About the role
Mater Heath is looking for a Social Work Team Leader to lead the Mater Mothers Hospital Social Work Team. Based at our South Brisbane campus, this is a permanent and full-time HP5 role.

The Mater Mothers Social Work team provides specialist services across a range of Tertiary level inpatient and outpatient models of care in the areas of Mother’s, Babies and Women.  The team encompasses 11 FTE of Social Workers and Social Work Assistants and works alongside the Psychology, Adult’s Social Work, Child Protection and Domestic and Family Violence teams within the Social Work and Psychology Department. 

The Mater Social Work and Psychology Department is committed to providing excellence in care to patients and their families who are most at-risk, while fostering a positive culture which values the wellbeing and development of our staff.  As a result it has been a finalist three years in a row across the categories of Innovation, Leadership and/or Clinical Excellence in the statewide Mater People Awards. 

Salary range: $73.12 - $76.30 per hour plus 11.5% superannuation and access to not-for-profit salary packaging up to $15,900  + access to many staff benefits! 

What you’ll be doing
You will operationally manage and coordinate clinical service delivery across Mater Mothers Social Work including:  

• Deliver specialised clinical and consultancy services with complex and novel clinical presentations across Mother’s, Babies and Women’s Social Work services
• Monitor and ensure the appropriate application of professional standards, including assessment of clinical competencies, and coordination and provision of professional development opportunities
• Drive workforce productivity and planning through the operational and professional management of the Mater Mother’s Social Work services, staff and resources
• Provide direction to health practitioners, allied health assistants, students, support staff and volunteers in the delivery of Mother’s, Babies and Women’s Social Work clinical services
• Operationally manage financial and staffing resources and day-to-day service delivery
• Provide strategic direction to Mater Mothers Social Work team and shape service profile through developing and extending scope of practice, models of care and clinical practices in line with departmental plan
• Take a leadership role in departmental planning and translating organisational and divisional strategy to operational outcomes
• Lead change through initiating and implementing quality and service improvement initiatives
• Develop a research agenda for Mater Mothers Social Work team to improve practice standards, models of service delivery and patient outcomes and support team to engage in research
• Provide authorative counsel to management, colleagues and external stakeholders regarding delivery of clinical services
• Foster engagement and alignment of team activity with departmental priorities and influence culture towards a common vision
• Actively promote and advocate for team and the Social Work profession
• Drive and champion a learning and development agenda

About you
You will have a degree in social work that provides eligibility for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and ideally hold the below:

• Post graduate qualifications in Social Work or related field
• AASW Membership
• AASW Accredited Mental Health Social Worker

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Experience in provision of social work services, ideally in a health setting related to Mother’s, Babies and Women
• Demonstrated advanced level clinical expertise and ability to clinically lead and coordinate a team in the delivery of patient centred care
• Demonstrated experience in leading, operationally managing and growing a clinical service in line with departmental plan/strategy
• Demonstrated experience in driving workforce productivity and leading change through in the development of research, quality improvement initiatives and innovative models of care
• Advanced communication and negotiation skills including experience in fostering engagement, influencing outcomes, addressing conflict and advocating with profession and multidisciplinary teams, patients, carers and other stakeholders

Why join us?

Mater is Queensland’s largest and most innovative not-for-profit healthcare service, providing care for almost 700,000 patients a year across a network of 11 hospitals.

We are a leader in healthcare, education and research — and that’s because we employ exceptional people. #MAKEYOURMATERMOVE

• Via salary packaging arrangements, allocate some living expenses directly from your pre-taxable income and ultimately increase your take-home pay
• Access to package meal and entertainment expenses via salary packaging
• Access to leading education and professional development via Mater Education
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program and on-site pastoral care teams
• Discounts to local and national business/venues for Dining/Retail/Travel & Accommodation/Other
• Unlimited access to a multitude of discounted fitness facilities through Fitness Passport
• Access to on-site, discounted parking
• Discounted food and beverage at various campus cafés and coffee venues

For more information specific to the role, please view the PD here –  HP5 Team Leader Role Description Social Work Mothers.docx

Applications close on Sunday 27th December 2025. Please be advised that our recruitment process may be temporarily paused for the holiday period and we will begin contacting applicants again in January 2025. We appreciate your patience and look forward to connecting with you at that time.

Please include a 1-page cover letter with your application outlining your interest and suitability to the role.

Please Note: We will not require any support from Recruitment Agencies at this time and kindly request no contact is made. Only direct applications will be considered.

Mater Group is dedicated to creating a workplace that values diversity and inclusion. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and abilities. We believe in providing equal opportunities for all qualified candidates.

For more information regarding Reconciliation at Mater, please visit our Reconciliation webpage.