The Role

An opportunity exists for an experienced psychologist to oversee mental health service delivery to ADF members in Joint Health Unit Central NSW (JHU CNSW).

Working within a multidisciplinary healthcare team, the EL1 Psychologist Manager provides technical guidance, supervision and management of contracted, Australian Public Service (APS) and Australian Defence Force (ADF) mental health professionals responsible for the delivery of mental health services. These services include mental health triage and screening, crisis intervention, providing clinical and risk assessments, complex case management, and therapeutic interventions.

As the EL1 Psychologist Manager, you will exercise a considerable degree of independence and perform a leadership role. You will be required to exercise sound decision-making and judgement to provide expert policy advice. You will require in-depth knowledge of the psychology function and be responsible for the development, implementation, compliance and review of policies and procedures relevant to work within that function. This position has people management responsibility and as such you will be required to have sound people management skills and knowledge of how to lead a high performing and cohesive teams.

This position is reports to the Commanding Officer JHU CNSW with technical guidance provided via the Senior ADF Mental Health Officer at Headquarters Garrison Health, Joint Health Command. The position is part of a broader senior management team, which provides a network of support in the specialised area of mental health services.

You will be required to travel periodically to the Defence facilities within their area of responsibility.

About our Team

Joint Health Command (JHC) is responsible for the delivery of healthcare services to over 70,000 ADF personnel. Through the delivery of reliable, resilient and best practice health services, JHC enables a healthy, ready, and supported Force from enlistment through to transition from service.

Health care services are delivered through eight Joint Health regions across Australia. The EL1 Psychologist Manager position is part of JHU CNSW and is based at Defence Plaza - Sydney, 320 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW. Each Joint Health Unit facility provides a range of services which can include medical, nursing, dental, physiotherapy, mental health, rehabilitation, and in-patient care.

The JHU workforce is an integrated, multi-disciplinary team of Defence members, civilians, contractors and professional health providers. We work together to manage around one million patient health service interactions with Defence members each year.

Our Ideal Candidate

The below skills and qualifications are not mandatory but are highly desirable.

The ideal candidate must be a psychologist with prior experience as a clinical manager in a mental health or psychology service. Ideally, they would have post-graduate qualification in psychology, health leadership or public health.

They must be committed to improving the mental health and well-being of ADF personnel. They will demonstrate strong technical skills and knowledge in complex case management, and possess a sound understanding of legislative frameworks and ADF’s mission and policy requirements. 

They must be able to exercise initiative and judgment in the interpretation and application of organisational health policy and in the application of practices and procedures. They must have the ability to develop relationships across various stakeholders both internal and external to ADF. The ability to anticipate and respond to the needs of these stakeholders is essential.

They must be motivated to organise and manage a range of human and physical resources, and be accountable for leading teams, including having exceptional communication skills and ability to set and manage clear performance standards. 

The ideal candidate will be committed to ongoing self-improvement and professional development. Ideally, they would be an AHPRA Psychology Board of Australia-approved supervisor. 

Application Closing Date: Sunday 8 February, 2026

For further information please review the job information pack, reference DPG/00220/26 on https://defencecareers.nga.net.au/?jati=52DECAC9-7559-ADA9-9447-EC9301B54778.