Job Description

Clinical Director & Staff Specialist – Mental Health Public Local Health District

We are currently partnering with a well-established NSW public Local Health District to recruit an experienced Consultant Psychiatrist into a combined Clinical Director and Staff Specialist appointment within its Mental Health Service. This is a rare opportunity to take on genuine service leadership within a growing coastal district health service, while maintaining a rewarding clinical caseload.

About the service

Our client is a NSW Health Local Health District serving one of the state's fastest-growing coastal populations, located within easy reach of Sydney. The Mental Health Service provides a comprehensive continuum of care — spanning acute inpatient, community, consultation-liaison, older persons, youth, and specialist mental health programs — across two major public hospitals and a network of community mental health centres. The service is supported by a well-established multidisciplinary workforce and is investing significantly in workforce development, service redesign, and integrated models of care to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding catchment.

Your opportunity

• Provide clinical and strategic leadership across the district's Mental Health Service in a dedicated Clinical Director capacity
• Contribute to clinical governance, service planning, quality improvement, and workforce development initiatives
• Maintain a Staff Specialist clinical caseload aligned with your sub-specialty interest and service need
• Lead, mentor, supervise and support consultant colleagues, trainees, JMOs and multidisciplinary staff
• Partner closely with the Director of Mental Health, executive, and cross-directorate colleagues on the strategic direction of the service
• Represent the service in inter-agency, LHD, and state-wide forums as required
• Contribute to teaching, training and research activities, with links available to affiliated universities

What's on offer

• Salary and conditions in accordance with the NSW Staff Specialist (State) Award Determination
• Level of appointment negotiated based on experience and expertise
• Employer superannuation contributions
• Private Practice Arrangements available under the NSW model
• Professional development leave and allowance
• Generous annual leave provisions
• NSW Health salary packaging — including options for novated leasing, meal and entertainment benefits, and remote area housing benefits where applicable
• Attractive relocation support may be negotiated for the right candidate
• Visa sponsorship available for eligible international candidates
• Genuine flexibility around clinical, leadership and academic components of the role

Requirements

• Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP)
• Specialist registration, or eligibility for specialist registration, with AHPRA as a Psychiatrist
• Demonstrated leadership experience within a public mental health service or comparable setting
• Strong track record in clinical governance, service development, and multidisciplinary team leadership
• SIMGs already on an approved RANZCP specialist pathway are welcome to apply
• Australian working rights, or eligibility for employer-sponsored visa
• Current National Police Check and compliance with NSW Health immunisation and screening requirements
• Commitment to the values of EEO, WHS, ethical practice, cultural safety, and the NSW Health Code of Conduct

Life on the Central Coast

The Central Coast is one of NSW's most sought-after lifestyle regions — a string of relaxed beachside communities set between long stretches of surf coast, national parks, and calm coastal lakes. Property is dramatically more affordable than Sydney or the Northern Beaches, and the region offers excellent public and private schooling, family-friendly neighbourhoods, and a strong sense of community. Sydney's CBD is a straightforward train or drive south, so you can enjoy genuine coastal living without giving up easy access to a global city, its airport, or its cultural offerings. For families, active professionals, and clinicians seeking a sustainable long-term career base outside a capital city, few Australian regions offer a better balance.