Director - Thriving Families in the Thriving Families SA Initiative

We are seeking a Director to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight - offering a competitive and commensurate package to match the experience brought plus an employer contribution of 17% superannuation.

3 Years Fixed Term - Full- time opportunity with a possible extension.

The BetterStart Group at Adelaide University’s School of Public Health is seeking a dynamic Director to lead the Thriving Families SA Initiative. A leader passionate about collaboration, innovation, and social justice—someone who can guide multi-sector partnerships and champion a culture of learning and adaptation. If you are ready to make a meaningful impact by supporting system reform to enable families and communities to thrive, join us in driving lasting change for South Australia’s future.

Thriving Families brings together nearly 60 non-government organisations committed to transforming how South Australia supports the wellbeing of children, young people, families, and communities. The Director will provide strategic leadership to support system change focused on prevention and early support. You will work closely with the Thriving Families Director of Aboriginal Leadership to embed Aboriginal leadership and shared decision making - affirming the cultural authority of Aboriginal communities in shaping solutions for their children and families.

BetterStart is an interdisciplinary team based in the School of Public Health at Adelaide University, with expertise spanning epidemiology, psychology, social work, and public health. Our focus is on improving wellbeing across the first 1000 days of life, early childhood education, child protection, mental health, and social equity, generating evidence to inform policy and practice that benefits children, young people, families, and communities.

To be successful you will need:

To be a bold, strategic leader with the vision, courage, and credibility to drive long-term change in the systems that support children, young people, families and communities. You will bring:

• Proven ability to steward and lead system change – designing, planning, and delivering cross-sector reforms that shift the system toward prevention and early support. You will champion cultural safety, trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches, and establish robust governance and accountability to support adaptive delivery.
• Strong collaboration and partnership skills – able to build trust and work authentically across government, NGOs, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, philanthropy, academia, and with people with lived experience. You know how to navigate complexity, balance diverse perspectives, and guide co-design and place-based innovation.
• A track record of driving innovation – fostering a culture of experimentation, learning, and adaptation across programs, policy, and practice. You can draw on evidence and practice wisdom to test and refine new approaches that improve outcomes for children, young people, families, and communities.
• The ability to influence and advocate – representing Thriving Families at the highest levels, aligning policy, funding, service delivery, and community activation to achieve systemic change at scale.
• Experience in securing and growing resources – with the skills to identify and pursue funding opportunities, develop compelling proposals, and build sustainable partnerships to strengthen Thriving Families’ impact.

The path to Adelaide University

We are on an exciting path to Adelaide University as we prepare to open our doors in January 2026. Adelaide University will combine the strengths of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia, and we are dedicated to creating an accessible and future-focused educational powerhouse that fosters economic and social wellbeing through ground-breaking research and innovative teaching. You can learn more about Adelaide University HERE and more information will be provided throughout the recruitment process.

Enjoy an outstanding career environment

We offer a uniquely rewarding workplace. The size, breadth and quality of our education and research programs - including significant industry, government and community collaborations - offers you a vast scope and opportunity for a long, fulfilling career.

It also enables us to attract high-caliber people in all facets of our operations, ensuring you will be surrounded by talented colleagues, many world-leading. Our work's cutting-edge nature - not just in your own area, but across virtually the full spectrum of human endeavour - provides a constant source of inspiration.

Our culture is one that welcomes all and embraces diversity consistent with our Staff Values and Behaviour Framework and our Values of integrity, respect, collegiality, excellence and discovery. We firmly believe that our people are our most valuable asset, so we work to grow and diversify the skills, knowledge and capability of all our staff.

We embrace flexibility as a key principle to allow our people to manage the changing demands of work, personal and family life.

In addition, we offer a wide range of attractive staff benefits. These include salary packaging; flexible work arrangements; high-quality professional development programs and activities; and an on-campus health clinic, gym and other fitness facilities.

Learn more at: adelaide.edu.au/jobs

Your faculty's broader role

The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences contains one of Australia's largest concentrations of leading health researchers, teachers and clinical titleholders. It's comprised of eight schools and a number of specialist disciplines, institutes and centers, variously focused on world-class research, and training the next generation of: medical doctors; surgeons; dentists; nurses; psychiatrists; psychologists; and other health professionals.

Learn more at: health.adelaide.edu.au 

If you have the talent, we'll give you the opportunity. Together, let's make history.

Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button to be taken through to the online application form. Please ensure you submit a cover letter, resume, and upload a document that includes your responses to all of the selection criteria for the position as contained in the position description or selection criteria document.

Applications close 11:55pm, Tuesday 7 October 2025.

The University reserves the right to close this advertisement before the closing date if a suitable candidate is identified.

For further information

Interested applicants can contact Jacqueline.aldis@adelaide.edu.au for a position description.

For a confidential discussion regarding this position, contact:

Associate Professor Rhiannon Pilkington
BetterStart Group, School of Public Health
Co-Lead, Thriving Families, University of Adelaide
E: rhiannon.pilkington@adelaide.edu.au

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. Female applicants, people with a disability and/or and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who meet the requirements of this position are strongly encouraged to apply. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at time of application. 

Apply now