Western NSW Local Health District offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in communities where your work truly matters. This is an environment where purpose is tangible, careers accelerate and leaders are given the scope to grow through diverse and often complex clinical and operational challenges. With a strong focus on innovation, integrated care and bringing services closer to home, Western NSW is at the forefront of shaping the future of rural health delivery.
Bathurst Health Service is a 110-bed hospital, providing a comprehensive range of acute, sub-acute and community services. Serving a regional population of ~56,000, which is projected to grow to ~66,000 by 2036, it is one of the key referral hospitals in Western NSW LHD, forming part of a broader regional health network, inclusive of Orange and Dubbo.
The opportunity
Reporting to a highly experienced and passionate General Manager, who leads with heart, the Director of Nursing & Midwifery will have accountability for the hospital’s leadership team and a FTE of ~275. Key accountabilities for the position include:
- Culture, Trust and Workforce Leadership
- Drive a values-led culture focused on openness, trust and accountability, rebuilding engagement in a workforce that has experienced significant change and historical instability.
- Clinical Governance and Quality Leadership
- Lead nursing and midwifery services to ensure high-quality, safe, patient-centred care, strengthening clinical governance and embedding best practice models in a high-acuity environment.
- Operational Performance and Workforce Optimisation
- Oversee workforce planning, resource allocation and operational delivery, addressing key challenges such as unplanned leave, agency reliance and growing service demand.
- Strategic Transformation and Service Development
- Partner with the Executive to lead service planning and transformation, including shaping the future nursing directorate and supporting the hospital’s $200m redevelopment and growth agenda.
The successful Director of Nursing & Midwifery will present with:
- Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia as a Registered Nurse/Midwife (Division 1)
- Relevant tertiary qualifications in leadership, management or a related discipline
- Extensive senior leadership and management experience factoring clinical governance, quality and safety within a healthcare setting
- A proven ability to lead culture change, stakeholder engagement and organisational transformation
- Strong financial, operational and workforce planning capability
- Strategic and operational leadership skills, balancing clinical outcomes with service sustainability
- Shape the Future of a Growing Regional Health Service
- Play a pivotal role in a major rural referral hospital undergoing a $200 million redevelopment, with increasing service demand and clinical complexity.
- True Executive Influence and Autonomy
- Work directly with an experienced and values-driven General Manager, with significant scope to influence culture, strategy and operational outcomes.
- Leadership Growth and Succession Pathway
- Clear opportunity to step into broader executive leadership over time, with active succession planning toward General Manager capability.
- Make a Visible Community Impact
- Join a service deeply connected to its community, with the opportunity to rebuild trust and deliver meaningful health outcomes across a diverse and growing population.
- Flexibility, Support and Incentives
- Relocation support (if applicable) and access to scholarships and development opportunities within the District.
For a confidential discussion or role related questions, please contact Naomi McIntosh, Recruitment Manager of The Orchard Talent Group via naomi@orchardtalent.com.au or Rhodie Miller, Orchard Talent Group Partner – Health via Rhodie@orchardtalent.com.au. To apply please submit your current CV and a brief cover letter via the link. Please note applicants must have a legal right to work in Australia.
Applications close Tuesday, 9th June 2026.
The Orchard Talent Group acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, traditions, culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.