The University of Notre Dame Australia Careers

National Practicum Manager – Internal Only
Sydney or Fremantle Campus
Full-time opportunity, Continuing contract

• Friendly and collaborative work environment
• Rewarding opportunity offering career development
• Level 8 + 14.50% super

About the university

The University of Notre Dame Australia is a private Catholic University with over 1,000 permanent staff providing an exceptional educational experience to over 12,000 students across our Fremantle, Broome, and Sydney campuses, as well as clinical schools in Victoria and New South Wales.
 
About the role

You will provide leadership, coordination, and operational oversight of all practicum and clinical placement administrative activities across the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Midwifery and Health Sciences. You will also be responsible for leading and managing professional staff involved in the delivery of clinical and practicum placements nationally.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Management

• Oversee the end-to-end administrative management of placements.
• Ensure placement processes are efficient, student-centred, and scalable across national programs.
• Develop, implement, and maintain consistent placement frameworks, procedures, and service standards.
• Manage placement systems and data (e.g. placement management software such as SONIA, CLINCONECT).

Leadership and Planning

• Lead national placement planning to ensure sufficient capacity, equitable allocation, and alignment with program requirements and student cohorts.
• Contribute to the development of a National Practicum Placements Operational Work Manual.
• Contribute to Faculty and University planning related to industry engagement and clinical education strategy.
• Contribute to budget planning and monitoring related to placement activities, including supervision costs.

Compliance, Accreditation and Risk Management

• In consultation with Academic Leads, ensure all placement activities comply with accreditation.
• Understand all clinical affiliation agreements, memoranda of understanding, and placement contracts.
• Manage risks associated with placements, including student safety, supervision, fitness to practise, and site suitability.
• Coordinate responses to audits, accreditation reviews, and regulatory reporting requirements.

Stakeholder and Partnership Management

• Align placements with curriculum and assessment requirements.
• Build and maintain strong, sustainable relationships with health services, industry partners, government agencies, and community organisations nationally.
• Act as a senior point of contact for external partners.

People Leadership and Team Development

• Lead, manage, and develop a geographically dispersed team of professional staff supporting placements.
• Foster a high-performance, service-oriented, whole of team culture focused on collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead and support professional practicum placements staff through clear direction, systems and process training, coaching, and performance management.

Continuous Improvement and Quality Assurance

• Use data, analytics, and stakeholder feedback to evaluate placement outcomes, identify trends, and drive evidence-based service improvements.
• Leverage technology and placement management systems to streamline processes, improve data integrity, and enhance interactions with internal stakeholders and third-party partners.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance the student experience, partner satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
• Prepare high-quality reports, briefings, and recommendations for senior leadership.

Qualifications, skills & experience

• Relevant postgraduate qualifications or progress towards postgraduate qualifications and/or extensive relevant experience in clinical education, health administration or higher education, or
• Experience managing practicum or clinical placements within a complex, multi-disciplinary environment, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training.
• Experience managing teams, including staff across multiple locations.
• Highly developed stakeholder engagement skills, with experience building and maintaining partnerships with external organisations.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, including coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
• Excellent organisational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• High-level written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare reports and brief senior stakeholders.
• Proven effective collaborative abilities and a service-focused approach.
• Ability to think strategically and systemically to improve processes and outcomes.
• Proven ability to foster and maintain a positive, inclusive, and high-performing team culture.
• Well-developed strategic and systems thinking to support complex organisational and operational planning.

Benefits

• Fitness Passport on offer
• Generous training and development opportunities.
• Friendly and collaborative working environment.

How to apply

Please apply online with a resume and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role.

Applications closing date: 5 February 2026

For further information on how to apply, please visit: How to apply | Notre Dame

Applicants are expected to have current and valid work rights in Australia.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply.      

The University of Notre Dame Australia seeks to increase the diversity of our workforce to better meet the different needs of the University and its stakeholders and to improve equal opportunity outcomes for our staff.

Contact us

Please direct your queries regarding this role to Melissa Schmidt, melissa.schmidt@nd.edu.au

Unsolicited contact from recruitment agencies will not be entertained.