About Defence Health

Defence Health is a not-for-profit, purpose-driven private health insurer supporting the health and wellbeing of the Defence community. Since 1953, Defence Health has remained focused on protecting the health of those who protect Australia, operating for members rather than shareholders and reinvesting in the community it serves.

Our culture is values-led, member-focused and built on trust, excellence, community, ownership and putting members first. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where people are supported to grow, contribute and make a meaningful difference

Defence Health is a place where we are all encouraged to excel and where we strive to be a high-performing organisation by continuously setting a better standard. We show up, stick together, solve it, and see it through.

Our promise to our own people is the same as our promise to members; we look after our own

Find out more at defencehealth.com.au

About the role

Defence Health is seeking an experienced Head of Operational Enablement to lead the capabilities that enable our Operations teams to deliver reliable, efficient and compliant service for our members and providers.

In this senior leadership role, you will bring together provider operations, operational administration, service quality, training and induction, and operational excellence.

You will translate enterprise and Operations strategy into clear outcomes, fit-for-purpose operating disciplines and sustainable capability, ensuring teams have the capacity, knowledge, systems, standards and support they need to succeed.

Key responsibilities

- Lead the end-to-end performance and strategic direction of the operational enablement function.
- Set service standards, procedures, controls and escalation pathways across provider operations and operational administration.
- Own the operational service quality framework, assurance approach and quality reporting governance.




- Set the strategy and standards for operational training, induction, accreditation and ongoing capability development.
- Build disciplined continuous improvement capability across Operations, simplifying and standardising work while reducing friction, rework and cost-to-serve.
- Use performance data, member and provider insights, assurance findings and frontline feedback to address systemic issues and strengthen outcomes.
- Partner with senior leaders and enterprise teams across Operations, People and Transformation, Technology, Data and Analytics, Finance, Risk, Compliance and Legal.

About you

You are a commercially minded and data-informed operations leader who can turn strategy into practical plans, sustainable performance and measurable outcomes. You bring strong judgement, a continuous improvement mindset and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through complexity, change and competing priorities.

You will be confident influencing senior stakeholders, building leadership and specialist capability, strengthening operational controls and creating accountability for service, quality, productivity and member outcomes.

You will bring

- Significant senior leadership experience in complex service operations, ideally within private health insurance, financial services, healthcare or another regulated environment.
- Experience leading an operational enablement portfolio such as provider operations, administration, workforce planning, service quality, learning or continuous improvement.




- Demonstrated capability in capacity planning, scheduling and operational performance management.
- Experience establishing and improving service quality, assurance, knowledge or operational capability frameworks.
- Strong understanding of operational risk, controls, compliance and governance in a regulated service workplace.
- Highly developed stakeholder management, influencing and communication skills.
- A strong commitment to member-first service, provider outcomes, employee capability and sustainable operational performance. Our values and ways of working

Why choose Defence Health

- Career opportunities: We grow our own and recognise initiative, high performance, and commitment with opportunities for career progression.
- Make an impact: as a purpose-driven organisation, we partner with veteran support organisations to offer meaningful volunteering experiences and connect to our community.
- Free top-tier health insurance for you and your immediate family valued at approx. $6,000 per year (after completing a minimum employment period).
- Competitive remuneration and health and wellbeing initiatives: Access to discounted gym memberships and an additional paid day of wellbeing leave each year.
- Company funded parental leave: Fully funded paid parental leave for eligible employees with superannuation paid for the entire length of approved parental leave
- Social Committees: connect with your colleagues, have your say, and develop new skills with our Social Club, Health and Safety, and Diversity and Inclusion Committees.
- Prime location: Our office is conveniently located on St Kilda Road with great access to public transport and local amenities.

If this sounds like you - this is a fantastic opportunity to join a company that offers a high engagement, vibrant and inclusive culture where you and your career can thrive.

📌 Head of Operational Enablement (Melbourne)
🏢 Defence Health
📍 Melbourne