Culture and Staff Experience Lead
Employment Type: Permanent Full Time
Position Classification: Health Manager Level 3
Remuneration: $132,236 - $150,222 Per Annum + 12% Super + Salary Packaging
Hours Per Week: 38
Requisition ID: REQ628972
Location: Waratah
Applications Close: Monday 12th January 2026
Interviews for this position are forecasted for Thursday 15th January 2026
Hunter New England Local Health District is seeking a Staff Experience Lead to drive meaningful, sustainable change across workforce culture, wellbeing and staff experience.
This role builds on a year of real progress and is ready for its next evolution. As the Staff Experience Lead, you’ll take established Diversity & Inclusion and PMES initiatives and turn momentum into lasting change, embedding staff experience into everyday ways of working across the organisation.
You won’t be starting from a blank page. You’ll be stepping into a space with strong foundations, clear direction and plenty of opportunity to lead. Working closely with People & Culture teams and key stakeholders, you’ll shape how strategy shows up in practice driving consistency, impact and meaningful improvements at scale.
About the role
As the Staff Experience Lead, you will take ownership of the Staff Experience Action Plan, continuing to drive it’s implementation and continuous refinement in partnership with People and Culture teams and key stakeholders.
Operating in a complex, high-volume environment this role requires strong judgement, prioritisation and influence. You will work across the organisation to ensure workforce wellbeing and staff experience initiatives are integrated, measurable and aligned with broader workforce strategies and the Health Workforce Plan.
Key focus areas include:
Leading the design, delivery and evaluation of district-wide staff experience and wellbeing initiatives.
Embedding staff experience considerations into workforce planning, attraction, recruitment and retention strategies.
Partnering with People and Culture teams to ensure initiatives are practical, scalable and sustainable.
Driving evidence-based decision making through workforce data analysis and insight.
Supporting leaders to build wellbeing capability and embed best-practice approaches into everyday leadership.
Key accountabilities
Collaborate with key stakeholders to continue to implement a Staff Experience Action Plan for HNELHD, and monitor the plan against predefined measures and adapt the plan to ensure outcomes are achieved
Participate in regular meetings with the Ministry of Health and other Staff Experience Leads to support collaboration and consistency of approaches across the state.
Develop and provide best practice guidance to leaders to enable them to integrate culture and wellbeing approaches into their practice to empower people to perform to their potential.
Build workforce wellbeing capability across the organisation to improve wellbeing of themselves and their peers.
Design and facilitate local initiatives that address identified needs to enhance and sustain workforce wellbeing now and into the future.
About you
You are a confident, credible professional with experience leading workforce culture, wellbeing, engagement or staff experience initiatives in a large or complex organisation. You bring:
Relevant tertiary qualifications in a relevant field and/or equivalent professional experience leading the development and delivery of strategies in a large organisation, relating to employee wellbeing, engagement and/or experience across the employee lifecycle.
Demonstrated ability to manage a high-volume workload and adapt to competing demands in a dynamic working environment
Strong communication, consultation and negotiation skills.
Experience using data to inform strategy and drive improvement.
A collaborative approach, with the ability to build trusted relationships across all levels of an organisation.
Well-developed analytical, problem-solving and strategic planning capability.
The confidence to exercise independent judgement and lead work with ambiguity.
Hold a current driver's licence, with the ability and willingness to travel throughout HNELHD as required from time to time.
At Hunter New England Health, enjoy a career where you're challenged by interesting work and surrounded by spectacular locations. Join the team enriching health in millions of ways every day:
Sustainable Healthcare: Together towards zero
14 Weeks Paid Parental Leave
Proximity to shopping and other services
ADO's each month
4 weeks annual leave
Superannuation contributions
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for staff and family members
Opportunity to work and collaborate with a range of non-clinical and clinical professionals.
Need more information?
1) Click here for the Position Description
2) Find out more about applying for this position
For role related queries or questions contact Alice Hoffman on Alice.Hoffman@health.nsw.gov.au or on 0438 016 212, all calls are encouraged over this advertising period.
Information for Applicants:
Applicants will be assessed against the essential requirements and selection criteria contained within the position description (link below). For assistance addressing selection criteria visit: https://bit.ly/3vL5fq2
An eligibility list will be created for future permanent full or part time and temporary full or part time vacancies.
Stepping Up Website is a resource designed to help indigenous job applicants apply for positions in NSW Health. For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/HNEHealthSteppingUp
At Hunter New England Local Health District, we are an inclusive employer dedicated to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming workplace. Our commitment to a workforce that reflects the community we care for is essential for delivering the highest quality healthcare to our community. We encourage people with diverse lived experiences to apply. If you require any accommodations or adjustments to the recruitment process please let us know when you apply or at any stage of the process. We will work with you to meet your needs and create the best possible experience. Please contact HNELHD-Diversity@health.nsw.gov.au for confidential support.
This is a Category B position. Recommended applicants will be reviewed for compliance with NSW Health policy directive PD2024_015: Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination against Specified Infectious Diseases for Category B positions prior to offer. All new employees must agree to comply with the requirements outlined in the policy.
Salary Packaging: is beneficial to most Hunter New England Health employees and may increase your take-home pay! Salary package a range of personal expenses including novated motor vehicle leases, relocation expenses, and HECS/HELP debt. Find out more by contacting SalaryPackagingPLUS! via nswhealth@salarypackagingplus.com.au or 1300 40 25 23.
