Nurse Unit Manager (Theatre – Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory)

• Full-time, permanent Nurse Unit Manager (Grade 3), Perioperative Services, Macquarie University Hospital.
  
• Base salary of $148,558 per annum (in line with the NUM Grade 3 as part of Nursing Enterprise Agreement), plus 12% superannuation and salary packaging benefits via Maxxia to maximise your take-home pay.
  
• Operational and clinical leadership of the Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory theatres, supporting a complex, high-acuity surgical caseload.
  
• Work-Life Balance – A supportive perioperative leadership team, structured rostering and a campus environment with on-site parking, cafés, childcare, gym and pool.
  
• Grow With Us: Join Australia's only university-owned academic health precinct, where clinical excellence, ongoing education, study support and career progression are actively encouraged.
  
• Drive innovation in healthcare, transform patient outcomes, and advance your career today.

Macquarie University Health is seeking an experienced Nurse Unit Manager to lead the Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory theatres at Macquarie University Hospital, located on the Wallumattagal Campus in North Ryde. This is a permanent full-time appointment reporting to the Nurse Manager, Perioperative Services.

Our cardiac, vascular and thoracic service delivers a complex and varied caseload, including coronary artery bypass grafting, mitral valve repair, lobectomy, endovascular procedures and robotic-assisted surgery. In this role you will lead the nursing team responsible for that work, coordinating theatre resources, supporting surgeons and anaesthetists, and making sure every patient receives safe, timely and evidence-based perioperative care.

This is a hands-on leadership position suited to a perioperative nurse who enjoys building capability in others. You will work alongside educators, researchers and clinical program heads in an environment where teaching and research sit next to clinical practice, and where your decisions directly shape both patient outcomes and the learning experience of the nurses who follow you.

About the Role

The Nurse Unit Manager is accountable for the efficient and effective delivery of operating services within the cardiac, vascular and respiratory specialties, ensuring nursing and perioperative care meets legislative requirements, professional standards and best-practice guidelines. You will manage the staff and resources of your discipline mix, and work in close partnership with the Perioperative Services team, theatre schedulers, anaesthetists, surgeons and relevant Executive and Clinical Program Heads.

Leadership and culture – Provide visible professional leadership, promote shared governance and a high-performance team culture, and represent the perioperative service in hospital committees and forums.

Operational performance – Coordinate the efficient use of operating sessions, review emergency bookings and reallocations, and escalate delays, cancellations and utilisation issues that affect service efficiency.

Clinical practice and patient safety – Ensure care meets patient needs, provide timely intervention and problem solving within theatres, and foster a culture of patient advocacy and evidence-based nursing practice.

Quality, risk and accreditation – Lead quality improvement projects and clinical audits, manage critical incidents, and implement recommendations arising from investigations and root cause analyses.

Workforce and people management – Manage rosters, leave, overtime and allowances; recruit, develop and retain nursing staff; and support performance management, mandatory training and professional development in line with the applicable award.

About Us

Macquarie University Health is Australia's only university-owned, academically integrated health sciences organisation, and Australia's first fully integrated academic health precinct located on a university campus. We bring together Macquarie University Hospital, our Clinics, and the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, uniting leading clinicians, researchers, teachers and students around one shared purpose: better health outcomes for our patients and our community.

Macquarie University Hospital is Australia's first and only private not-for-profit teaching hospital located on a university campus. Modelled on renowned international university hospitals, our approach combines the best available knowledge, expertise and technology to deliver comprehensive, integrated care. Our values guide how we work – we put patients first, act with integrity, collaborate generously and continually seek better ways of delivering care.

About You

• Current registration as a Registered Nurse with AHPRA, substantial perioperative experience including cardiac, vascular and/or thoracic surgery, and a current Working with Children Check (or the ability to obtain one).
  
• Demonstrated management experience in a perioperative or comparable acute environment, including rostering, recruitment, performance management and a thorough working knowledge of the relevant industrial award.
  
• Postgraduate qualifications in perioperative nursing, leadership or management (or active progress towards completion).
  
• Working knowledge of surgical key performance indicators, theatre utilisation and list coordination, with the initiative to resolve operational issues as they arise.
  
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous quality improvement, incident and risk management, and accreditation processes including the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards and ISO 9001.
  
• Highly developed interpersonal, communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align surgeons, anaesthetists and the wider multidisciplinary team.

How to Apply

To be considered, please apply online with your CV and a cover letter outlining how your experience aligns with the selection criteria (above).

Applications Close: Sunday, 27 September 2026 at 11:59PM AEST

**Please note interviews may commence prior to the closing date**

**We reserve the right to progress or not proceed with applications prior to the closing date, and to close the advertisement early if required**

**Please note this position is only open to Australian citizens, permanent residents and those currently residing in Australia with full working rights**

For enquiries, or a confidential conversation about the role, please contact:

Role Specific Enquiries – Betty Mutanga, Associate Director, Perioperative Services at betty.mutanga@muh.org.au

General Enquiries – Bill Egarchos, Talent Acquisition Consultant at bill.egarchos@mq.edu.au

Pre-Employment Checks

Macquarie University Health cultivates a workplace defined by safety, ethical conduct, and strong integrity. Prior to completion of an offer of employment, preferred candidates will be required to participate in a combination of pre-employment checks relevant to the role they have applied for.

Your employment is conditional upon the completion and maintenance of all role-required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to Macquarie University Health.

If you're already part of the Macquarie Group (MQ University, U@MQ, MQ Health, MGSM), you'll need to apply through your employee Workday account. To apply for this job: Login to Workday and go to the Careers App > Find Jobs.