Manager Counselling Service

Position Details

Continuing Full-Time

Higher Education Officer Level 9 $130,786- $139,950 p.a.

Location: Bedford Park / Kaurna Country

View Position Description

About the Role

The Manger Counselling Service is responsible for providing leadership and management of the Flinders University’s Counselling Service - including the Intake and Assessment team and Counselling teams including those based in regional and remote areas.

The Counselling Service provides a range of services to enhance student wellbeing including intake and assessment, crisis and critical incident support, complex case management, short-term solution-focussed counselling, gender-based violence support, group programs, wellbeing initiatives including training and consultation to staff across the university. In collaboration with the Director Student Life, you will play a key role in ensuring that efficient and effective service delivery models are in place to support student wellbeing, meet service demands, and ensure compliance with relevant legislative, regulatory and policy obligations.

This will be achieved by:

Providing leadership, supervision and performance management to a team of counsellors delivering high quality programs of work and student health and wellbeing services. This includes ensuring quality and consistency of service delivery, planning adequate resourcing to meet demand, providing professional supervision and fostering and modelling a high-performance culture.

Implementing a continuous improvement framework to ensure the delivery of quality and timely counselling services and other wellbeing initiatives, programs and projects that reflect best practice and the current higher education sector priorities.

Ensuring that students in crisis and/or at risk are managed appropriately, including taking a key role in the management of critical incidents.

Contributing to initiatives that aim to address and promote matters related to student mental health and wellbeing, including gender-based violence.

A more comprehensive list of responsibilities is available from the position description.

About You

You will be a dedicated leader, with the ability to motivate and develop high performing teams and foster a positive team environment. Your high-level communication skills, together with your planning and analytical skills, will be the key to your success, as you demonstrate your ability to provide leadership, communicate with multiple stakeholders with competing demands and manage crisis and risk situations.

You will also demonstrate:

Relevant postgraduate qualifications and experience, or extensive management experience; or an equivalent combination of experience and/or education and/or training. This experience must reflect previous experience in providing professional supervision to a team of experienced counsellors, including psychologists and social workers

Registration as a Psychologist with the Psychological Board of Australia or eligibility for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

Proven ability to develop, deliver and evaluate effective services and programs that address wellbeing.

Understanding of the Higher Education sector and factors that impact on wellbeing.

About the Student Life Division

The Student Life division ensures the delivery of student-centred support across the student lifecycle that underpins the University’s broader strategic visions by delivering support services and functions that facilitate and enhance the academic mission of the institution. The Student Life division provides support services and programs that contribute to the student experience and success, including in the areas of health, counselling, disability services, orientation and transition, retention, student wellbeing, and student engagement through the activities of the Flinders University Student Association.

Life at Flinders

We're transforming and investing in people and facilities to create contemporary, stimulating, and satisfying learning and work environments that reflect our core values of excellence, innovation, courage, and integrity. Flinders is refocusing its strategic priorities with the aim of elevating its performance to be a top ten Australian university, and amongst the top 1% in the world.

Reaching beyond the limits of buildings, borders, and backgrounds, ours is an inclusive culture that believes absolutely in equality and opportunity for all. We don't just accommodate differences; we embrace and celebrate them.

So, why work at Flinders?

17% Superannuation + salary packaging options.

Flexible working arrangements.

Our commitment to wellbeing through our Thriving@Flinders initiative.

Wide range of professional development activities and services, including exclusive staff study offers.

We embrace diversity and promote equity and inclusion for all students and staff, as shown through our four SAGE Cygnet Awards.

Vibrant campus life and amenities including on campus health care services, gym and childcare centre (Bedford Park, South Australia).

Our Commitment to Reconciliation and Indigenous Employment

Flinders University is proud to be an organisation that is committed to our Reconciliation Action Plan and Indigenous Workforce Strategy. Our vision is to be a preferred employer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We are committed to progressing Indigenous advancement in education, research, employment, and wellbeing, and strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for all Flinders vacancies.

Please see here for our Reconciliation Action Plan

Please see here for our Indigenous Workforce Strategy

Prescribed Conditions for Employment

A valid National Police Certificate which is satisfactory to the University will also be required before the successful applicant can commence in this position. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration. Each case will be assessed on its individual merits and relevance to the inherent requirements of the role.

It is a requirement of this position that the incumbent maintain a current Working With Children Check which is satisfactory to the University in accordance with the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 (SA).

Staff working in a health care setting are strongly recommended to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in line with the SA Health policy.

How to Apply and Information

You are required to submit a resume, along with a cover letter of no more than 2 pages as a separate document, addressing the Key Position Capabilities of the position description.

For more information regarding this position, please contact Jodie Zada on 8201 2118.

Please note, late applications and applications sent via agencies will not be accepted.

Certification

Applications to be submitted before 10.00pm:

19 Apr 2026

At Flinders we embrace and celebrate diversity and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

Flinders. Fearless.

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