DIRECTOR OF NURSING

Lead Clinical Excellence. Shape Culture. Transform Aged Care.

Villaggio Sant’Antonio | Canberra, ACT

Full-time Executive Leadership Position

Competitive Executive Remuneration Package

Villaggio Sant’Antonio is seeking an exceptional and highly influential Director of Nursing to lead our clinical operations, strengthen our clinical governance framework and inspire a culture of excellence, accountability and genuinely person-centred care.

This is not simply a nursing management position.

It is an chance for an accomplished clinical executive to shape the future of care within a respected, community-focused aged-care organisation undergoing significant growth and transformation.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, the Director of Nursing will be a key member of the Executive Leadership Team and will work closely with the Board, clinical leaders, employees, residents, families, medical practitioners and external regulators.

About Villaggio Sant’Antonio

Villaggio Sant’Antonio has a proud history of providing high-quality residential aged care and retirement living services to Canberra’s Italian and broader multicultural community.

Our organisation is built upon dignity, respect, compassion, cultural connection and a deep commitment to the wellbeing of every resident.

As the aged-care sector enters a new era of rights-based, transparent and accountable service delivery, Villaggio is investing in stronger leadership, contemporary systems, workforce capability and clinical excellence.

We are looking for a Director of Nursing who is ready to lead that journey.

The Opportunity

As Director of Nursing, you will have overall executive responsibility for the quality, safety and effectiveness of clinical care across the organisation.

You will provide visible, decisive and values-based leadership while ensuring that clinical governance is fully integrated with organisational governance, strategic planning, risk management and continuous improvement.

You will lead a multidisciplinary clinical workforce and establish clear expectations regarding professional practice, accountability, performance, resident outcomes and regulatory compliance.

Your key priorities will include:

- Leading the organisation’s clinical governance, nursing and care-delivery frameworks.
- Ensuring full compliance with the Aged Care Act, Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, professional standards and all relevant legislative requirements.
- Building a high-performing, accountable and resident-focused clinical culture.
- Providing strategic and operational leadership to registered nurses, enrolled nurses, care employees, clinical managers and multidisciplinary teams.
- Strengthening clinical documentation, assessment, care planning, medication management and escalation processes.
- Leading the organisation’s approach to Australian National Aged Care Classification—AN-ACC funding,



ensuring that resident assessments, clinical documentation and care planning accurately reflect each resident’s needs and complexity.
- Working with Finance and operational leaders to analyse clinical revenue, expenditure, workforce costs, agency usage and budget variances.
- Monitoring clinical indicators, incidents, complaints, restrictive practices, infection prevention, wounds, falls, medication events, deteriorating residents and other areas of clinical risk.
- Translating clinical data into meaningful improvement strategies and measurable resident outcomes.
- Establishing strong systems for audits, corrective actions, continuous improvement and regulatory readiness.
- Supporting the governing body and Executive Leadership Team with accurate, timely and evidence-based clinical reporting.
- Leading workforce capability development, clinical education, supervision, competency assessment and succession planning.
- Promoting open disclosure, resident choice, supported decision-making and respectful engagement with families and representatives.
- Building productive relationships with general practitioners, pharmacists, allied-health professionals, hospitals, regulators and community partners.
- Leading calmly and decisively through complex clinical matters, complaints, investigations and critical incidents.
- Championing innovation, technology and contemporary models of aged-care delivery.

About You

You will be a credible and highly accomplished nursing leader who combines strong clinical knowledge with executive presence, commercial awareness and the ability to influence people at every level.

You will not accept minimum standards as the definition of success.

You will be motivated by the opportunity to build strong teams, improve systems and create an environment where residents receive consistently safe, respectful and exceptional care.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

- Current registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through AHPRA.
- Significant senior nursing leadership experience within residential aged care, health care or a similarly complex clinical environment.
- Demonstrated success as a Director of Nursing, Clinical Director, Executive Director of Nursing, Regional Clinical Leader or senior clinical operations leader.
- Extensive knowledge of contemporary aged-care legislation, clinical governance, quality standards and regulatory requirements.
- A strong understanding of the responsibilities and accountabilities of approved providers and governing bodies.




- Proven experience leading organisational change, clinical improvement and workforce transformation.
- The ability to establish clear standards, address underperformance and build leadership capability.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret clinical data, identify emerging risks and implement sustainable improvements.
- Demonstrated experience managing serious incidents, complaints, regulatory matters and complex resident or family concerns.
- Exceptional communication, negotiation and stakeholder-management capabilities.
- A leadership style that is visible, courageous, respectful and accountable.
- A genuine commitment to cultural diversity, inclusion and person-centred care.
- Postgraduate qualifications in nursing leadership, clinical governance, health administration, management or a related discipline will be highly regarded.

What Will Set You Apart

We are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate that they have:

- Improved clinical outcomes across a complex aged-care or health service.
- Successfully led a service through significant regulatory scrutiny, accreditation or organisational transformation.
- Built a stable and capable nursing workforce in a challenging employment market.
- Strengthened accountability without compromising compassion or employee engagement.
- Used data, technology and evidence-based practice to improve care delivery.
- Developed emerging clinical leaders and created effective succession pathways.
- Established trusted relationships with residents, families, employees, executives and governing bodies.

Why Join Villaggio?

At Villaggio Sant’Antonio, you will have the opportunity to:

- Hold a genuinely influential executive leadership position.
- Work directly with the CEO, Deputy CEO and governing body.
- Shape the organisation’s clinical strategy and future model of care.
- Lead meaningful clinical and cultural transformation.
- Build and develop a high-performing multidisciplinary workforce.
- Work within an organisation grounded in community, dignity and cultural connection.
- You will be supported by an organisation that is committed to investing in its people, strengthening its systems and pursuing excellence rather than settling for compliance alone.

This Role Is for a Leader Who Is Ready to Make an Impact

We are seeking more than an experienced clinician.

We are seeking a courageous, intelligent and compassionate executive who can inspire confidence, establish accountability and lead Villaggio into its next chapter of clinical excellence.

If you are ready to bring your leadership, judgement and clinical expertise to an organisation where your contribution will be seen, valued and felt, we invite you to apply.

Villaggio Sant’Antonio is an equal-opportunity employer committed to safeguarding older people and creating a respectful, inclusive and culturally safe environment.

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📌 Director of Nursing (Canberra)
🏢 Villaggio Sant Antonio
📍 Canberra