniSC is seeking an influential leader to shape our higher degree by research (HDR) program and enhance our researcher development initiatives for HDR candidates and academic staff. This role offers the chance to create a supportive, innovative research environment, ensuring student success, timely completions, and impactful research training opportunities.

Reporting directly to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), you’ll manage resources, grow UniSC’s research supervision capacity, and lead a collaborative, high-performing team. Working closely with UniSC’s Schools, Institutes, Centres, and external stakeholders, you’ll align HDR programs with our strategic goals, staying ahead of global trends to keep UniSC at the forefront of research excellence. This is your opportunity to influence the future of graduate research and contribute to UniSC’s vision for academic excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to align HDR and researcher development activities with UniSC’s Strategic Plan, in collaboration with the DVC (Research and Innovation).
• Advise the UniSC Executive on HDR enrolments, retention, research skills development, and expanding research supervision capacity.
• Manage and grow resources to support HDR students, including securing external scholarship support.
• Lead a talented team, fostering a positive, collaborative culture focused on professional development and excellence.
• Implement innovative process improvements and digital solutions, enhancing user experience and promoting a high-performance, stakeholder-focused environment.
• Collaborate with Institutes, Centres, Schools, and other units to refine strategies based on data and feedback.
• Stay informed on national and international HDR program developments to keep UniSC competitive and innovative.

About You

You are an innovative and results-driven leader with extensive experience managing HDR programs and implementing effective researcher development initiatives. You excel in building supportive research environments, enhancing academic experiences for HDR students, and ensuring timely completions. You have a strong background in policy development and are skilled at using data and insights to inform strategic planning and optimise resources.

Your interpersonal and leadership abilities enable you to influence, negotiate, and build collaborative relationships across academic, government, and industry sectors. You thrive on providing strategic guidance, maintaining academic standards, and driving continuous improvement. As a visionary, you’re committed to aligning initiatives with UniSC’s broader goals and contributing to our ongoing success.

To excel in this role, you will possess:

• A doctoral or equivalent qualification and international recognition as a leader in a relevant discipline.
• Proven leadership capabilities, with a track record of initiating and leading change in a dynamic tertiary education environment, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Experience developing and managing strategic, financial, and operational plans to achieve successful outcomes.
• Ability to grow UniSC’s researcher development activities and enhance industry engagement and partnerships for HDR candidates.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the Higher Education sector, including trends, challenges, and regulatory requirements impacting HDR candidates.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to implement innovative solutions and accept accountability for outcomes.
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and negotiation skills, enabling you to build and sustain collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Understanding of the needs of a diverse range of HDR candidates, including those with disabilities.

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.

 Dean of Graduate Research and Researcher Development_Position description.pdf

Learn more about this opportunity here

All applications must be lodged through our website. To apply please visit our website at Careers at UniSC

Applications for this position close midnight, Sunday 17 November 2024.

Your application should 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.

Further information regarding how to prepare your application is available on our website: Join our team

UniSC does not accept unsolicited applications. For agency inquiries, contact unisc-careers@usc.edu.au

We would love the opportunity to get to know you better, but we know it works both ways. To get to know a little more about us, visit us at: Welcome to UniSC and LinkedIn Life

Have questions or want to know more? For a confidential discussion, please contact:

Professor Ross Young, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) 
Telephone: +61 7 5459 4446
Email: DVCResearch@usc.edu.au

Or

Kristie Husk, Talent Acquisition Manager

Telephone: +614 18 884 610

Email: khusk@usc.edu.au

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. According to the 2023-24 Good Universities Guide we are Australia's highest rated public university for postgraduate teaching quality, skills development and student support and Australia's number one public university for overall postgraduate student experience. Our research tackles the most pressing challenges of our time, with 26 research fields ranked at or above world standard according to the Excellence in Research for Australia Rankings. In 2023 we recorded the biggest improvement in Australia for research quality, moving up more than 331 places in the world rank.

At UniSC you will have the opportunity to shape the educational landscape and inspire the minds of future generations. We foster a collaborative and supportive environment, encouraging continuous professional development and providing resources to enhance your teaching and research endeavours.

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.
• Flexible work arrangements & generous leave options.
• Salary packing options + 17% Super.
• EAP, fitness passport & discounted private health.