Faculty Executive Director, Faculty of Business and Economics

Lead strategy into action. Build powerful connections. Help shape the future of one of Australia’s leading business and economics faculties.

The University of Melbourne is seeking an accomplished and highly collaborative executive to join the Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) as Faculty Executive Director.

Reporting directly to the Dean and serving on the Faculty Executive, you will be FBE’s most senior professional staff leader. In partnership with academic and professional leaders, you will translate University and Faculty strategy into action, oversee professional staff functions and strengthen external engagement to advance the Faculty’s ambitions.

About the Faculty The Faculty of Business and Economics is a globally connected centre of excellence in business and economics education, research and engagement.

Bringing together accounting, business administration, economics, finance, management and marketing, together with the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, the Faculty has an influential community of students, staff, alumni and partners spanning business, government, the professions, academia and the not-for-profit sector.

The opportunity

You will provide executive leadership across the Faculty’s skilled operations, organisational capability, resources and performance, while helping create the conditions in which academic and professional colleagues can succeed together.

Your engagement across the University and with external partners will create opportunities for collaboration, impact and mutual benefit.

As a connector between academic and professional communities across FBE and the wider University, you will bring together people, ideas and capabilities, remove barriers and mobilise colleagues around shared priorities.

Your key responsibilities will be to:





- partner with the Dean and Faculty Executive to translate strategy and promising ideas into achievable priorities, initiatives and outcomes, building the momentum, capability and accountability needed to deliver
- provide strategic, commercial and evidence-informed advice, bringing an independent perspective and constructively challenging thinking when it will lead to better decisions
- lead FBE’s qualified community through senior professional leaders, providing clear direction and oversight while empowering them to deliver
- strengthen organisational performance, service quality and capability through innovation, continuous improvement and thoughtful use of data
- build purposeful relationships with industry, government, alumni, donors, professional bodies, community organisations and international partners
- connect external perspectives and opportunities with FBE’s ambitions in education, research, employability, executive education, advancement and reputation
- steward the Faculty’s resources and organisational capability to support its long-term academic ambitions and financial sustainability
- contribute to a respectful, inclusive and high-performing culture built on trust, listening, accountability and the highest standards of ethical behaviour.

About you

You will be an experienced executive leader with a significant record of achievement in a complex organisation and the ability to operate with considerable autonomy, judgement and influence.

Strategic but pragmatic,



you will bring the intellectual confidence to work with leading academics and senior executives, combining long-term perspective with attention to the detail that enables delivery. You will ask difficult questions and challenge ideas constructively, while building the trust needed to bring people with you.

You will have substantial people and organisational leadership experience, with the ability to lead at scale through others rather than taking a top-down approach. You will set clear expectations and create an environment where people feel respected, heard and accountable for outcomes.

A natural relationship builder, you will enjoy engaging with academics, professional staff, senior executives and external partners, bringing credibility across these communities. Your influence will rest on listening, curiosity, sound judgement and trusted relationships as much as formal authority.

A genuine connection to Melbourne and an understanding of its business, government, community and alumni environment will be highly valued, alongside knowledge of the Australian higher education context.

Above all, you will care about people and purpose, bringing integrity, fairness and high ethical standards to advancing FBE’s mission and its contribution to the University and the communities it serves.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to help shape the next chapter of an internationally recognised Faculty with robust academic foundations, an influential alumni community and extensive connections across business, government and society.

At the University of Melbourne, our enduring purpose is to benefit society through the transformative impact of education and research. FBE contributes to that purpose by developing responsible leaders, advancing knowledge and connecting research and education with some of the most significant economic, business and societal challenges facing Australia and the world.

📌 Faculty Executive Director (Melbourne)
🏢 University Of Melbourne
📍 Melbourne