- $155-$170k (Negotiable)
- 17% superannuation
- 12 month fixed term project based contract with the potential for permanent
- WFH - anywhere in Australia!
- Opportunity for career development and progression

Our client is a higher education provider seeking registration with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) as an Institute of Higher Education. Its founding course is the Bachelor of Applied Counselling and Therapy, a three-year AQF Level 7 degree of 24 subjects, designed for practice-ready graduates and for pathway entry from the Diploma of Counselling.

We have an exciting and newly created opportunity for an Academic Dean to join their team. The Academic Dean will lead and deliver the full development of the Bachelor of Applied Counselling and Therapy. The Dean is accountable for the production of all 24 subjects, to TEQSA course accreditation standard, on time and within budget.

The Dean is both project manager and senior academic author. They will personally write a significant share of the curriculum and will commission, brief, manage and quality-assure a team of contracted Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to write the remainder. They will also provide academic leadership to the Institute's course accreditation application, working with the CEO, the Academic Board and external consultants.

The role suits an experienced counselling or psychotherapy academic who has designed and accredited higher education courses before, enjoys writing, and can run a complex, multi-author production schedule with discipline.

Key responsibilities:

Course architecture and academic design

- Finalise the course structure, learning outcomes, graduate attributes and subject sequence, including prerequisites, majors/streams and practicum components
- Develop the assessment framework, including assessment types, moderation processes, academic integrity measures and capstone/practicum assessment
- Establish course compliance and pathway arrangements through mapping to AQF Level 7, Higher Education Standards Framework requirements and relevant professional standards, while defining credit transfer, articulation and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathways.

Subject production — delivery of all 24 subjects

- Lead the end-to-end development and quality assurance of all subjects, including subject guides, learning outcomes, weekly learning content, assessments, rubrics and teaching resources
- Personally author key foundational and capstone subjects while managing SME contributors through detailed briefs,



quality reviews and approval processes; and ensure all subjects meet academic standards and are fully prepared for online delivery through the Institute's LMS/eLearning environment.

SME and team management

- Lead the recruitment, contracting and management of subject matter experts (SMEs) across counselling and related disciplines, including scope, budget and timeline management
- Oversee contributor performance through regular briefings, progress reviews and quality control processes; and provide leadership and direction to instructional design and project coordination resources to ensure successful project delivery.

Project management

- Lead end-to-end project planning and governance for the development of all 24 subjects, including scheduling, resourcing, milestone and dependency management; oversee project budgets, risk management and quality assurance processes.
- Establish document control and version management protocols
- Provide regular progress, budget and risk reporting to the CEO and Academic Board to ensure timely and successful course delivery.

Quality assurance and accreditation

- Lead the academic development and accreditation readiness of the course, including preparation of TEQSA accreditation documentation, benchmarking against comparable Australian degrees, coordination of external peer review, and management of compliance requirements relating to copyright, accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA) and academic integrity.

Academic governance and leadership

- Provide academic leadership and governance throughout the project through active participation on the Academic Board and relevant committees; contribute to the development of core academic policies, including assessment, academic integrity, moderation, grievances, credit transfer and RPL; advise on academic staffing requirements in line with HESF standards.

What we're looking for:

Essential

1. A doctoral qualification (PhD or professional doctorate) in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology or a closely related discipline, consistent with HESF 3.2 requirements for academic leadership of an AQF Level 7 course. A Master's degree with an exceptional record of course development and scholarship may be considered.
2. Demonstrated experience designing, developing and gaining accreditation for higher education courses in Australia,



preferably including a TEQSA course accreditation or re-accreditation.
3. Substantial experience writing higher education curriculum — subject guides, learning content and assessment — to a high standard, with examples available on request.
4. Proven ability to manage multi-author content production: commissioning, briefing, managing and quality-assuring subject matter experts to deadline and budget.
5. Solid project management capability, including planning, scheduling, risk management, budget control and reporting to executive and board level.
6. Deep knowledge of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, the AQF and constructive alignment of learning outcomes, teaching and assessment.
7. Current knowledge of counselling and psychotherapy practice, theory and qualified training standards in Australia (PACFA, ACA).
8. Excellent written and interpersonal communication, with the judgement and resilience to work in a start-up environment with evolving structures.

Desirable

- Current or recent registration as a counsellor or psychotherapist (PACFA or ACA) and clinical practice experience.
- Experience with online and blended course design, including authoring for LMS/SCORM delivery and working with instructional designers.
- Experience teaching or leading programs that admit students via VET pathways and credit transfer.
- Experience as a member of an academic board, course advisory committee or similar governance body.
- A record of scholarship or publication in counselling, psychotherapy or higher education pedagogy

Benefits:

- $155-$170k (Negotiable)
- 17% superannuation
- 12 month fixed term project based contract with the potential for permanent
- WFH - anywhere in Australia!
- Prospect for career development and progression

If you're ready to make a leap in your career with an amazing organisation, APPLY TODAY!

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Who is A.I.R Recruitment? A.I.R Recruitment is a national award winning boutique recruitment agency based in Newcastle, driven by passion and the challenge of connecting quality candidates to careers that deliver success. The foundation of our business is built on trust, integrity and the three key fundamental people solutions to Attract, Integrate and Retain. A.I.R Recruitment specialize in permanent recruitment in white collar, blue collar, professional and executive roles.

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